Called the “B: Show,” the exhibit of prints hanging on the second-floor atrium of Bonifacio Residences, Baguio also includes printouts of slogans supporting the medium that the artists espouse.
In between the 20 black and white photos are encouraging, even self-mocking signs like “Push Film, Not Drugs,” “Stay Broke, Shoot Film,” “Film Is Life, Ngay” and “I-shoot Mo, Ngarud.”
Andreo Bongco, formerly of Bacolod and a marketing and communication graduate of the University of Asia and the Pacific, has long been a photography buff who documents his own family members’ lives. He enjoys taking pictures of his children who are at the tender ages of four and two.
All in all, he has been taking pictures for 20 years since age 12. The interest almost faded during the COVID-19 pandemic, but when his family decided to move to Baguio, he returned to his hobby.
He found in this city “a good number of people who are nerdy and live to dive deeper into film. We’re just a community. There is no formal group yet.”
He estimated that Baguio may have the most number of darkrooms, at least in Northern and Central Luzon. For “B: Show” (“B” can stand for anything like Baguio, bisyo or vice, Benguet, black and white), there was an open call for submissions online. These were screened and eliminated were the photos that did not conform to the theme of Baguio and the Cordillera.
Bongco said, “We came up with the top 20 photos chosen by the Baguio community for this show.” The participating artists are: Gari Buenavista, Faith Erasmo, Russel Ariola, Jason Asiong, Justine Amores, Ian Mangaoag, Ruel Caricativo, Jet Delicana, Brian Batong, Kara Agbayani, Iya Regalario, Danica Pungtilan, Fifi Perez, Fidel Acasio and Bongco. The selection process took a quarter of a year.
Bongco also said, “Printing is magical. Not many know how to develop and print, but the information is all under our noses. You can do it with a little research. It is a lost and dying art, but through it you can discover beautiful things. This is for people who believe in things that are worth keeping alive, who make memories. We’re a group of dorks who likes to preserve a dying art.”
He never realized that in Baguio he would find kindred spirits who are “so talented, so quiet and so supportive of each other.”
Asked about the advantages of a silver gelatin print (traditional darkroom process) versus an ink-jet or digital print, he answered, “The advantage of a silver gelatin print is ‘archivability.’ If made properly, a silver gelatin print can outlast a digital print made by an ink-jet printer. Aside from this, the process of making a silver gelatin print by hand in the darkroom is a truly artisanal process that gives the artist a more hands-on connection with his art. It is a beautiful process that not many people do, and it should be preserved for posterity.”
The informal photography group tries to meet at least once a month. Bongco said, “We try to organize activities and seminars as well for the community like photo walks and analog workshops.” The group hosts what he calls “printing parties” where they either enjoy coffee or beer together apart from working in the darkroom.
He credited his wife for doubling his keenness in this art when she gifted him with a self-development set made up of a developing tank and dark bag. “That started it,” he said.
Meanwhile, he shared that the Filipino photographers he admires are both from his adopted region. He cited Tommy Hafalla and Eduardo Masferre for “their work in documenting life in the Cordilleras.” He also likes the body of works of the American Ansel Adams “because of his pioneering nature in the darkroom.”
The group intends to open a community darkroom that is easily accessible to Baguio locals at the back of Bongco’s furniture shop, Studio Au. He said, “We wish to help other locals who want to put up their darkrooms in the north. The opening of more darkrooms will mean that more people will keep the process alive.”
“B: Show” is on view every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. up to Aug. 15 at Bonifacio Residences, 217 Bonifacio Road, Baguio City.
