a warm orange coloured liquid
Abaca pulp paper, ground rice paste, steel & aluminum, 200w LED module lights, solar power
6000 mm diameter
2024



Tumala’s artistic research at the Manila Observatory (Art Fair Philippines/Residencies, 2021) has led him to the discovery of the archive of 35mm films of Sunspots (1978) in which when scanned, reveals a photograph akin to a ball of a warm orange coloured liquid. To recreate a Sun is Tumala’s impulse of simulating an ecological system - a solar-powered model of a Sun made of recycled pulp paper and metal structure.

The scale and the material choices are crucial to the creation of this work- that to create a work about nature is necessary to be in solidarity with it. As we experience a warmer, changing climate, poetry and caution comes as an impulse. Renewable energy, net zero carbon emmission, counter-extractivism exudes as the concept of the work.




Details, abaca pulp paper



Installation view. Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati





Interior view (left), Solar panels (center), Daytime View (right)


a warm orange coloured liquid gets power from Monocrystalline PV Cells absorbing solar energy and storing it in Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries. The solar power generated from the entire duration of the project has the capacity to power the average Filipino household for a month. Imagine every house in the Philippines with a concentrated sun right at the center of it. As the climate crisis rages on, we find ourselves becoming more experimental with the ways that we view sustainable development in the long run. How do we choose to innovate; how do we choose to be illuminated?  - Tonichi Regalado, RENDER Climate, next-gen climate change mitigation platform



A Public Art commission by Art Fair Philippines
Additional support from Render Climate

Production Credits:
Marco Ortiga / ReyNor Arts, Metal Fabrication
Tina Achoy & Family, Paper Mache Artisans, Paete, Laguna
LBHP Enterprises, Pulp Paper Maker
FlareTech Solar Panels & The Print Outpost, Lighting and Solar Power