(Garden of Life) / 1989 / Bamboo and runo grass / Installation / 45 cm in diameter, 600 m in length / Artist: Roberto Villanueva / Cultural Center of the Philippines grounds

Villanueva, a Baguio artist, who has made his mark in installations of indigenous materials, is inspired by ethnic symbols and traditions. Finding his element in such materials as runo grass and bamboo, he created the fantastic open-air labyrinth Archetype or Uma ti Biag (Kankanay for “Garden of Life”) on the grounds of the CCP in mid-1989.

A large circular labyrinth made of 2.44 m runo reeds assembled together by basket weaving and thatching techniques, it is of archetypal symbolism. It leads the viewer through a high and winding bamboo corridor with several turns that may cause anxiety and bewilderment, and finally ends, to his relief, in a central clearing, which is “home,” the Cordillera dap-ay, a sacred ritual ground. This is represented by the artist as a circular sunken pit, .30 m deep and 3.66 m in diameter. At its center, presiding over the ritual space lined by monolithic stone seats, is an archaic bulul or image of a Cordillera guardian spirit. In this zone, which is home, one recovers warmth in the welcoming hearth and familiar community offering food and drink. In the artist’s worldview, the center is intensely vitalized with the power of life against indifferent nature and the forces that destroy human beings. The labyrinth became a site for cañao, a sacrificial ritual, and for performance art.