As the holiday season’s centerpiece at the Makati Shangri-La hotel lobby, this Christmas tree by the father and daughter tandem of Ed Castrillo and his daughter Ovvian is unique, not only because of its grand scale but also for its inspired design simplicity.
"We wanted to get away from all of those ornate things that we’ve had the past couple of years," says Makati Shangri-La general manager Richard W. Riley, recalling past designs of flying angels and horses and little elves, and even a village made of gingerbread houses. "There was too much clutter," he says. "I felt choked. So I wanted something simple and beautiful, something that feels substantial through its design. And that is what they gave us."
"This particular tree, I would say, is a rather unique interpretation of the vision of the management of Shangri-La hotel," Ed says, "to create something that will be displayed in their lobby that is in a higher level, a different level of creating a Christmas tree. I thought it’s very encouraging to have this kind of venture."
Ovvian’s design was inspired by a memory. She was eight years old, she remembers, when her dad came home one day with pieces of flat Styrofoam. He did not say what he was going to do with them, but Ovvian was pleasantly surprised to see them later on the Christmas tree that her father constructed. "He works that way," Ovvian says of her father, "with an image in his mind." Ovvian learned by observation.
"I think this is rather a rare time that a sculpture like this has been interpreted into a Christmas tree," Ed Castrillo remarks. "I think Ovvian would like to emphasize the cosmopolitan Christmas tree because it emotes something of the cosmopolitan landscape, like buildings and windows. She composed it in such a way that there will be some kind of dynamism and poetry of form. I think it’s rather unique."
Ovvian worked in her father’s workshop with the assistance of craftsmen, some of whom had worked with her father for the past 30 years. "The material is tough," Ed explains. "You cannot just bend the brass sheets. You need to use brass welding. Ed also explained the process by which the dull gold finish was achieved. "It is the result of acid oxidation, much like what you see on the monuments in Europe, except that those are left to the elements while this one is controlled, so the effect is uniform. Very few craftsmen know this. I invented it and composed the mix of chemicals myself. The acid process enhances the skin of the brass sheet and it will not rust. It can last for more than a lifetime."
The brass sheets were bent into triangles and stacked one on top of the other. There are 11 tiers in all, plus the star at the top which is made of chrome plated iron and crystals. The Swarovski crystals which Ovvian used is a special product line from Deco Centrum. The pieces are rectangular and square-shaped which Ovvian strung in groups of three’s or four’s throughout the tree.
"I’m a collector of Swarovski crystals," Riley reveals. "I buy everything that Swarovski does. I have been doing that for years and I have a large collection at home. They have a numbered piece that they do every year and I always get it. So anyway, we thought we could incorporate that."
They also thought of adding robotic lights that will shine from within the Christmas tree. "The idea is that the light will shine through the crystals," Riley explains. "Crystals bend light, so it will actually act like a prism and create color. It will be a concentrated beam that will reverberate on the walls of the entire lobby. It will be far-reaching. I wanted to add a little bit more drama, to bring people’s eyes to it immediately when they arrive. People are going to marvel at it."
"The sculpture itself has its own identity already," Ed observes, "because art should be able to stand by itself, even without ornaments or animation. But the lights will create some kind of a festive feeling."
Riley adds, "Before we went ahead, we called in the master. He sat with us and he embraced the idea. We went down to the lobby and he stood there looking at the space."
"The concept should be supported by the technical requirement," Ed observes. "The most important thing is the spacing, how to put a design, a sculpture, on a given space. There should be a relationship that is in consonance with the design of the building or the space, but at the same time, it should have its own individual features.
"So these are the technical things based on my knowledge and experience that I imparted to Ovvian. This is Ovvian’s commissioned work," Ed says. "I’m just sort of a little consultant, an accessory."
Ovvian worked on the sculpture for two straight weeks, not counting the weeks of preparation before that, often working late into the night. When the sculpture was finally brought to the hotel for assembly, Ovvian was pleasantly surprised that there were no hitches, as it was natural for them to fear. The star on top of the Christmas tree was at exactly the right height, just below the tip of the bottom of the hotel lobby’s chandelier. "Parang sinukat," she reports. "The base is just tall enough to give it a floating effect that is coherent with the appearance of the tree."
Ovvian, who says she does not consider herself a fine artist, is an interior design graduate from UP She accepted the Shangri-La commission because their theme, which is all about passing on values and family traditions to the youth, appealed to her. "It is also a good opportunity for me to pay homage to my Dad," she says. "If my work pleases him, then I will be pleased."
The Christmas tree sculpture now stands at the Makati Shangri-La hotel lobby. Although it is a fully-finished work, with the play of light on the Swarovski crystals, its possibilities continue. "It offers different dimensions and interesting possibilities."
Ovvian says. "But my work is done and I’m able to let go. I think that’s one measure of success for an artist, when she is happy with what she did and she can let go."
"The longer I look at it, the more it grows on me," says Riley. "The vision I had in my mind and the reality are different, and I like the reality better." Imagine.