ArtStudIFinalProjectPaper

Members:Baas,Gayoso,Pagtiilan,Parreo

I.Concept

The interactive map contains places within the University of the Philippines Diliman
which, for us, have made a mark in our memories. However, these places are not drawn as to
how they would look likeinreality.Instead,wedecidedtoredraworreinterprettheseplacesin
our own perspective or in how we would view this place to be. In other words, thismapserves
to put the reader in the viewpoint of the maker, giving him or her an idea of what the place is
andwhatitmeanstothem,orinthiscase,tous.

In its technical definition, a place is an area or a portion of space with definite

boundaries. But a place isnt just restricted to its material elements. In fact, it is the intangible
that gives a deeper meaning to a place. Araneta Coliseum, for example, is one of the iconic
places in the Metro which houses sports games like basketball, concerts by local and foreign
artists, beauty pageants, and even cockfight tournaments. Physically, one can describe the
coliseum as a big dome from the outside. Inside, a big rectangular space is on the center
surroundedbytheseatswhich aredividedbasedontheirlevelrelativetotheground(lowerbox,
for example) theres also a big screen hanging from the wide ceiling which shows the
performance or the game being played. The building is not unique to other basketball arenas
which also feature a dome shape structure. In fact, itcanbearguedthatthiscoliseumpalesin
comparison to other coliseums because of its old age and somehow degrading maintenance.
But what sets this structure from the others likeitself? Simple.Itisthehistorybehind itandthe
culture it has developed. Because of the numerous basketball games it hosted, the Araneta
Coliseum is now called by the locals as the Mecca of Philippine Basketball. It was also the
home of the worldfamous 1975 Thrilla in Manila in which boxing greats Muhammad Ali and
Joe Frazier had a 15round showdown for the World Heavyweight Championship. Places like
Araneta Coliseum cannot be judged strictly because of its physical appearance. After all, it is
not merely a structure. It istheplacewhichshapedourcountryspopandsportsculturetowhat
it isnow. Insummary,aplacewouldnotbecompletewithoutitscontext,or thestorybehindthe
structures or even the mere spaces which are found in it. A structuremaybe similartoothers
but a certain place will always be unique becauseoftheabstractthingswhichencompassit. A
place can have different stories based on its purpose or its owner a place can also be known
for its scientific importance, take for example marine estuaries which are protected because of
what they contribute to the biodiversity of the planet. There are many values which can be
attributedtoaplace,andthesevaluescompleteitsidentity.

The layout of the map resembles a ring of fire which depicts hell. This hell generally
ascribes to the University of the Philippines Diliman Campus due to the hardships one
experiences there (and also due to the smoldering heat which gives a hundred times more
stress to your average student).Incontrasttothisdepictionofhellisthestatue oftheOblation

which, in our opinion, is the heraldofsuccess.Beingabletostandinthepresenceofthisiconic

piece during the graduation rites is the main goal of every scholar. The Oble is also there to
symbolize the whole of UP itself as it is, if not the most, one of the most iconic pieces of art in
theuniversity.Ittellstheviewthattheplacesinthemapcanbeseenwithinthecampus.

The places chosen by the members are represented by buttons of different colors.
These buttons can be hovered and be clicked attoviewthedifferentplaces.These buttonsare
connected to each otherwhich accountsfortherelationshipsthatholdthosestructurestogether
(being put in the same vicinity and all). Our group believes that the places we have chosen,
however different they may seem, correlate with one another through students like us. These
unique places help complete the identity of the Diliman campus as a place. The group also
decided to make these places form aring becauseofthe iconicarrangementofthecampusin
thebuildingssurroundingtheacademicovalwiththeSunkenGardeninthemiddle.

In general, in making the drawings for the places we chose, the members of the group
included structures which for them is the mostdistinguishablepartoftheplacetheychose. And
we hope that these will help the viewer in understanding the map. Although the map is not a
directional map, it cangiveotherinformationsuchaslandmarksforeachplacechosenbecause
of the unique symbols the members used. It is important to note that the interpretations ofthe
placesare personalforeachmemberandmay notreflecttheinterpretationoftheotherstudents
in the campus. As such we hope that the viewer understands our viewpoint as artists and as
studentsofthiscampus,utilizingthesestructuresinourtime.

Eight different places in the UniversityofthePhilippinesDilimanCampusarefeaturedin

our map, each with its own identity. The University of the Philippines IntegratedSchool,better
known as UPIS, is thelaboratoryschooloftheCollegeofEducationinUniversitywherestudent
teachers are sent to teach students ranging from kindergarten all the way up to high school.
Jayvee Gayoso, one of the groups members, studied in UPIS (specifically in the K2 and 36
building) from kindergarten until elementary. This place holds what he calls his most precious
memories. Looking back, he credits the teachers there for giving him lessons that didnotonly
prepare him for high school but also help him open his eyes to the situation of the Philippine
society and made him a true iskolar ng bayan. The architecture and design of the place will
always be etched in his memory. He will not forget the times he would always play in the
playground of the K2 after dismissal while waiting for his parents. The parking space of 36
where he would play all sortsofgameswithhisclassmatesandbatchmatesisalsomemorable
but forhim,the onethatreallydefinestheidentity ofUPISasaplaceisthememoriesheshared
there with his teachers and batchmates. Every time he looks at the rooms, the first thing that
comes into his mind is the laughter of his classmates and the lecture of his teachers. The
drawing in the map shows UPIS as a water fountain with a playground. The fountain
symbolizes the UPIS buildings (36 and K12) because hethinksthattheseplacesserveashis
Fountain of Youth because everytime he goes by these saidplaces,itremindshimone ofthe
best times of hischildhoodandthisdoesnotonlyapplytohimbutalsotohisotherschoolmates
which also hails from the same school. With the recent opening of the annex of the UP Town

Center, which was the former UPIS High School building, many former UPIS students like him
cant help but reminisce not only the structure of the school itself but the memories they made
there. Yes, the building is different now but for them, it is still the same place where they
learnedandhadfun.

The Ylanan Hall, or better known as the UP Gym, is the home of students from the
College of Human Kinetics the headquarters of UP Diliman athletes and varsity players,
rockstars of the campus every UAAP season. What makes the gym distinguishable is its
higharching ceiling which highly resembles Noahs Ark from theoutsideespeciallywiththered
diagonal beams supportingthestructure. Thismaynotbethecenterofattentionwhenitcomes
to the main events of UAAP specifically basketball and volleyball, but this iswheretheathletes
train their hearts out to perform at their best during the real games. Because of that, it can be
considered asthe mostimportantplacefor theUPsportscommunity. Diehardfansevenwatch
their favorite athletes practice dribbling a basketball or spiking a volleyball on the hardcourt of
the gym. In the maps drawing, basketball hoops and a volleyball net are featured because
these represent the two sports which are the main highlights of the UAAP season, and the
varsity teams for these sports are the ones mainly utilizing the gym. Thegymitselfwasdrawn
like the famous Colosseum in Italy because like the gladiators in that Colosseum, the
studentathletes of UP also play every game like its their last game of their life. This UPGym
nurses the utakpuso mentality of the athletes and it serves as the symbol of strength for the
rest, of the UP community whoralliesbehindallthe varsityteams.Thegymitselfis,mostofthe
time devoid of noise except for the bounce of the balls, with the athletes so concentrated on
their craft. It provides shelter for the majority of the UP sports community and for the group,
thatswhatmakesitaplacelikenoother.

The Kalayaan Dormitory is unique to alltheotherdormitorieswithinthecampus,andfor

a special reason. A double door with an entrance and exit sign is drawn on the map, with a
guard watching over the entrance line. This pertains to the exclusiveness of the dormitory to
cateronlytofreshmen.Theguardisthewatchbirdof thedormitory,onlyallowingits membersto
enter the building. However,itsmetaphoricalsymbolismistheeverstrictrulesbindingafreshie
to his or her responsibilities in his or her stay in the dorm, eventually heightening the freshies
sense of independence. However, when the freshies stay is over, he or she comes out as a
new person. In literal terms he or she would then be a sophomore, but behind thescenessaid
person comes out as a new man,moreready totakeontheworld(oratleast,thechallengesin
lifeUPhastooffer).

The College of Science Amphitheater may besmallerthantheuniversitysamphitheater

but being the centerpiece of one of the big three colleges, it serves as a hotspot for students
who either want to chill out and embrace the open breeze or for some, especially members of
an organization, to host events. Its openness and its grassy landscape isreminiscentofalocal
park where people head out to do various activities. For the case of the CS Amphitheater,
students usually make this their meeting place for group practices (for class performances and
the like), org activities, lunches, and many more. Formoreseriousandofficialcases,thisisthe

venue used by the College of Science Student Council for some of its most major events.
Indeed this place is used for students to bond with one another and to simply enjoy the small
pleasuresthatnaturebrings.

The Math Building can be represented as a pyramid. As you go higher, it becomes

steeper and harder to climb. It can also be represented like this: at the first step, you can see
that the area it occupies is larger compared to that of the top. This symbolizes the fact that at
the first step many can do it.Comparing ittothehighersteps,theareaofthepyramidbecomes
smaller, signifying lesser students passing that particular level. Aside from this, the reason it is
designed as a pyramid is because of the need to go step by step andpasseachleveltogetto
the top. There is no shortcut unless you really are a genius. For normal students, you have to
pass each step to get to ahigherlevel.Youcanseethatatthetopofthepyramidisaskullwith
an angels halo. This means that math can either be the death of us orbethesaviorpullingup
our GWA. Either way,mathwillalwaysholdaspecialpartintheacademiclifeofaniskooriska.
People from different courses study math for different reasons. Some take it as a GE while
others have it as one of their major subjects. It is some sort of an unspoken truth that the
majority dislike math. However, we cannot deny that math has played a significant role in our
dailylives.

For Area 2, you can see two objects placed side by side. The firstoneisadrink.Aswe
all know,Area2isawellknownplaceto eat.Youcannotdenythattherearemanyfoodstallsin
Area 2. Not to mention, they are quite affordable and at the same time delicious. The other
object that can be seen is a pillow. Contrary to what most people know, Area 2 can also be a
place for students to live in while they are studying in UP. Some of the houses there are
boarding houses where the owner or the landlordrentstheextraroomsof theirhouse.Someof
the owners of the houses there are actually longtime employees of UP. The house is their
reward for the service they bring. It is actually convenient to live in a boarding house. There is
no need for several permits unlike if you choose to live in a dormitory. However, the cost is
definitely higher. This is a pretty simple way to represent Area 2 but this way makes Area 2
easiertounderstand.

Palma Hall, formerly named but is still fondly called by the students as Arts and
Sciences or simply AS, is home to the many GEs (mostly in the area of SSP) that are
available for the students to take during their stay in the university. In fact, this building is
dubbed as the second home of students of every course after their own college duetothefact
that a lot of subjects they took, are taking, and will soon take are held in this building. This
building also mirrors the College of Law, otherwise knows as the Malcolm Hall. The college of
SSP is unique in a way that it exudes the sense of balance through its structure, and also
because of the stairs in front of the college. In the map, Palma Hall is depicted as that of a
building having a huge flight of stairsbased of course on the artists perspective. The reason
for such interpretation is that most of the students, including the group, think that there are too
many steps on the stairs needed to be stepped on before one can even reach the main
entrance. The artist depicted the stairsassuchbecauseonecouldn'thelpbutfeeltired ifsheor

hetakesthesaidflight ofstairs,mostespeciallyinthemiddleofthe daywhenthesunishighup

and the student had to walk under the blistering heat of the sun just to get to his or her class.
Especially if one is late for a subject, one would curse the fact that the stairs seems unending.
This set of stairs is also important because this is where you can watch rallies led by different
groups. Nonetheless, the stairs of Palma hall, although tiring to track on, serve as one of the
building'suniquecharacteristicsacharacteristicthatuniquelyidentifiesPalmaHall.

The next place seen on the map is the Shopping Center, which isoftentimesshortened
to SC. The shopping center serves as a minimall of some sort to the students who need very
important and very urgent things in one snap, and what better way than to have it within the
vicinity of the UP campus? This structure contains a huge variety of shops: photocopier stalls,
internet service shops, food chains,clothesandschoolsuppliesstores,andevenbarbershops.
The Shopping Center is important not only to the students but of coursealsototheprofessors,
the staff of UP, and even the ownersofsaidstalls.Inthemap,theShoppingCenterisdrawnto
belikeacavewhereitseemstoconstrictoroverhangaboveagirl.Theartistinthegroupchose
to draw the Shopping Center like this due to the fact that she has lived in Krus na Ligas from
19992005. Living within the UP campus as a child meant that the only mall she can go to is
the Shopping Center. Thus, looking at her surroundings with the mindset of a child, she has
deemed theShoppingCenterashugeandhumongousliketheusualmallsyouwouldseeinthe
city. Comparing the Shopping Center to these typical malls, both serve the same purpose, but
the artist still considers the Shopping Center as a more convenient place to shopinduetothe
fact that this structure served as the most reliable andmosttrustedstructureinUPwhenone
neededsomethingforhisownbenefitorevenforhisacademicendeavors.

For our group, what our map shows is not the actual structures and spaces the places
we chose have, but representations or symbolisms of the stories, and the sociocultural and
even historical values it holds for us students. As part of the UP community, these places
inside the campus now have, and will continue to have specials meanings for each one of us
because of our different experiences. This is whyaspaceor astructurecanbecomeahandful
of different places at once, because ofthepeoplewho interprettheirtrueidentity. Toconclude,
a places identity heavily depends on the abstractthingsitsymbolizes.Youcancreateanexact
duplicate of UPIS, UP Gym, or other places in the campus, but it wont exactly be the same
place. It lacks the history, the memories, and the tradition of UP students. A place is more
than a structure or a space,itisthehomeofthestoryandthecultureofthepeoplewhomake it
matter.

II.SelfEvaluation

Baas I was the one who suggested and made our map interactive so that it would be quite
different from what we usually have. I drew two of the places (Area2andMathBldg)andgave
explanationsofwhatIdrew.Ialsodigitalizedmygroupmates'drawings.

Gayoso I was the onewhoproposedofdepictingtheUPDilimanCampusasahell(especially

because ofthehellweekphenomenon). Ialsodrewtwooftheeightplaces,namelyUniversity
of the Philippines Integrated School andYlananHall. Icontributedinwritingtheconceptpaper,
specifically in the introduction, and explanation of map features,aswellasintheexplanationof
the drawings I drew. I wasalsotheoneassignedtotheprintingofthepaperandburning ofthe
file of the final project to a CD. Overall, I think all of the members of our group contributed
significantlytotheprojectandwewereabletocooperatewitheachothertofinishitontime.

Pagtiilan I have proposed the idea of depicting and drawing places present on themapbased
from our own experiences and memoriesofsaidplaces,althoughit'sbecauseoftheothersthat
this whole map came to be. I have also drawn the pictures of Palma Hall and the Shopping
Center, and although my drawings are less than pleasing to the eyes, I still believe that the
differences of the drawings fromtheothersmakethisprojectunique.Of course,becauseIhave
drawn those places, it is only natural that I describe them on the paper and expound my ideas
about those said places. I have wrote, for the completion of the paper, how and why I chose
thoseplacesanddepictthemasseenonthedrawings.

Parreo Like the others, I was tasked to do two drawings of two certain structures within the
campus, namely the CS Amphitheater and the Kalayaan Residence Hall. As such, I wrote the
explanations for each drawing. The bulk of mycontributionwentintowritingandeditingpartsof
the concept paper especially in its introduction and its body the concept of a place, the
featuresofthemapandtheexplanationforeachandtheclosingstatement.