Gilbert "On Tour" - Sort Of: Linking Culture and Architecture in UST

- October 24, 2016, Monday.

- I've always wanted to try many new things in the academic world, and in my general field of study - cultural studies, the possibilities are just endless. Though in my home university I handle classes on history, popular culture, and mass media, my interests go beyond those things. Today was one of those opportunities to try something new.

The nice poster they made for the talk.

- My friend Jayzel from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) College of Architecture asked if I was available and if I was willing to give a talk to architecture students of their university; the event was organized by UST Scarlet - Architecture, one of the student organizations of their college. Now, I do appreciate architecture and I always make it a point to visit architectural wonders when I travel, but I wouldn't be able to explain the technicalities of the structures since I wasn't trained to be an architect. However, Jayzel assured that the talk was more of a cultural understanding of architecture rather than the technical aspect of architecture. With this, I agreed. I was even more excited when I found out that the president of her organization was my cousin Rych.

- Today, after having lunch with Jayzel, I went to the Beato Angelico AVR to do my talk. I was met by a lively crowd of college students aspiring to be some of the country's next architects. The architecture program of UST was established in 1930 and is one of the oldest architectural programs in the country (UST itself being the third oldest university in the country.) Currently, it is also one of the two "Centers for Excellence" in the field of architecture, the other being the University of the Philippines Diliman architecture program.

Eager learners.

- I started my (rather casual) talk around 2pm, and the talk was mostly me bombarding them with photos of different architectural wonders around Asia. The point of my presentation was to show that architectural styles reflect religious and cultural backgrounds, and that palaces and religious structures are usually made the most iconic structures in the state as they stand as cultural, religious, and political symbols of the state. Until today, most structures that wish to have cultural aspects in their buildings (making a building look "Chinese," "Japanese," or "Indian" for example) usually go back to religious structures (i.e. temples, mosques, churches, etc.) or sometimes palaces as studies or inspirations for the buildings being planned. Similarities in architectural styles also present historical and cultural flows, providing implications on other cultural aspects like art, music, language, clothing, even food.

That's me. I look serious here but the talk way casual. Let's just say it wasn't your regular academic talk. 

Recycling some photos from my history PPTs. Yay.

- During the open forum I was given intelligent questions on relating architecture (and culture in general) to identity, the Filipinos' ignorance on precolonial Filipino cultures and architecture, trends of colonization, among others. I was happy that these relevant questions were brought up since these are not always addressed in social studies classes even in primary or secondary school.

Keep 'em questions comin'.

- After the talk, Rych handed a very generous token of appreciation (thank you so much!) and I had a photo op with the whole audience with UST Scarlet - Architecture adviser, Architect David Yu. Some students approached me afterwards to ask more questions, and I gladly answered them. I was happy to know that they were not too overwhelmed with all the details, especially since my whole lecture was sort of like my one-semester history class crammed in a two-hour lecture. I tried to keep it simple anyway; quality over quantity.

Hello cousin Rych.

With Architect David Yu, and the lively students.

Yay for friendship, thanks for having me Jayzel.

- I had to say my goodbyes to Rych and Jayzel after the talk, and walked around the university to take some photos. Until today, the main building of the university (the one with the cross, and the church is the one WITHOUT the cross,) is still one of my favorite colonial structures in Metro Manila.

UST Main Building. Reminds me of Hogwarts.

Main Building, school name, school mascot.

- Though I'm currently quite tired from that afternoon lecture, I am still hoping that I do get to have more chances to talk about topics like this one - related to my field but not necessarily what I'm always used to teaching. As an academic, it is a good breather from the usual topics I discuss in my classes, and more importantly, an opportunity for me to broaden my knowledge on the field that I'm interested in.