Lisa Ito
Outline
Introduction
Dissident Puppets: The Effigy in Philippine Radical Politics (2005) Undergraduate thesis at UP College of Fine Arts Survey of effigy as a form of Philippine protest art, National Capital Region (NCR) from 1964-2004
Effigies Funerary statuary to popular ritual to protest art Employs caricature, satire for subversion Reflexive, symbiotic relationships between technical and political aspects of production; representation and meaning; display and destruction
Objectives
Methodology Collation, examination of available visual data and texts after 2004 Qualitative methods, such as FGDs, KIIs to follow
Update the existing database of documented images Forward observations of changes that occurred within this period Update existing assessment, scholarship
Framework
Effigies assume a practical function as a propagandistic art form and a symbolic function as an integral part of the process, iconography and ritual of the political struggle of the national democratic movement in the Philippines.
Produced in the context of Philippine protest and revolutionary art, media Simultaneously reflects and helps shape political discourse Mediates between institutions of the visible and verbal
Framework
Iconic plane
Contextual plane
Presidents = most common personality represented in protest effigies from 1964 to present Not just person itself but the structure, system he/she embodies A means for people to visualize current issues
Transitional period between two Presidential administrations, credibility crisis End of exponentially unpopular administration under Pres. Arroyo Start of increasingly discredited, tenuous term under Pres. Aquino
Historical overview
Simple agitational propaganda used as early as 1964 Disappeared during the period of Martial Law in the 1970s Resurfaced during resistance against the dictatorship in the 1980s Increasingly popularized, developed in demonstrations from the 1990s to present
*Relationships between and across such functions can be interpreted as dialectic and interconnected, rather than discrete and segregated from each other.
Overview
Seven years: (2005-2012) Eight major works for annual alternative SONA protests Artists' group UGATLahi, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) More systematic archiving and online documentation by peoples organizations (PO), media Dozens of smaller effigies by POs still undocumented
Visual focal point/centerpiece of event from POV of mass media Collectively produced by pool of visual artists, volunteers Use of cheaper/alternative / recyclable materials, components Large-scale yet mobile / portable and mechanized works
More effigies proliferated since 2005 as public discontent with administration grew Life-size productions produced as the central images for massive multi-sectoral mobilizations Smaller effigies also produced by organizations with artistically-endowed members Regular citations of different effigies by mass media, mass organizations
For the first time, an effigy was not burned to challenge the current administration
Conclusions
Effigies have evolved as a form of popular protest art in the Philippines from 1964 up to the present, utilized by progressive peoples movements to not just entertain, but also to arouse, mobilize and capture the sentiments of the populace. Process and elements of the effigy as protest art are intertwined with the ways a political movement creates, defines and pursues political discourse. Progression of imagery in the case of effigies caricaturing former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, from 2001 to 2009 conveyed the rising public disgust at the various failures of the administration.
Conclusions
Production of effigies and their rituals of protest systematically packaged as parody and public spectacle Effigies as protest art forms is emphasized during annual SONA protests held in conjunction with the official SONA ceremonies by the government Proliferation of digital technology and social media expanded the reception, archiving and distribution of effigy images
Conclusions
Building practice
Artists and groups developed artistic, political theory and practice over time Artists accept the process of destruction as integral to completing the The act of (not) burning can be a useful visualization of political strategy The 9 examples are but a fraction of the increasing number of effigies since 2005. From 2005 to 2012, UGATLahi made five effigies of Pres. Arroyo and three effigies of Pres. Aquino for each of the annual SONA mobilizations. More decentralized effigies by BAYAN affiliates possibly indicates that more effigies are being made over the years, with other art forms
Lisa Ito