Exhibit resurrects ‘Badong’
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The Father of Theater Design rises again. Or at least maquettes and photographs have immortalized his works designed and produced by his creative mind.
In an exhibit currently curated at the grandiose Sison Auditorium in Lingayen, Salvador ‘Badong’ Bernal, a national artist who hailed from Salisay, Dagupan City, is resurrected through some of his numerous designs during his four-decade career.
Brought to Pangasinan by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the exhibit titled Badong Designs the Stage features some maquettes of his stage designs for several productions of various genres. Maquettes are small preliminary models, usually of a sculpture or a building.
The exhibit is divided into four sections: symbol which is the selection of the key metaphor that crystallized the director’s interpretation of the dance or theater production; sources, the range of bases from which Bernal drew his design concepts and styles; surfaces or the local and inexpensive materials that he discovered and developed for the stage; and space, Bernal’s successful experimentation with theater space and successful solution to stage limitations.
Bernal was known for his usage of bamboo and rattan in his stage designs.
Also on exhibit are some of the costumes used in the productions he worked for such as Paglipas ng Dilim, a sarswela in 1991, Romeo and Juliet, a drama in 1998, and a 1997 musical titled Lapu-Lapu which is dubbed as “A Crest in Bernal’s Career.”
Chris B. Millado, CCP vice president, said that Badong was one of their longest running exhibits, lasting up to four months. He added that it would be taken to 15 different sites throughout the country as part of CCP’s Lakbay Sining Program.
The eccentric Pangasinense artist, with more than 300 productions since his career began in 1969, organized the Philippine Association of Theater Designers and Technicians in 1995. He was called the “Father of Theater Design in the Philippines” and was recognized as National Artist for Theater Design in 2003.
In April 2011, the Provincial Government of Pangasinan bestowed upon Bernal an ASNA Balitok award. The ASNA Awards held every year recognizes Pangasinenses who have excelled in their respective fields.
Bernal died five months after.
Badong Designs the Stage exhibit opened on Feb. 26 and will end on May 3. This is part of the celebration of Agew na Pangasinan on April 5 and of Pista’y Dayat which will kick off in mid-April and will last till the first week of May.
The exhibit is open from 8 am up to 5 pm daily. Entrance fee costs P30 for students and P50 for adults. - EJ Dangla (FOCUS)
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