Iya Regalario is no stranger to the art scene, or the Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival, which has featured her works at the Sculpture Garden before. Regalario talks about the roots of her pieces this year.
Malasimbo Magic
I did two this year, one solo called "Sanggumay at ang Alamat ng Punong Pino," an illustration on the female toilet wall as an ode to my advocacy for Baguio. It symbolizes my love for trees and a dissent for [sic] people cutting them down. It's about a diwata named Sanggumay who had skin like tree bark, and who couldn't find love because of how she looked. She felt love in the comfort of trees, so in her sleep, she wished she could be transformed into one, and it happened in the morning. She lived happily ever after and spread pinecones in the forest to make more trees.
Sangumay at ang Alamat ng Punong Pino
The piece for Malasimbo is also a game where you find certain hidden objects. This was meant to keep the people in line to the toilets busy while waiting for their turn. A play on form and function.
The Zodiac Wheel
The second work is a collaboration with art techie group Joint Forces where we made a zodiac wheel. The zodiac wheel had zodiac wood stumps and LED constellations. The idea is to merge art and technology in creating an interactive piece that will encourage people to get together. We chose astrology because it tells a lot about people's characters.
Considering the environment/ topography/ context of the festival, what challenges did you go through with your artistic process?
Collaboration installation by Carlo Jaucian, Iya Regalario, Dimitri Roleda, David Cruz