Immersive exhibits, bamboo bike rides, and more activities to enjoy in Ayala Festival of Lights 2023
Christmas time is in the air again and for most Pinoys, this means going to magical light shows here, there, and everywhere. If you're still looking for ways to make the most of this year's holiday season, Ayala Land's Festival of Lights could be your best bet as it is offering more activities apart from its dazzling lights show.
For this year, Ayala Land and Ayala Malls, in collaboration with Art House and Search Mindscape Foundation, launched an immersive exhibit dubbed "ELEMENTO art, light, and flow" to provide you with an "innovative exploration" of the holidays like never before.
Curated by Search Mindscape Foundation co-founder Ayni Nuyda, ELEMENTO is offering guests an outdoor art installation, indoor gallery and gift shops, as well as bamboo bike rides around Ayala Triangle Gardens.
Excited yet? Read on to know all that's worth checking out at this year's holiday festivity in Makati.
Elemental & Nautilus of Dreams
In addition to the sparkling Christmas lights wrapped around trees, your walk in Ayala Triangle Gardens will be a visual adventure with massive artworks, titled Elemental, installed across the property.
Made by contemporary artist Leeroy New, these installations convey the story of the complex web of life with the use of PolyAl boards, steel, gathered plastic bottles, bamboo, cable ties, paint, solar-powered LED lights, and real plants.
They were crafted by New in collaboration with Liter of Light, an organization started by Illac Diaz, to assist the foundation in addressing the needs of those with little or no access to affordable electricity and light.
In a chat with PhilSTAR L!fe, New said that this exhibition is an extension of his ongoing series of works that explore different approaches to repurposing waste materials and generating novel experiences out of them.
He said that Elemental is inspired by his love for science fiction: “Ever since I’ve always wanted to create big works, I knew when I was a kid growing up in GenSan watching special effects shows, mga movie magic where they show how they build sets, they make costumes, they build props and scale models for films. I knew that I wanted to be a part of that, I knew I wanted to build worlds."
With his built worlds, New aims to ignite the public's interest in art more than just the ones found in galleries.
“It just so happens that through my arts training, I didn't realize I could do that, I could build structures, I could create alternative experiences through these alien landscapes that I made.” the artist added.
Indoor art gallery
After viewing the imaginative outdoor art displays, go check out the Festival of Light's indoor gallery which features various works from 36 artists.
With the theme of "Materiality," this presentation from Art House and Search Mindscape Foundation demonstrates how art, environmental awareness, and an exploration of our ancestry are all interwoven.
The masterpieces were made sustainable as they are mounted on PolyAI panels made from recycled tetra pak. A digital portion with modern masterpieces and a short film is also on display in the indoor area.
Artist Marpolo Cabrera told L!fe that he hopes other galleries will be inspired by this type of interactive exhibit that promotes sustainability. Cabrera uses recycled materials such as scrap inabel lace, canvas cloth, cardboard, and paper.
“Kasi maganda s’yang theme, akala natin yung mga recycled pigments, hindi na magagamit, everything can be an art, from papers, plastics, kartons, and even dried leaves. Sana mas marami pang galleries ang gumaya sa mga ganitong klase na theme.” he said.
Artist Anton Aguas, meanwhile, told L!fe that he makes his artworks out of recycled metal screws, wires, tubes, and pipes. He also thinks the exhibit is "really cool" because it was made possible by partnerships with various foundations, as well as "special" because it's held outdoors.
“From the interactive displays of Leeroy New to the different artworks and shops, if you wanna see something cool, something relaxing, come visit Elemento,” he added.
Bamboo bike ride
In addition to the light show and interactive works of art, this year's Festival of Lights is made more interactive with bamboo bike rides courtesy of local eco-friendly bike manufacturer Bambike. After watching the breathtaking lights show, kids can enjoy riding these bikes around Ayala Triangle.
The bamboo bike station is located on the grounds of the outdoor art installation.
Ayala's Festival of Lights runs daily, every 30 minutes from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., until Jan. 14, 2024. Its Elemental outdoor installations are available for public viewing throughout the Festival of Light's duration, while the indoor gallery is welcoming guests until Dec. 23, 2023 only.