The ‘softer’ side of cement
A HUGE rotating kiln for manufacturing cement that looked like a giant oven fascinated Art and Communication students during the Si Mento at Ako guided tour of the Cemex Apo Cement Plant in Naga, Cebu.
The Si Mento at Ako guided plant tour is offered at Cemex’s plants in Naga and Solid Cement Plant in Antipolo, Rizal.
The six student-artists were the major winners of Impact (IMages of Progress in ACTion) Students Festival organized by Cemex Philippines. The festival is a competition organized by the company to encourage the youth to showcase their skills in promoting nation-building.
The winners were from Mapua Institute of Technology, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (Earist) and University of Perpetual Help.
“We believe nation-building and art can go together … for us they are complementary,” said Chito Maniago, corporate communications and public affairs director of Cemex Philippines. “Cement and concrete aren’t just for building houses and roads. They’re also building solutions designed to create safe homes and pave the road to one’s future.”
Jhon Michael Macariola, a Fine Arts student from Earist, said he did not think a cement plant could look so green. “I expected it to (be) like a typical industrial site but … inside the plant was a lagoon and thriving animals.”
During the painting session at the lagoon, Macariola and the other painting winners from Earist drew the life and work inside the plant.
Macariola said when he joined the contest, he researched how the company did business. He realized, he said, the important role cement played in people’s lives.
Mark Anthony Laza, a third year Visual Communication student, saw the competition as being about art education and cultivation. Laza wants to become an art teacher for children and to bring his skills to far-flung communities.
“The uniqueness of an artwork brings … a new concept … innovation presents new ideas that are unique and forward-looking,” Laza said.
Another painting winner, 19-year-old Fine Arts student Christian Cedrick de la Paz, found the contest challenging.
But, he said, because of Cemex Impact he realized what nation-building really meant. “I hope to be able to make more paintings that are worthwhile and will have an impact,” he said.
The three other students who joined the Naga plant tour were the top three winners in Impact’s photography category.
Mapua’s Gian Paolo Garrido said innovation and the arts could be used to create awareness that the technology used in cement manufacturing was sustainable.
“I believe visuals are very powerful. I would like to use photography to show our country’s culture and brilliance. Sometimes the things not noticed by the naked eye can only be captured by a camera’s lens,” he said.
PLM Mass Communication student Marco Mata said he was impressed that the plant’s surroundings seemed alive.
“As a photographer, I would like to use art to educate people through visuals. From this tour, I can (show) that an industrial plant can still have trees and water life forms. I think this is a best practice worth featuring,” said Mata, who wants to make films with social relevance.
Angie Cariaso, a senior Communication student from University of Perpetual Help, would want to bring together words and pictures to create meaningful outputs.
“I think a photojournalist’s job is very colorful. After witnessing the cement-making process, I will never (look at cement) the same way again,” Cariaso said.