CARLO MAGHIRANG
installation ART - SCULPTURE - SCENOGRAPHY
APOLAKI
Labyrinth Installation
Commissioned by Micaela Tobin for 'APOLAKI, Opera of the Scorched Earth
yellow carpeting and thread
​
A labyrinth formed from the distillation of four characters of the ancient Tagalog script of Baybayin - spelling the name 'A-PO-LA-KI.' Each character in Baybayin has been funneled through a western cursive calligraphy style, until it was diluted into simple gestures, representing Apolaki’s displacement and pilgrimage from East to West. (see below)
Functioning as a sigil of the sun god of the same name, the labyrinth pays homage to the religious connotation of western labyrinths, while the architecture is reimagined through the lens of Filipino Animism. Set in the landscape of Zorthian Ranch in Altadena, CA, the labyrinth was in constrast to its natural and rugged landscape through its materiality and cultural context - an alien entity in a foreign land. Designed to be compact and malleable, the work was conceived to land into any landscape. This work was in collaboration with opera composer/performer Micaela Tobin for the work ‘Apolaki - Opera of the Scorched Earth.’
​
