BLANK ITINERARIES: NATIONAL MUSEUM | A Time Travel: Flash Photography; Etiquette and Gallery Decorum

SPOLIARIUM | Juan Luna

NATIONAL MUSEUM | Taft Avenue, Ermita, Manila

National Museum, housed on Taft Avenue in Manila, is committed in providing an extensive latitude for arts and culture geeks. It safeguards the country's brilliant works of prominent artists and serves as an avenue for modern visuals for the new generation. A quick visit would quite mean time travelling - from past unto future; as interesting, rare pieces might just share you a story.

HOW TO GET TO NATIONAL MUSEUM

** Wherever your point of origin is, the land mark is always the Manila City Hall; a few minutes of stroll would lead you the museum. **

POINTERS

Entrance Fee | Php 150 for adults; Php 120 senior citizen rate and just Php 50 for students. Free admission on sundays.
Operating Hours | Open daily; 10:00 AM - 05:00 PM.
Parking | Expaded parking space inside the museum compound is available.
Food and Beverage | F & B of any kind is not allowed inside. A canteen concessionaire is open during weekdays to cater the gastronomic needs of visitors.
Rest Room | Well maintained rest rooms are provided on each level of the building.
Going Up and Down | Stairs and working elevators serve guests for convenience.
Smoking | Designated smoking area is given to guests; it is situated a few meters from building #1.
Bags | Only personal belongings (wallets, gadgets - mobile and camera) are allowed inside the museum. Bag of any size, no matter how small it is, should be surrendered upon registration.
Photography | Cameras are allowed, minus the flash.
Dress Code | No particular dress code mandates guests to wear but a casual weekender outfit would be a safe choice.
Etiquette and Gallery Decorum | Details below.

FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY | How damaging?

LA NIÑA MARIA | Unknown Artist

wooden sculpture

NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY, PLEASE - A constant reminder that is found in almost every museum and often leaves one puzzled of why is there a need to comply. This won’t be an issue for people who rarely use flash, but for others who quite like to use it, this proposes a challenge. Often, it denotes query and gives a free rein to our minds to question its validity. But, how is it really even possible for a flash of light to ruin the beauty of a specimen?

The experiment was conducted by the National Gallery.

I am not sure if we have the same poop had it crossed your mind why museums are kept in an enclosed area and under muted lights. The concept is based on a scientific knowledge that UVA/UVB has radical effects on artworks; contributing to the hardening and thickening of the material and its raw composition.

A few arguments were raised, so results were made known in the hope it could pacify the people’s curiosity; but Martin Evans, some sort of a geeky cool guy, reviewed the results and busted the myths!

PRE-EXPERIMENTAL

Samples were selected as subjects: dyed fabrics; one sample will be exposed to electronic flashguns, which one UV blocking glass filter was removed to provide greatest beam, while the other gun’s filter will be kept. The control sample will be exposed under the usual lighting of the room.

DURING EXPERIMENTAL

The experiment took a few months; allowing the first sample be exposed on flashguns, emitting intermittent strikes of light every seven seconds; while the other sample was just placed under a “normal museum environment.”

POST-EXPEIMENTAL

THE CONTROL | The fabric that was exposed under normal lighting showed almost no change in texture and color.

SPECIMEN PLACED UNDER FLASH |The fabric, which was placed under a bare flashgun, had slightest and almost showed no noticeable change if not with the help of a densitometer. The sample exposed on a filtered gun, had the same result with the fabric exposed under usual lighting – no change as well.

CONCLUSION

The result of the experiment only goes to show that there is only slight change in texture, even when samples were placed on a bare flash. It will take million to billion numbers of strikes to see a remarkable variation. Due to technological advancement, the use of flash no longer becomes a threat in the preservation process; as manufacturers of most digital SLR’s and mobiles already installed UV filters in these devices. One of the most rewarding returns on switching to manual from automatic in photography, is you get to play; whether with your subject or with your weapon. You become the maestro of the action; how much or how less ISO/ or what size of aperture to be used – you call the shots. So even with the absence of sufficient light, you learn to adjust.

It was concluded, that flash has no significant feature that can possibly damage an artwork.

So, why ban photography or why still forbid the use of flash?

REAL REASONS WHY PHOTOGRAPHY IS BANNED IN MUSEUM?

COPYRIGHT ISSUES | Need I say more? Copyright violators, beware.

MARKETING STRATEGY | A significant amount of proceeds in an open exhibit comes from souvenirs and other gift tokens, which are mainly sold at the event. Getting all pieces to be photographed and available for free of consumption would quite mean a revenue loss.

TRAFFIC CONTROL | For mass control, to limit the duration of time and space that is spent on every single piece, photography is banned in some museums.

FLUIDITY OF EXPERIENCE | Okay, let's be honest here; cameras often kill the mood. In the hope to capture an image, you lost the momentum and before you knew it, the image has slipped away.

** So, next time you visit a museum, even without visible gentle notices, make sure to turn that flash off **

http://gizmodo.com/5928378/does-flash-photography-really-damage-art-the-persistence-of-a-myth

ETIQUETTE AND GALLERY DECORUM

RESPECT | Museums make one of the best date picks; the dim atmosphere and lazy strolls in getting around just might be a perfect fix for some couples. Although, the tone of the place suggests a good way to seal the date by getting a little clingy, it is necessary to keep it cool as much as possible. Public display of affection might sound sweet, but not in the museum. At any rate, under no circumstance, not in the museum. Even if it's Valentine's day. No. Nada. Naw. Nope. Period.
TONE OF VOICE | Low voice tone is mostly observed in a museum. Guests who come in group should be sensitive not to insinuate conflict in space and sound with others. Interrupted exchange of conversation in a hushed tone would be okay for small talks.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY | Museums, as we all know, holds well-treasured, rare and admired national and personal art materials - manuscripts, paintings, jewelries, sculptures. Once inside, it becomes a shared responsibility, from personnel to guest, to protect and maintain these materials for preservation.
EXCUSE ME, EXCUSE YOU | I'm a novice when it comes to museums and a lot of people are. Yes, I do appreciate art and I admire the dedication that an artist had put up to assemble such a piece. But sometimes, that's that. You just wanted to witness a beautiful form and see how it progress into a story. Often, you don't need lectures from someone who claim to have intellectualization on these concepts. More so, if you hear them say unsolicited ill comments on either the artists or the actual output. I think everyone should know this by now, GUARD YOUR MOUTH and always say less than what is necessary.
APPLE OF THE EYE | A museum, although displays most of the exalted imagery of various artists, there will always be a few that have become a visitor's favorite. Spoliarium, by Juan Luna, had gained popularity and is almost always crammed with museum goers. It is important to be conscious on how much time and space you consume in a single piece as many people would like to take turns to appreciate it as well.

MAIN BUILDING | Entrada

GALLERY I | Luis I. Ablaza Hall; Religious Art

RETABLO SIDE ALTAR | Unknown Artist
18th Century; Church of San Nicolas de Tolentino , Dimlao Bohol

CRUCIFIX | Unknown Artist
undated

GALLERY II | Academic and Romantic

JUAN LUNA |

Juan Luna, an honored painter and revolutionary, aimed to uplift the lives and morale of Filipinos. His vision to raise political awareness and lineal parity were best mirrored through his craft.

FELIX RESURRECCION HIDALGO |

Son of Binondo, Manila, whose works epitomized fine arts and were all recognized here and internationally.

GALLERY V | Homage to Dr. José Rizal

Jose Rizal |

Isang chess master, marunong sa fencing at sanay humawak ng baril. Romantiko, pilantropo at sino ang mag-aakala na pati ang judo pinasok niya. Doktor, writer, grammarian, engineer at scientist. Marami pa ang nasulat na talento ng taong ito, kukulangin ang buong pahina kung isasama ko lahat. Sa totoo lang nakakalula talaga ang CV niya, imba masyado parang hindi na totoo. Bago pa man nauso ang mga salitang hokage, ninja at pabling, he was the first to set standard on how a pinoy bigotilyo romanticist should be. Pepe, ikaw na nga ang pamantayan ng isang pagiging geek. Ang swabe lang.

IDILIO EN UNA AZOTEA |

Matapos ang ilang taon na pamamalagi ni Ibarra sa Europa, nagbalik Pinas siya. Ito yung cheesy na eksena niya with Maria Clara sa Noli Me Tangere. May mga reminiscing at sweet nothings na ganap; yakapan at siyempre pa mga ilang beses din naglapat ang kanilang mga labi. Pero walang umay, di gaya nung paulit-ulit na eksena sa 50 Shades of Grey.