With the country undergoing a design resurgence—taking small but confident steps towards global recognition—architect-designer J. Anton Mendoza is one of the young ones at the fore, striving to bring the country to as far as it can go.

Philippine Tatler talks to Mendoza on his passion, motivations, and thoughts on the country’s future in design.

Philippine Tatler: When and how did your passion for design start?

J. Anton Mendoza: We grew up in a design environment. My father J. Antonio Mendoza, Sr. is an architect and my mother Maribel González is an interior designer. We grew up in beautiful homes. My grandparents had a very lovely home—my maternal great-grandparents Joaquín de San Agustín and Olimpia Noguera’s home on Calle General Solano in San Miguel, Malacañan, was immortalised in Nick Joaquin’s book “San Miguel de Manila.” It was a splendid home replete with antique furniture, silver, and santos passed on from generations. I met up with my aunts a few months back to visit the house. Though now empty, it still brings back a lot of pleasant memories, and our family still owns the house to this day.

PT: How does a creative process begin? Where do you find inspiration for your work?

Mendoza: I am an artist, it is imperative that I start with inspiration or divine intervention, and then instinct takes over.

In my field, I am known as a modernist, but the old Spanish city of Intramuros is my sanctuary. I go to mass there on Sunday mornings and walk around the city till noon before I go back to Makati in time for traditional family reunions. It is in Intramuros where I derive a lot of passion and inspiration. It is in this last bastion of Spain in the Philippines where I am at home.

PT: Who or what do you consider your design influences?

Mendoza: I am influenced by a lot of things. I can even be influenced by a well-designed paperclip. But one influence that comes to my mind before every project starts is a phrase from our National Artist Leandro V. Locsin: “The architect’s work is a link between the past and the future and may someday be the inspiration for a new generation of architects.”

PT: What is your design philosophy?

Mendoza: I am often asked this question during interviews and used to have to struggle for an appropriate answer. The truth is, I don’t really have design philosophies or concepts when I design. I am an artist. I create works of art. I don’t find reasons to create or design, otherwise, it ceases to become art.

PT: What can you say about the current state of design in the country? Where do you see it leading?

Mendoza: The 1960s was the golden age of modern Philippines architecture. Our Asian neighbours even looked to Manila and found inspiration from the sweeping expressions of concrete structures along Ayala Avenue. Then local design took a backseat due to the dismal economic state of the country. Now, we are back. We are a poor country, but we are gifted with an inherent passion to create beautiful works of art. After all, we are the Latins of Asia. We create works of art from the heart, with the passion and skill of true artisans. I see our design industry leading nowhere but forward.