Silverlens Launches Carbon Neutral Public Art Residency on Philippine Island
Lubi Art Residency Celebrates Island Biodiversity Through Sustainable Practices and Locally-Sourced Found Materials
Images provided by of Neli Go and Silverlens
June 22, 2023
Silverlens is pleased to announce the Lubi Art Residency, a artist residency located on Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort, Kopiat Island, Mabini, Province of Davao de Oro, Philippines. Artists will use and upcycle indigenous raw materials found exclusively on the slipper-shaped island to create carbon neutral public art installations. Kopiat Island is renowned for its exceptional biodiversity and unique history, making it one of the country's most breathtaking locations with views of the UNESCO World Heritage site Mount Hamiguitan, sunrises over the all-green mountains, and sunsets on the silver blue gulf side.
Throughout the 1980s, Kopiat Island and the province of Compostella Valley, the former name of Davao de Oro province, was seen only as a source of agricultural products and far from the tourist destinations of the Philippines. Due to lack of access and its remoteness, there was little investment in tourism.
In the 1990s, the island came into the protectorship of a group that eventually would become Lanang Realty Development Corporation (LRDC), who immediately engaged in protecting the reefs around the island as well as the local flora and fauna. Local scientists and marine biologists were brought in to protect the island from erosion and to nurse the ecosystem back to health. Local trees were planted along the beach side to stop erosion.
Forty years later, Kopiat's marine gardens have made a remarkable recovery, now hosting one of the most diverse cetacean habitats in the country. The coral flora and marine fauna within the gardens have undergone complete rehabilitation, resulting in some of the healthiest corals in the Philippines. The beaches also serve as a sanctuary for turtles, with a dedicated team monitoring the nesting behavior of female turtles as they emerge from the water to lay their eggs. As turtles possess an inherent instinct to return and lay eggs on the beach of their birth, these beaches bear witness to a lineage that spans centuries. Concurrently, the healing process extends beyond the marine ecosystem, as the Mindanao region itself has undergone a revitalization. The emergence of ecotourism as a thriving industry has propelled local businesses, leading to a significant economic boost. Dusit Thani partnered with LRDC in 2016 to operate the Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort.
Nearly 5 years in the making, the Lubi Art Residency (named after the Visayan term for coconut) was established to offer artists a distinctive platform and abundant resources to create fully carbon-neutral public installations. These artworks will be exclusively created using materials sourced from the island itself, such as driftwood, bamboo, and debris washed ashore. The resulting installations will be both permanent and ephemeral, gradually deteriorating over time as nature reclaims its control. Lubi Art Residency is produced in collaboration with Lanang Realty Development Corporation.
“Welcoming artists to this island has been a dream for decades. We saw it at its most virgin, and now we want to give back to it by having artists come and make work using what she has to offer. We are grateful to LRDC, our partner in this, for seeing this vision through,” said Silverlens co-owners Isa Lorenzo and Rachel Rillo.
The first cohort of artists are Corinne de San Jose, Gary-Ross Pastrana, Wawi Navarroza, Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, Bernardo Pacquing, and James Clar. New artworks will be realized by the end of 2023 and displayed in public spaces around the island by March 2024, with the thematic emphasis of each residency cycle transitioning in sync with the changing seasons.
