(SPOT.ph) Pride Month may be over, but that doesn't mean that the fight for equality and LGBTQ+ rights has come to an end. On July 4, just a few days after the biggest Metro Manila Pride March to date was held, Ayala Malls Circuit unveiled a rainbow-colored reminder that Makati City is a safe space for all kinds of communities. The colorful patch is on the mall's upper ground floor.
The project was initiated by artist and social advocate Ralph Eya and Dakila Creative Director Andrei Venal. It is aligned with Metro Manila Pride's thrust to create a bigger and stronger LGBTQ+ movement and identify safe spaces for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Ayala Malls Circuit’s The Deck is overlooking the blue football field
"I’d like to look at this [work] as not just another urban art piece to decorate a public space or to be an IG-worthy spot in the city, not even an artwork that just echo today’s challenging conditions... Because red, yellow, or whatever color it is, pedestrian lane or not, lanes will always, connect us to our destinations; they are meant to make it to our point and reach the places we aspire for. The point really is about everyone’s journey in every lane, aiming to be free from threat, hate, and discrimination," Eya explained. He also initiated a collaborative art project called We Are Common where local artists are encouraged to come together to create public works of art that integrate rights education and community engagement. "Let each lane in every city and every community be a safe space not just for the LGBTQs, but for all the Filipinos. We need safety not threats," he added.
Local artists hope that more communities will do the same.
Venal pointed out that "LGBTQ+ pride and rights education should not stop in June." The two artists were joined by artist-volunteers from Para sa Sining, a non-profit organization that celebrates Philippine culture through art collaborations.
In June, Araneta Center also unveiled a number of rainbow pedestrian lanes all over the commercial district; but it was the University of the Philippines in Diliman that presented Metro Manila’s first rainbow lane in 2017. Mandaue City in Cebu holds the title of having the Philippines’ first ever ROYGBIV lane in 2015.
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