Philippines 'Bangkóta' Pavilion brings together ensemble of finest Filipino talents in epic symphony of nature, art and architecture, and a 4,000-year story

Creating excitement for its participation in the much-anticipated Expo 2020 Dubai, the Philippines ‘Bangkóta’ Pavilion displays a cross-generational collaboration of select finest Filipino talents in a variety of artistic facets – visual and performing arts, digital media, and other forms of new media – including an original production entitled: “Our Gift to the World.”

Led by the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (PDTI), the Philippines marks its participation to the Expo with a range of creative sectors. “Our Gift to the World” is among the artistic expressions in the Bangkóta Pavilion’s interior spaces projected on a 180-degree immersive surface.

The five-minute multi-media narrative articulates the fusion of the 65,000-year human interaction in the Philippine archipelago and the 4,000 years of water-oriented culture that shaped the Filipino identity of hyperconnectivity.

The task of creating the five-minute film was given to multi-awarded Filipino creative agency BBDO Guerrero, also known for the “It’s more fun in the Philippines” tourism campaign, after a competitive pitch. The film’s overall direction was provided by Bangkóta’s independent curator Marian Pastor Roces and Architect Royal Pineda, under the guidance of PDTI Assistant Secretary and Philippines @ Expo 2020 Dubai Alternate Commissioner General Rosvi Gaetos.

The creative team, led by its chairman David Guerrero, worked remotely across continents with a carefully selected ensemble of performing, visual and digital artists to mount the stunning display.

Among them is Filipino veteran choreographer Denisa Reyes, former Artistic Director of Ballet Philippines and noted composer and sound artist Teresa Barrozo, together with Korean director Jae Hyung Wang, known for his spectacular work in computer graphics, and Pixel Box, a production house based in Hong Kong.  

The digital creation gathers Philippine motifs of cultural identity and interconnectivity, bringing together a mix of breathtaking, imaginative reflections of scientific and humanistic data about the Philippines and its people. It is poetically expressed through contemporary dance performed and choreographed by seasoned Filipino talents led by Reyes.

Reyes is assisted by co-choreographer and dancer JM Cabling, a full generation her junior. Along with dancers Angella Betina Carlos, Minette Caryl Maza, Michael Barry Que, and JM Cabling, they contribute a continuity of interest in Philippine motifs in dance.

Meanwhile, another set of Filipino performing artists will take centerstage during the Philippine National Day at the Expo 2020 Dubai on 11th of February 2022 – a full festivity of Philippine dance and music.

Nestor Jardin, former President and Artistic Director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, guided the conceptualisation of the programme by Silang Communications, headed by renowned actor and stage director Bart Guingona. The programme “reflects the soul” of Filipinos—a re-imagination of corals, forests, fauna, and movement—through a cultural show interpreted for a global audience.

Production, technical, and graphics design for the programme will be crafted by visual artist Leeroy New, graphic artist Steven Tansiongco, and technical director Meliton Roxas Jr. Meanwhile, musical composition and direction will be a collaboration among sounds engineer Rards Corpus, composer Ejay Yatco, and vocal director Krina Cayabyab, with the choreographic supervision of JM Cabling.

The PDTI also commissioned Filipino talents in other creative industries, spanning from architecture, design and crafts, visual arts and performing arts, to film, animation and software development, including gastronomy, media and publication, to represent the Philippines at the Expo 2020 Dubai.

The Expo 2020 Dubai will open from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.