Culture Archives - The Flame

Mar122023 by No Comments

A decade marker: Art Fair Philippines features memory and immersion

Culture

by SAMANTHA Z. ARGONZA THE VOYAGE of remembering is already an art on its own. Once put into art, the synapses of a person’s horrors and triumphs may reinforce and influence advocacies, awareness and ideologies. The notion is what this year’s Art Fair Philippines conveyed, especially as it returned in-person to its home at The Link in Makati. Attendees were treated with more than 60 exhibitors who displayed their respective artworks that connect everyone to the inner core and natural world. The keen composition of tranquility and burning passions oddly restructured a sense of peace to anyone who stared at the artworks. Celebrating its 10th year of unveiling Philippine contemporary art, the exhibit, from its past year’s hybrid experience, further embraced the immersive and the i...

Mar32023 by No Comments

Para sa mga sawi: Underrated OPM break-up songs worth adding to your playlist

Culture

by JIANZEN DEANANEAS Art by JULIA DOMINIQUE T. YANCHA / THE FLAME NOW THAT the Valentine’s season is over, it is time to highlight those who had their hearts broken. For some people, the month of February is a bitter recollection of an ex-partner. Now the month of love just ended, here is a list of music “para sa mga sawi.” For those who are fresh off of heartbreaks this month, especially the ones who are tired of hearing mainstream “hugot” tracks like Paubaya and The Ones We Once Loved, here is a list of songs for you to relate to. Transient by Mola Blue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8Fxfl5xQh8 Indie pop-rock band Mola Blue’s latest single includes a catchy hook and a burst of energy right after the opening riff. But don’t let the happy instrumentals fool you ...

Feb232023 by No Comments

Six Filipino magic realism films worth watching

Culture

MAGIC REALISM, in simple terms, is a literary or artistic genre that incorporates magical elements into the real world, forming a surrealistic story or scenery. It often blurs the lines between what is ‘real’ and ‘supernatural’ with its combination of realistic narratives and naturalistic techniques with dream-like elements. Other characteristics of the genre include authorial reticence or the non-explanation of the magical elements within the story, a multi-layered plot structure, metafiction qualities, and political critique. While it has fantastical elements, magic realism differs heavily from the fantasy genre. Magic realism still incorporates realistic elements into it, while fantasy is separated from reality. The genre originated in Latin America, when writers found them...

Feb102023 by No Comments

TikTok brainrot: The perils of excessive bite-sized media consumption

Culture

By JANSSEN ANNE VERSY MENDOZA IDLE AND isolated, the college student robotically scrolls to the next ten-second thrill served to her on a silver smartphone. During the height of pandemic lockdowns, literature student Maxine (not her real name) was a constant user of the viral social media application TikTok. It allowed her to consume large amounts of targeted short-form videos and even create her own. For users like Maxine, Tiktok was both a distraction and a companion, a temporary respite from pandemic-induced anxieties. It has also become a celebrity factory, a provider of the proverbial 15-minutes of fame. And while Tiktok served as a form of coping mechanism, concerns have been raised about its potential impact on its subscribers’ mental well being. There are fears t...

Dec272022 by No Comments

Fandoms in war: Are they going too far?

Culture

Note: This article mentions suicide, death threats and toxic behaviors. AFTER DEFENDING a K-pop artist by replying to comments to a Twitter hate post, Polytechnic University of the Philippines biology senior Seth Niño Paparon was mobbed by several fan accounts. Online attacks on K-pop groups, Paparon said, usually happen during their most notable events like awards nights and talent show awardings, and reading such hate comments is indeed hard to ignore. “I’m just opposing everything that the fans of other groups claimed or those statements that are thrown at us,” Paparon said. Since he uses his personal account, most of the comments targeted his physical appearance. “It (personal comment) does not bother me, but the hate comments targeted at my idols such as Taeyeon’s...

Dec122022 by No Comments

Tunog Tomasino 2022: Opening opportunities to Thomasian artists

Culture

by EDRISSE GIANNA S. DELA CRUZ THE STAGE is finally set after two years of virtual performances. The microphones were plugged in and the instruments were tuned. Tunog Tomasino 2022: Stellaris Bound is now on cue. The scene in the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes O.P. building (BGPOP) last December 5 instilled a mix of euphoria, suspense, and hope as six Thomasian bands competed live in the first battle of the bands of the annual Tunog Tomasino event. The audience cheered and sang along through TOMCAT-UST’s official Facebook page—virtually. Tunog Tomasino’s core concept is to rekindle Original Pinoy Music (OPM) and poetry in the hearts of the Thomasian community and give an additional platform for talented artists to share their skills and craft. The Flame had the chance...

Nov302022 by No Comments

UST Museum: Teaching about the past while keeping up with the times

Culture

THE UST Museum of Arts and Sciences has been home to some of the greatest cultural treasures of the country, ranging from paintings, sculptures, and other artifacts. Since opening its doors in 1869, the museum witnessed the evolution of times and mirrored Filipino values through various generations. Its current assistant director John Carlo Sayco shared with The Flame some of its treasures that are often overlooked by visitors but are great contributors to the representation of Philippine history and the Filipino-Thomasian identity. Fernando Amorsolo’s “Bayanihan” (1959) The Hall of Visual Arts is introduced with a breath-taker: Fernando Amorsolo’s “Bayanihan” painting. It features a group of men trudging uphill carrying a bahay-kubo. They are led by a man with ...

Sep172022 by No Comments

In need of USTET advice? Here are six tips from ates and kuyas of AB

Culture

by SAMANTHA Z. ARGONZA and THEA REBECCA DC. FLORES BEFORE GETTING inside the den of the tigers and the home of age-old traditions, Thomasians must pass the University of Santo Tomas Entrance Test (USTET). Due to mobility restrictions during the pandemic, it was suspended, and UST Admission Rating (USTAR) was implemented for two years. With the return of USTET, The Flame asked six Artlets to share pointers that can help aspiring Thomasians prepare for it. Plan a study schedule Preparing for the USTET starts by setting the mind never to underestimate it. History senior Emil Martin Bautista recalled when people were making jokes about the USTET, labeling it “the easiest among the big four exams.” Bautista said that that was not the case. Preparations for the...

Sep162022 by No Comments

‘This is our time’: Theater orgs perform on stage for the first time since the pandemic

Culture

by SAMANTHA Z. ARGONZA THE CURTAINS have finally opened. Artistang Artlets (AA) and Mediartrix return on stage as they welcomed the juniors and sophomores to the university-wide Homecoming event. This lauds their first live in-person performance since the pandemic happened. The applause and drumbeats inside the Quadricentennial Pavilion (QPAV) last August 23rd muted the heavy spatter of rain. Gleaming with the spotlight, the performers stood on the platform as the ocean of lights surrounded them like waves as if it was a cordial greeting solely meant for them. The homecoming “It’s unbelievable because we did not expect it,” Alea Loquinario, a performer from AA said. She said that it was a huge leap for their organization to be invited to the event as they were used...

Sep52022 by No Comments

Turning to art after WWII: The fashion legacy of National Artist Salvacion Lim “Slim” Higgins

Culture

By THEA REBECCA DC. FLORES EVEN BEFORE bracing a peek into her designer creations, the late dressmaker Salvacion Lim Higgins has already sketched a fashion-forward outlook into this exclusive dressmaking called "haute couture." Haute couture, French for ‘high sewing,' is the high-end fashion luxury for custom-fitted dressmaking. Intricate embellishments and embroidery are ornate in this prestigious craftsmanship. Couturier Salvacion Lim, often referred to as ‘Slim,’ revolutionized the Philippine fashion industry during the ‘golden age of haute couture,’ starting mid-1940s. This ultimately established her as the “Queen Mother of Modern Terno.” The terno is part of the broad selection of filipinianas and is most often recognizable by its butterfly sleeves. It is also mista...