MANILA, Philippines — Unfinished ideas,
ambitious prototypes, and concepts once kept in notebooks and hard drives are
set to take center stage as De La Salle-College of St. Benilde introduced the
finalists of the second edition of Benilde Open Design + Art, its grant
initiative that supports Filipino creatives in developing, producing, and
presenting untried and experimental projects at the intersection of art,
design, technology, and sustainability.
Designed as a platform for all creatives
such as artists, architects, designers, and filmmakers to move bold concepts
from proposal to public presentation, the program provides production funding
of up to Php300,000 per selected project, alongside curatorial guidance and an
exhibition platform.
From
hundreds of proposals submitted locally and internationally, only a small group
was selected for the opportunity to develop their ideas at full scale. The
resulting works span disciplines including video, installation, textile,
industrial design, and jewelry, among others, reflecting how
contemporary practice moves fluidly between the handmade and the high-tech, the
poetic, and the practical.
The 10 Benilde Open grantees, each
receiving a P300,000 production grant, are: Andi Osmeña; Bianca Carague; Karl
Castro; Kiri Dalena and Ben Brix; Krishner Appay; Mac Andre Arboleda; Mikael
Joaquin; Nicole Racal; Niño Tayao; and Studio Unosinotra.
Running alongside Benilde Open is Best
of Benilde, a category dedicated to Benilde students that supports the
realization of student-led projects with both funding and full curatorial
assistance. The Best of Benilde grantees are Patty Malijan and Pen Vinzon, each
receiving a P50,000 grant.
The Best of Benilde spotlights how
student work can extend beyond the classroom by elevating early-stage ideas
into publicly experienced projects and giving emerging creatives a platform to
test their thinking in the real world.
Extension of Nature
All finalists worked under the 2025
theme, “Extension of Nature,” which challenges creatives to imagine a future
where art and technology work in harmony with the environment, not against it.
The theme draws from the evolving history of kinetic and responsive art,
pointing to a lineage of works that not only move, but also respond, interact,
and adapt whether through wind, light, sensors, reclaimed systems, or hybrid
materials.
Rather than treating nature as something
to conquer, “Extension of Nature” asks participants to design with nature as
collaborator: to build poetic machines, invent hybrid ecosystems, and craft
material narratives that can shift how people think about energy, motion, and
interdependence.
In this spirit, Benilde Open Design +
Art becomes a call for experiments for projects that blur boundaries between
the organic and engineered, the useful and expressive, and the speculative and
real.
Finalists for the second edition were
reviewed by an international panel of judges composed of Jihoi Lee (Curator,
MMCA Korea; founder of Watch & Chill), Mireia Luzárraga (Co-founder, TAKK;
Assistant Professor, Columbia GSAPP), Nathalie Huni (Managing Director, Head of
Design, Wells Fargo), Timothy Moore (Curator of Contemporary Design and
Architecture and Melbourne Design Week, NGV; founder of Sibling Architecture;
Senior Lecturer, Monash University), and Freddy Anzures (Filipino-American
designer from the original iPhone team and holder of numerous iPhone-related
patents).
Benilde Open Design + Art and Best of
Benilde are convened in synergy with De La Salle University by Ayi Magpayo,
Rita Nazareno, Gabby Lichauco, Joselina Cruz, and Dindin Araneta, with the
support of Br. Dodo Fernandez FSC, Benilde President. Together, the initiative
is envisioned as a platform that nurtures collaboration, invention, and bold
thinking supporting creatives whose work challenges conventions and resists the
status quo.
As the College of St. Benilde celebrates
its 37th founding year, it continues to champion innovation and inclusion
through programs that prepare learners for leadership in creative, digital, and
service industries, supported by industry-linked education, state-of-the-art
facilities, and global connections.
Visit
Benilde Open Design + Art and Best of Benilde
The
exhibition opens on April 11 and will run until April 27, 2026 at several
spaces in De La Salle College of Saint Benilde – School of Design + Arts (SDA)
Campus.
For
more information and schedule of activities, you may visit www.benilde.edu.ph/benilde-open/ or
social media @benildeopen.
#BenildeLikeNoOther
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