A delightful fortress

"Museums should be places where you raise questions,
not just show stuff."

~William Thorsell, past Director & CEO of the Royal Ontario Museum

This is the side of the Ayala Museum which can be seen from the park in the middle of Greenbelt. Only the ground floor has windows. The windows on the second floor do not open to the museum but to a walkway connecting two of the buildings of the mall. Other than that, the rest of the building looks like a fortress, and it probably is, given the priceless artifacts exhibited in the museum. One of their permanent exhibits is Filipino garments from the 19th century, some of which are painted on the walls of the walkway.

See murals from around the world in Monday Mural.

Play

"Men do not quit playing because they grow old;
they grow old because they quit playing."

~Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841–1935)

Part of Arts BGC 2014, this mosaic mural and sculpture installation is in Bonifacio High Street, a high-end retail center in Bonifacio Global City in the City of Taguig. Created by the Mighty Bhutens, a group of artists based in Baguio City, the artwork is titled "Araw + Ulap + Laro = Saya" (Sun + Clouds + Play = Happiness).

In case you were thinking of asking, I have no idea what the group's name means.

See murals from around the world in Monday Mural.

Book art

"A room without books is like a body without a soul."

~Cicero

The mural inside Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street is painted on a stack of books two stories high.

See murals from around the world in Monday Mural.

Cultural Appreciation 101

The mural at the entrance of The Manila Collectible Co. is symbolic of the store's mission to promote the best of the Philippines' indigenous creative industry. The painting is titled "Icon" and was conceptualized by Charisse Aquino-Tugade, the founder of the company, and a long-time writer and host for the Living Asia Channel. It was executed, however, by the Kulisap Group of Artists of the Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (EARIST). The left side features representations of the Philippines' many indigenous ethno-linguistic groups, and the right side features important cultural landmarks and treasures.

See murals from around the world in Monday Mural.

History in blue

The mural inside the Heritage Room of the Ateneo de Manila Grade School shows images from the 150-year history of the school. Based on this, the school has had four seals since it was first established as the Escuela Municipal de Manila in 1859. It also has had two special, double seals. One was to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the school, and the other its 150th—its sesquicentennial, which filled this blog back in 2009.

I didn't go up to the mural to check what it was made of, but I doubt very much if it was handpainted. Tomorrow, I'll show you the room where I saw the mural.

See murals from around the world in Monday Mural.

Brekkie

Coffee mural at Pancake House. With a pancake and waffle, of course.

See murals from around the world in Monday Mural.

Symbols

A curious find at the University of the Philippines - Diliman: the silhouette of the statue "Oblation" standing on a stylized eagle, painted on the road. I have no idea what it's all about.
 

See murals from around the world in Monday Mural.

Self-offering

The mural on the second floor of the University of the Philippines - Diliman's Palma Hall features scenes from the country's long history of fighting for freedom—against the Spanish, Japanese, and Americans, then against the Martial Law regime of Ferdinand Marcos. The figure in the middle is the sculpture called the Oblation, which has become the state university's symbol.

See murals from around the world in Monday Mural.

Oodles of doodles

At Pino Resto-Bar's original location, they had one wall covered in doodles. When they transferred to their current, bigger place, they commissioned the same group to doodle on a wall again.

See murals from around the world in Monday Mural.

BKK: First glimpse

This intricately detailed temple scene is just a small portion of the mural at the baggage claim area of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.
  The richly elaborate mural covers one entire wall, and a couple of painters were still working on the last few panels when we went to Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, last November.
  Except for decorative details like the mural and some sculptures, however, the industrial steel and glass architecture of the airport can make it seem like anywhere in the world. Which is probably reassuring to people who travel a lot.

See murals from around the world in Monday Mural.