MANILA, Philippines - I used to pass by that area of Fort Bonifacio and it was kind of dimly lit and dismal. A gray wall towers up from the ground, something straight from the Pink Floyd movie featuring a young Bob Geldof. Now, a cute, quirky art installation is pasted on that wall. It’s called “Let’s Watch Out for Each Other” by Robert Alejandro, and, believe me, those reds and blinking eyes will send happy thoughts to your brain as you ride your way into the clogged limbs of the city.
“Let’s Watch Out for Each Other” is a project of the Bonifacio Art Foundation Inc. (BAFI) and HSBC. They commissioned Alejandro, book designer and illustrator known for his environmental graphic designs, to create an artwork that would liven up the space. The installation is 143 feet wide and 65 feet tall and is installed on the exterior wall of the HSBC Centre in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig. The technology behind it is amazing.
The piece uses Electroluminescent Lighting technology or EL Lighting. The organizers say it is the first and only animated art installation in the region to use this technology. The benefits are tremendous: EL Lighting doest not emit heat and uses 75 to 90 percent less electricity compared to other light technologies sic as neon or fluorescent lamps. EL lamps are not negative resistant devices so no extra circuitry is needed to regulate the amount of current flowing through them.
And in this case, technology is put in the service of the message. Alejandro’s playful, whimsical rendition of the country’s endangered species is a reminder of the urgency of conserving the environment.
Technology emits the signal. It’s up to us whether or not we take that message to heart.
We have to and need to, so says Tony Cripps, HSBC president and CEO. “HSBC has always been a strong advocate of education and the environment. The art installation is a reflection of HSBC’s commitment to sustainability, as well as a contribution to the aesthetic environment that BAFI has worked hard to create here at BGC.”
Manny Blas agrees. “The art installation helps us further realize our mission to make BGC a city with a soul — that is, to infuse an artistic sense into the whole community.”
Both institutions are doing their share in preaching the need for environment protection. In the Philippines, some of HSBC’s programs include Project Ecokids, an educational program that teaches students the impact of climate change; Volunteers for Nature, a joint program with Children’s Environmental Awareness and Action Foundation (CEAAF), where HSBC volunteers teach children about the Philippine marine wildlife; and Read With Me, which involves HSBC volunteers teaching students of Pembo Elementary School the value of reading.