TRISHA DIANNE DAYDAYTRISHA DIANNE DAYDAYTRISHA DIANNE DAYDAY APPRENTICESHIPAPPRENTICESHIP 20262026 APPRENTICESHIP 2026 UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES CEBU BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS STUDIO ARTSUNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES CEBU BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS STUDIO ARTSUNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES CEBU BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS STUDIO ARTS
BEFORE THEBEFORE THEBEFORE THEChoosing where to apply for the apprenticeship was not an easy decision. I was torn between the Rizal Museum, the Kabilin Center, and the possibility of apprenticing directly under an artist.
When I heard that Sir Roy Ingente was accepting students, I saw it as a great chance to learn more about installation art and to explore materials I hadn't worked with before. I applied together with friends, and we were accepted. WEEKWEEKWEEK
W E E K 1W E E K 1GETTING TO KNOW THE ARTIST GETTING TO KNOW THE ARTISTASSIGNMENTS THIS WEEKFirst meeting with Sir Roy Ingente and fellow interns Project briefing and proposal walkthrough Ocular visit to SM SeasideOn every first meeting, I tend to be very nervous, but during our first meeting with Sir Roy, I didn't feel that much nervousness anymore because we had already worked together before on the Litaniya exhibit at Kabilin Center. So during the first meeting, I got excited as we had the opportunity to know more about Sir Roy as an artist, and also excited about what we were going to do as his apprentices.
He has a project for SM Seaside, and we are to help him with it. So he explained to us what we were going to do and let us see the proposal he made for SM Seaside. We are going to make an installation for SM Seaside made out of plastic bottles, forming a 20ft nautilus shell. At first, I was happy that it wasn't too complex and seemed like a very manageable project to make.The chambered nautilus shell reflects the Cebuano coastal lifestyle through its deep connection to the sea, symbolizing the enduring relationship between Cebuano communities and the rich marine environments that have sustained livelihoods, traditions, and way of life for generations. Its spiral form also embodies continuity, resilience, and cultural memory, representing the enduring heritage of Cebu as an island society shaped by navigation, fishing, craftsmanship, and a profound revence for the seas.THE SUGBUANON IDENTITY
We did an ocular visit, I can still remember how it was chaotic going to SM, we plan to go there together because some of us didn't know how to get there, but it ended up that we didn't go there together, and the ones who didn't know how to get there arrived first.
At the site, we found out that it wasn't the proposed site. Sir wanted it to be hung inside, but the the SM didn't allowed that because it might cause an accident, so it ended up being placed in the Tower garden and I also think that it is good because it's right of the center of the garden and putting a plastic installation there catches the attention of passersby, but I also wonder what would have looked like if it had been hung inside.
It is also a good thing that they provided a big space where we can work on the installation before mounting it on the site.
W E E K 2W E E K 2PREPPING MATERIALS, BUILDING THE FRAME PREPPING MATERIALS, BUILDING THE FRAMEASSIGNMENTS THIS WEEKBottle preparation, removing labels, flattening Delivery run to SM Seaside with the metal frame Continue bottle cleaning while the frame was assembled
First, prepare the water bottles by removing the labels and flattening them by stomping on them.
The first strategy we did took a lot of time, so we made another strategy to make the work easier and less time- consuming. The process may be very easy as it sounds, but it is still a pain for the whole body because of how many hours we spent peeling and stomping the water bottles.Empty mall
The frames for the shell were made by some people Sir knew from TKC, and Rhou Ann and I were tasked to accompany the frames to the Seaside. I felt very nervous because Sir wasn't with us, but somehow it helped us learn to talk with other people. When we got there, it was also very chaotic because they only allowed us to bring the frames inside at a very specific time, even though we already had a letter from SM's marketing department. In the end, we had to call Sir to settle the problem. After the frames got in, while they were being assembled, we went back to cleaning the plastic bottles. It started to feel like a uniform routine already, and I began to wonder when this process would end.
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ASSIGNMENTS THIS WEEKAttaching the bottles to the frame structure Mounting the completed structure on site at the tower gardenASSEMBLY & MOUNTING ON SITE ASSEMBLY & MOUNTING ON SITE
Sir gave us instructions for the flow of attaching the water bottles. At first, it was very easy for me, but when everyone was working on it together, different techniques and different patterns were used, so it somehow looked inconsistent, and things had to be redone because of it. I can still remember we were finishing one side of the frame, and I was inside the frame when it suddenly collapsed. Fortunately, it didn't harm me at all, but the frame still needed to be redone, which set us back on working on the other frames. Thankfully, there were no other problems with the rest of them.
Attaching the water bottles could be very messy, especially the ones that stank and had spoiled food in them. But what I learned from Sir is that he prefers to touch the materials rather than wear gloves, in order to know and understand them better. This made me reflect on my mini thesis, where I used a palette knife and never really tried using my hands to apply the mediums onto the canvas. During the bottle-attaching process, the plastic gloves were also very hindering because they tore easily and got sweaty. It also felt very hypocritical that we were recycling water bottles yet wasting plastic gloves in the process of doing it. I kind of understood what Sir meant about wanting to touch the material to understand it, because once I stopped using gloves, I could better understand the nature of the material, how nasty it got, and how it could be manipulated when attaching it to the frame.
Mounting the structure at the site was very exciting yet very stressful, but Sir Roy handled it really well. While the frames were done and people transferred them to the Tower Garden, we still had to finish the part where we attached pieces to cover the gaps.
Looking at the pole for the shell, we were worried at first because it was wobbly. Then another problem surfaced: the frame looked very difficult to attach to the pole, especially since at first they only had a very short scaffolding, the ropes were very thin, and the frames were very heavy. Then another problem arose: it rained very hard, and we had to wait for hours for it to stop, because it would have been very dangerous for them to be up on the scaffolding in the rain. When the rain stopped, we also had to wait for the car owner who delivered the frames, and more people, which is Sir's go-to solution in times like this. Thankfully, they had bigger ropes that could be used for pulling the frames. Mounting every frame looked very difficult and dangerous because they had to add another layer of scaffolding to make it higher, and pulling such a heavy frame up on such high scaffolding looked dangerous. But thankfully, they were very professional at what they were doing. When the first side was attached, everything made sense, and I couldn't help but think about how intelligently it was all done. I was amazed at how Sir could handle all that stress so calmly through all the challenges.
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ASSIGNMENTS THIS WEEKSite visit to view the completed installation Return visit for touch-ups, refilling fallen bottles, patching gaps, adding lighting Peer evaluation meeting with the team at IT ParkSEEING IT FINISHEDSEEING IT FINISHED
We visited the site to view the finished installation. We were so happy and appreciate that Sir Roy included our names in the credits as his creative team.
We had to go back to fix the installation and add more bottles because some had fallen out, as well as to fill in the remaining gaps. Lights were also added to the installation.
We met at IT Park to have a peer evaluation meeting. Everyone shared what was good, what the challenges were, and what could be improved. Overall, it was a very good way to address everything that was happening on the project in a very open-minded manner, where everyone could share what they really thought.
In this journey I learned many things, start with the basic: commuting to SM seaside, somehow it helps me slowly to not be shy with other people and learn to interact with them, shows us how artist works outside school or in work already and how worse it can get, it always reminds me to communicate with the team or who you work with and also from Sir Roy which I reflected that he wants to work with materials bare hands and touch the materials in order to fully understand the materials. The experience can be very exhausting in a physical way, hours of peeling and stomping bottles, cleaning things that smelled awful, watching a frame collapse while I was inside it but it never stopped feeling worth it. I also find it the process therapeutic somehow because I can't think of other things but to focus on the work. Also the experience was nerve wracking but also fun, to be able to experience sitting at the back of the multi cab with the water bottles that stink, talk to SM staff, and also free food. The nervousness when the rain poured, mounting the shell to the wobbly pole, but also the satisfaction that the installation was done and it is there and being part of the team who make the installation. Overall the experience was fun and insightful.