Extreme crafting

A quirky and wonderfully comfortable loveseat by artist Plet Bolipata-Borlongan made out of an old bathtub covered with a painting, crochet lace and ribbon flowers. I couldn't include it in the photo, but the built-in lamp is shaped like a black top hat.

Hear me roar

In her notes for imagiNATION, artist Plet Bolipata-Borlongan says that tigers, lions, and other big cats are fierce so she conceptualized the piece with the bathtub bench between their jaws.
  And yes, those benches are very comfortable, as my husband can attest.

Sea and savanna

My two favorite pieces in Plet Bolipata-Borlongan's imagiNATION installation at the Ateneo de Manila University were also the most difficult to photograph.

The bench of the octopi installation is under a large tree with no lights, so I only took a photo of the female octopus. I know it's a "she" because of her curvy, queenly crown; the crown of the male octopus is pointy and kingly.

The giraffes are long, thin, delicate, and spread out on a wide expanse of lawn, so I decided to focus on the gracefully bending neck and delicate legs. Yes, they're wearing sneakers and crochet lace knee supports.

Noah's ark

Welcome to Plet Bolipata-Borlongan's imagiNATION exhibit at the Ateneo de Manila University, where benches similar to yesterday's bathtub loveseat now grace the gardens, flanked by pairs of lacy metal animals accented by crochet and painted soda cans. Plet's wonderland (installed earlier in the year at the Bonifacio Global City), however, was inspired by a serious occurrence: the calamitous floods that the Philippines experiences several times a year because of typhoons. From the artist's notes:

The idea of rain brings me back to the story of Noah and his Ark:

 
Seeing the wickedness of man, God commanded Noah to build an ark, a large vessel that would contain himself, his family and the animals of the world in order to save them from the Great Flood that would destroy as well as cleanse the world. (Genesis, Chapters 6–9)
 

As a nation, we suffer yearly from a deluge of floods as the rain pounds on us. In the conclusion of Noah's story, when the floods subsided and God's anger abated, God promised Noah he would never send a flood again. I'd like my installation to be a reminder that we need not be afraid for God will keep us safe.

imaGINATION is an interpretation of Noah's story. Except, instead of an ark, I use bathtubs which are also vessels. I combine life-size metal doodled animals with mosaic bathtubs. Instead of keeping people and animals afloat on water, they do the opposite and carry water. They serve as basins for cleansing and when unclogged, allow water to escape. The bathtubs are mini-arks that serve several functions: as reminders of how dual water can be—an element of both life and death, and as vehicles which can transport viewers into a world of imagination. The installation also offers solace. By sitting in the bathtubs, viewers are rescued from stress and strain which allow them to fully enjoy and appreciate the preciousness of life.

Strength

At Plet Bolipata-Borlongan's imagiNATION: Elephants are sturdy and can easily handle a teenager hanging onto them while carrying the rest of the gang.

Chilling with a kangaroo

At Plet Bolipata-Borlongan's imagiNATION exhibit, the kangaroos wait in expectation for someone to sit on the bathtub bench they are carrying in their arms before hopping off to a fantasy land somewhere.