This Baguio architectural wonder was built by a National Artist—without a blueprint | ABS-CBN News

Kidlat Tahimik is a well-known filmmaker. In fact, he won the National Artist Award in 2018 for his contribution to Filipino films. But did you know that the director of "Perfume Dream Night" can also build buildings? 

Well, not the type of building you want to consider. We are talking about an architectural curiosity that attracts your attention every step of the way-whether you are looking straight, looking down or looking sideways. At first glance, the first thing that comes to mind is: how do you start to build something similar in the world? 

Walking into the Yili-Lika Artist Village on Baguio’s Sublimation Road is like walking into a maze, or a mess, if you only like the messy square concrete structure. It is built around trees and assembled from a variety of materials, which are not necessarily the materials you use to make the building. Used windows and old TV frames form the walls, just like old kuwatro kantos bottles. The metal sculpture is used as the floor of the pedestrian bridge. Old bicycles, colorful chairs, paintings, Rizal figures, broken tiles, flags and Ifugao statues. All of this completes Ililikha's entire compromise. The entire building is a journey, with more than one route.

Kawayan de Guia, one of Kidlat’s sons, said: “Kidlat hopes to create an alternative platform for shops, restaurants and other stores run by small artists.” “This will also accommodate the'Northern Cinema'. This is his opinion of Enrique de Guia. Tribute to Malacca." 

Malacca is a Malay explorer and is considered the first person to travel around the world (yes, before Magellan), and the cinema is Killard’s cinema, which showcases his films and other independent directors. Those who have seen this space declare it as a work of art, a "cinema". It is located at the top of the Ili-likha structure-although it is difficult to tell what the top or bottom of the building is, what the entrance and exit are. 

The entire complex lasted 10 years. For ten years, it was a work carried out using Kidlat's process called "pukpok tastas". Many artists-Ifugao woodcarvers, craftsmen and craftsmen, including Kabunyan de Guia, Kawayan's brother, helped create the structure. Kaway said that this was his father's attempt to design his alternative buildings, viewpoints and lifestyles, which can basically be summarized in the following sentences: "Leave the road and find your own sharp dwarf." 

What is the dwarf in the Kidlat universe? "It's just something on you,"

, "Look at the world from a unique perspective."

According to Kawayan, the property of Ililikha is owned by a small family of de Guia, which consists of his cousin and aunt. "This family has no collateral to build a larger structure, so Killard suggested that he use recyclable materials for the project, such as bottles, wood salvaged by typhoon, etc." The production process of the project is similar to that of national artists making movies. Way: "pakonti-konti... Pag may pera gawa, pag wala considered mummies." 

Kaway said that there is no blueprint for the whole thing, and every step of the production can only be guided by feeling and intuition. Kawayan said: "His father was an engineer, so I think the structure he created was almost a sign of rebellion against straightness, flatness and stiffness." 

We visited on holiday, so most shops are closed. But locals say that Leandro's serves high-quality coffee, cheesecake and carbonara, and Cafe Cueva's rice is also good. There is a restaurant there that serves vegetarian dumplings, yogurt shakes and ginger beer. Kulaaw sells crafts and accessories, Anthoniuz is a flower shop where the owner will design the bouquet for you himself-not the cute way. 

But you can also spend the whole afternoon just hanging out outdoors-reading a book from the colorful pile of books beside it

(Just put it back in place), or take a selfie (never run out of textured background), or just explore the entire building while paying close attention to how metal is replaced by wood, causing the artwork to flow in stairs. You will never know-somewhere in the middle, you might find duwende. 

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