The bulul and the economy of patience (Musings on sustainability through contemporary art in the Philippines)

Abstract

The term 'sustainability' has come to be associated as a kind of 'must have' criterion to signal a commitment to ethically directed futures. And the notion of what might constitute 'sustainable cultural practices' has come to be linked to environmental, social and economic factors. However, this paper argues, there may be a sense in which such descriptions limit and regulate creative diversity. The argument traces the age-old links between ecology, society, economy and culture in the Banaue rice terraces in the Philippines and looks at the way this framework has influenced the development of alternative forms of contemporary art practice in that country. It uses these examples to argue that creative practices in general arise from a will towards sustainment in the broadest sense, and that they should not be regulated by epithets that prescribe particular outcomes.