gilubong ang akon pussad sa dagat
Gilubong ang akon pusod sa dagat or my navel is buried in the sea documents the life of fishermen and seafarers and their relationship to the ocean.
The video-based work sees the men from Madridejos on Bantayan Island on-board international container vessels, wooden boats known as batels, banka’s and fishing underwater- it is a portrait of a people. The work responds to a need for dialogue about life and issues on Bantayan Island.
“Our ancestors used to say, ‘we come from the sea, that is where we start and where we will end’. That is our inheritance. Our sea is destroyed, and it keeps getting worse, worse, worse. There is nothing we can do.”
- Mario Forrosuelo, fisherman
The filming process was combined with community screenings that initiated dialogue amongst the seafarers, fishermen, their families and community. Starting with viewings at home and talking with families later resulted to the final installation combined with dialogues between the two groups; international seafarers fishermen and their families as the socio-economic divide between them grows.
Through the years, the work has transformed into new project.
projects supported by
national commission for culture and arts (ncca)
bantayan island exchanges
small projects
dienst kunst en cultuur (dkc)
Transnational Institute for Grassroots Research and Action