A not-so-secret garden in Taguig's business district

Somewhere in the rushing business district that is the Bonifacio Global City (BGC), a plain open space is dotted with strange-looking creations that resemble flowers or corals. In the daytime, they don't seem all that impressive, but when night falls, the sculptures light up in Day-glo colors, transforming the open space into an otherworldly forest or underwater wonderland. The installation by artists Olivia d'Aboville and Denis Lagdameo, are now on view at the BGC Offsite Gallery, adding a touch of whimsy to the district's commercial landscape.

"We wanted to create a nice, serene place where people can hang out,” said artist Denis Lagdameo of his and Olivia d'Aboville's installation at the Bonifacio Global City titled “The Garden”. Photos from BGC

While primarily a commercial area frequented by urban professionals or upper-middle class shopaholics, the BGC seems to be intent on incorporating art and soul into the area, featuring several sculptures by prominent artists. The BGC Offsite Gallery in particular had previously played host to two other installations: Leeroy New's alienesque "Psychopomp's Reef" at the tail end of 2011, and Plet Bolipata's storybook fantasy, "ImagiNATION" in July 2012. This year, it's d'Aboville and Lagdameo's "The Garden." "We wanted to create a nice, serene place where people can hang out. ‘The Garden’ is based from our previous works—my murals and Olivia’s light flowers were combined," Lagdameo, a multimedia and installation artist who trained at the University of the Philippines, said in a press release. "With this exhibit, we tried to play with colors so anyone can be attracted to it. We wanted to play with lighting and combine spiky elements and round objects. The contrast of pieces on the lower ground and the taller installations turned out nice as well," d’Aboville added.

Artists Olivia d'Aboville and Denis Lagdameo enjoy the color play of their exhibit at the Bonifacio Global City. Photo from BGC

More than adding a dose of art and culture to the district, "The Garden" also promotes environmental sustainability. Aside from using energy-efficient lighting, both artists worked with recyclable materials that will be turned into new artwork when the exhibit is over. For instance, Lagdameo's pieces were made up of PVC pipes, while d'Aboville used cocktail stirrers - 80,000 of them, to be exact. “I recycle as much as I can. I used 80,000 cocktail stirrers to make the light flowers with the help of five nanays from Gawad Kalinga in Bulacan. Originally, these pieces were used in an exhibit in Singapore,” shared the Paris-educated French-Filipina artist who also uses plastic spoons and bottles in her other works as an effort to reduce pollution. — Amanda Lago/DVM, GMA News "The Garden" will be viewable until March 2013. BGC’s Offsite Gallery is located near Bonifacio High Street on 28th Street corner 7th Avenue.