The Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) at the Design and Arts (D+A) Campus opened their first exhibition of the year on Feb. 12, “Poets of Physics.” Integrating both physics and nature into the lineup of installations—challenging the society’s perception of art and science as complete opposites.
Together with Benilde Open Design + Art and its theme “Extension of Nature, ” the exhibit featured works of Aki Sasamoto, Bagus Pandega, David Medalla, Fischli & Weiss, and Ian Carlo Jaucian, addressing the convergence of science and art. The name “Poets of Physics” was directly brought onto life from a quote from Mr. Medalla, referring to himself when he initially presented “Cloud Canyons” (1964), an installation that is included in MCAD’s first 2026 exhibit.
In the opening speech of Ms. Joselina Cruz, the Director and Curator of MCAD, said “Poets of Physics takes its title from a provocation that the most rigorous scientific inquiry and the most imaginative artistic practice are not obstacles, but kindred pursuits. Both seek to make visible what is hidden, to give form to forces we cannot directly perceive, to ask fundamental questions about matter, energy, time, existence itself through creative processes.”
Underneath the installations
In an interview with The Benildean, when asked about the meaning of “extension of art” Mr. Jaucian, a Filipino visual artist and an alumnus professor at U.P. Diliman (U.P.D.) shared, “[...] I think extension of nature is considering everything that we make as part of the ecosystem. I mean, even the trash that we produce, it's arguably not unnatural. I mean, it's part of this whole terraforming thing we're doing as a human race. So technology, by extension, is something as far removed from nature as robotics and stuff like that.”
Mr. Jaucian’s installations were said to be ongoing explorations as a student taking his Masters in Fine Arts and a professor in U.P.D.—creating robot swarms with other scientists that can be integrated into lower education to teach students about emergence or complexity. Sharing his inspiration for his works, “Maybe, you know, because I think science is in itself poetic. I would like to think that science is like magic but real. If we just close our eyes and listen to all these invisible forces playing around everywhere, I think it could reveal stuff about how we understand ourselves.”
On the other hand, Mr. Pandega, a visual artist from Indonesia showcased three installations that were inspired from different personal contexts—one was from his culture, beliefs, and the last was sparked from a conversation he had with his wife. In an interview with The Benildean when he was asked what message he wanted to impart he expressed that, “[I want to] let them interpret my work on their own. I don’t want to feed the audience as much as possible. I just like them to enjoy how I articulate these kinds of concepts and ideas in my work… I don’t want to push them the same way as I think.”
The artist’s works can be interpreted in multiple ways, but the common theme that he had for his works were reimagining the integration of nature and electronic systems, without destroying the former. “[...] We have to control greed, we cannot be too demanding of nature. I think we have to have a balance with nature,” he said to end his interview.
Combining the left and right brain
The opening night welcomed faculty, artists, and students of the Benildean community. Adina Azarcon, an ID123 student from the Creative Industries Management (AB-CIM) program, shared in an interview with The Benildean that she went to the opening because, “[...] I like that there’s always a museum so close to the school and that is managed by the school… It’s very important to connect us [the students] to institutions. Even though [MCAD] is not an institution outside of Benilde, it’s important to get that first step in, right? We need to start encouraging more people to go to museums and exhibits because that’s where culture happens.”
As a Star Wars fan, Azarcon mentioned that she loves “Cloud City” by Mr. Medalla as it reminded her of a place found in the movie. She also expressed her interest in “Social Sink Microcosm #2” by Ms. Sasamoto, “[...] It was originally about queer snails… because some snails go in their shells in a different way, which makes them unable to mate for the rest of the population.” Azarcon shared that she has read a quote from the artist, “I think… it was like, we need lefties. [...] Like we need the eccentric… and the queer people in order to bring life to our society.”
Poets of Physics is an unconventionally beautiful exhibit that showcases the power when art and sciences are combined. “I think [Poets of Physics] wants us to find that balance between the arts and mechanical. When most people think about it, they think the two as opposite things like ‘Oh, I’m such a left brain’ or ‘Oh I’m such a right brain.’ [...] I think the Poets of Physics, the people who command both, are able to tell us that, you know, intellectuals are not just scientists, businessmen, or computer programmers. I think what makes everything so beautiful about being human is that we can take anything and make it art and make it expressive.”
Take time to visit Poets of Physics from Feb. 12 to April 12, and check out MCAD’s Facebook, Instagram, and website pages, stay updated on their future programs under the exhibit which includes talks, tours, and more!
