Jennifer Retener: Project 1

As stated in my preliminary idea for Project 1, I decided to focus on Spain’s colonization of the Philippines, particularly on Spanish missionaries’ efforts to convert the Filipinos in to Catholics.

To show how the Spaniards forced the natives to convert to Catholicism, I chose to incorporate the Filipino folklore of anting-anting. According to most sources, anting-anting is a source of magic that is anchored in an item, most popularly in the form of a necklace. According to legend, Manuelito was a warrior who was nearly immortal to weapons because he wore such a necklace. However, Manuelito finally met his death when a bullet, made out of the silver of the Virgin Mary, was able to penetrate the magic of anting-anting. Manuelito's necklace was penetrated in the center by that bullet.

My art piece is going to be in real life scale. On a stone floor are five rows of basic wooden church pews that could be found in any modest Catholic church. In the rows are various white wax figures of everyday Filipino people. While Spanish missionary work began in the 16^th century, I want the time period of this piece to be fairly ambiguous, since the Philippines was under the rule of Spain for such a long period of time. So the white wax figures will not appear to be wearing anything from a distinct time period, but be dressed in very plain clothing.

In the very back row in the center is a wax figure in true-to-life color of a native, tribal Filipino. Around his neck is a replica of an anting-anting necklace. On the left side of the pews is a wax figure of a Spanish priest completely dressed in Catholic vestments, who is also in color, holding a real aspersorium and using an aspergillum to sprinkle holy water on the people. The holy water coming from the aspergillum will be made of silver, suspended on fish wire from the ceiling in an arch, mainly directed at the native figure. The end of the holy water's trajectory is a silver bullet that has made a hole in the center of the native's necklace, just as the silver bullet of the Virgin Mary penetrated Manuelito's necklace, and just as Catholicism penetrated the native belief system of the Philippines.

During a Catholic mass, the people solemnly wait until they feel the holy water hit them, and afterwards do the sign of the cross, which is what the white wax figures will also be doing. The people in the pews are unaware of the scene going on between the priest and the native. This is not to say that the Filipinos were completely complacent or unaware of the Spaniards’ effort to convert them, but that since the vast majority of Filipinos are Catholic, it is an accepted part of the nation’s history.

I plan for my art project to be an exhibit in a museum, so the viewer will be any person that finds the piece interesting enough to analyze it. I want the viewer to walk around the piece and imagine and feel as if they have been transported to a church in the Philippines and are witnessing the scene. I want the piece to be a testament to how the native belief system is virtually unknown because the Spaniards were so successful in converting the population to their belief system. I hope the viewer realizes the large impact Spain’s colonization had on the people of the Philippines. The Philippines has pretty much been a Catholic nation since the 16^th century, and written accounts from this time period primarily come from the Spanish. I want the piece to emphasize the lost history and identity of the Filipinos due to Spanish colonization, and how Catholicism (a consequence of colonization), is such a large part of the Philippines’ culture to this day. 

A few reference images:

Church Pews


Stone Floor



Anting-anting Necklace (Left)


Aspersorium and aspergillum