Words by Guenivere Decena

Oneness is made up of many different things.
It is pure and simple. Yet the simplicity of its wholeness refracts in society’s prism of separatedness; diminishing it into specificities, shrunken into types, classes and other such boundaries, equated only by words like ‘all’ or ‘everything,’ neither which ever sufficing to capture the majesty of its meaning. Only through listening to nature can these complexities be harmonized in all its beauty and depth.

But how do we listen to nature? How does She speak?

“The Island is Calling” is the exhibition component of a widened environmental preservation effort focused on Danjugan, a protected island located in Cauayan in the southern Negros Occidental. Under the vision of PRRCFI (Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation, Inc.), local scientists and artists explore the convergence of experience-centered programs such as marine and wildlife camps, artist retreats, science workshops and educational tours within the island sanctuary. The exhibit’s collection of rotonda artworks are one of the many fruits of this endeavor.

Nature communicates through the interconnected ecosystems of which we are intricately a part of. Her language is life itself. We are part of what She is. Seeking her voice is like a dancing leaf wondering when the wind will come. Every now and then, in the silence of our thoughts, we sense Nature’s perpetual
presence. She talks directly to our emotions, letting us feel we are connected beyond our human understanding. We feel truth in our oneness even if we have yet to grasp it in full.

We hear Her from the abyss of our beings… And from the beingness of every other form of life.

We hear Her in the air… On the land… And in the seas…

In us.

All around us.

She is calling.