MERCY 101 [Edition 1]
1 April 2016, 5:00 PM, Opening Reception
29 February to 20 November 2016
Heritage Room, Ateneo de Manila Grade School
As the title suggests, MERCY 101 explores the fundamental
ideas of mercy from various perspectives from the Christian church leaders and
mystics to other religious thinkers from other religious traditions. Quotations are pre-selected with the guidance
of the Christian Living Education (CLE) year levels coordinators and AGS
formation team in order to appropriate these (quotations) to the students’
level of religious education and personal development. The title also offers
varied, multiple and expanding descriptions of the word ‘mercy’ as hinted by
the number ‘101’.
The impetus of the design and approach of art project MERCY
101 is the existing set-up of Ateneo Grade School (AGS) Heritage Room. Aside
from its current display of trophies/awards and paintings of AGS Headmasters,
the heritage room also exhibited temporary shows such as the photographic
display for the launch of the Year of Mercy in April 2015 as well as the works
by the AGS students from their various classes such as the decoupage of Madonna
and Child.
The set-up of and display at the heritage room have two
implications for the art project. First, this project relates to the year of
mercy and appropriates the theme of mercy. Secondly, it involves the AGS
students as well as incorporates the reflection on mercy and production of
postcards within their respective CLE and Art/SiPag classes.
The theme of mercy and the collaborative approach of the art
project are suitable for artist/priest Jason K. Dy, SJ. Dy’s creative practice
involves both community and studio based responses to “the religious and
cultural circumstances, locations and events” (Liverpool Hope University,
2014). In this project, he is responsive to the Catholic Church’s extraordinary
jubilee year of mercy as well as investigates how idea of mercy is reflected
upon by the AGS students and how they appropriated it in their own
circumstances. Together with the Office of ADMU Vice President for Basic
Education, AGS Formation Team and the other collaborators, he intends that this
consideration of the idea of mercy will facilitate a personal reflection of
mercy as well as a concrete response of mercy towards others.
MERCY 101 (Edition 1) envisions this particular project as a
beginning of serial collaborative art projects that explores the concept of
mercy with various communities. Due to the limited perspective of an
individual, the perspectives of others in community are encouraged to
facilitate a growing and in-depth understanding of the word and the concept of
mercy. Selected quotations on mercy are hand-drawn, collaged or handwritten by
the artist and reproduced into postcards. The AGS students are given a postcard
each and they are invited to share and send it to somebody outside the AGS
community. Though the content is basically textual in nature and in its visual
depiction, these selected quotations are borne out of the personal experiences
and reflections of the authors, mystics, and religious leaders. The personal
and cultural contexts of these quotations are discussed during the CLE classes.
As a response to these quotations, AGS students are invited to send the
postcards to others outside of AGS as well as to make a personal statement
about mercy (reflected during the CLE classes and produced during the Art/SiPag
classes) as an act of sharing ideas about mercy.
In the exhibition, the modules created by the CLE and
Art/SiPag teachers, guided by the coordinators are displayed along with the
postcards made by the students to explicate the learning process of
experience-reflection-action that facilitated the creative and thoughtful
product of more than 3,500 postcards. The installation of these postcard are
likened to walls but not solid to propose both the composite description of
ideas of mercy and the openness to accommodate more ideas about it for
dialogue, discourse and deepening.
AM+DG 2016
* * *
In collaboration with Ateneo de Manila VP for Basic
Education Office, Ateneo de Manila Grade School (AGS) Administration, Faculty,
Staff, Grade School Students 1 to 6, and
Parents (SY 2015-16), AGS Christian Living Education, AGS Art & SiPag
Department, AGS Formation, AGS Facilities Management Office, AGS Computer and
Media Center
Special thanks to Fr. Anthony Pabayo, SJ, Mr. Jose Antonio
Salvador, Mrs. Bernardita Yacaba, AGS MERCY101 Committee, ADMU Photo
Duplication Services, Jesuit Residence, Ateneo Art Gallery, Ateneo Fine Arts
Program, ADMU Communication & Public Relations
