M Y T H S O N A
- Philippine Mythology Edition -
My take on the #Mythsona art challenge on Twitter: a pseudo magazine cover. I wanted to showcase one notable Philippine mythical creature in a different light: the manananggal. This nocturnal vampire is well-known for its ability to sever its upper torso and fly in search of its next meal. Common depictions of this creature are humanoid, but I wanted to explore a different approach in its design.
I was inspired by a local megabat species: the giant golden-crowned flying fox. Much of these gigantic creatures have been mistaken for manananggals in flight, so I paid homage to this. For the outfit, I took the national dress (Barong Tagalog and Baro't Saya) and designed a modern version of it. The blouse still uses pineapple fiber cloth, but the lace is contemporary in design). There are other local motifs in the outfit, mainly the frangipani flowers (headdress, jewelry, lace) and banana leaf (jewelry cuff).
