By Watro, member of The IRIS Guild
My name is Watro, and just like you, I am a seedling that was planted and cultivated; bloomed in a place that one would probably call a widespread field where dreams and ambitions are grown and harvested, watched over and plucked—a field I call school. Just like you, I am a student. I wake up before there is even a sprinkle of light in the sky, wear the same kind of clothing after waking up every day, go to a place to work and train myself to be productive only go back home to work again and do the same thing the next day. Yes, I a student.
This cycle never ends—like an ecosystem of numbers and trifles—but do not get me wrong, school is not a bad place.
It does serve its purpose; after all where else would we be without it? It has always been a place that produces a reliable workforce, and let’s be honest, that’s what all students are prepared to become: to be swimmers and racers in the never ending flood of wage earners and the great stampede of life we call reality. Even if that may sound intense, you’d be surprised at how dull and boring it is for the most part, similar to a whirlpool in the middle of an ocean—despite the whirling motion, it’s just water in an oversized bucket. That’s just how it is, and because of the inevitable fate of students to become a part of a dull and boring world, school, with its role to prepare the students to become a part of this world, tends to make sure that the students manifest in a way fit into the world, and that’s created some obvious consequences; some schools have become boring a dull in search for the next Harvard student and Facebook executive.
Despite that, school is not hopeless—my school, Future Generation Philippine International School, that is.
Schools actually present to us students different ways to paint this dull and boring world through the freedom of expression, the realization of passion, and the manifestation of fantasies and imagination—simply put, Art. It’s a beautiful thing, Art; painting, music production, acting, dancing, or any expression of emotions and feelings is what allows us to color in this life. But here is the thing—society really finds a way to mess things up, schools included. Art became a standard. Oh the irony! Schools put grades on Art, a criteria of evaluation, and in that moment, Art became something to be judged based on numbers, and not interpreted through meticulous research for the sake of sending a message or fulfilling one’s passion.
Future Generation, my Alma Mater, sadly, had a period when Art was clouded by storms of criticism and judgement, when the artists had featherless, boneless wings; when the canvasses were bloodied with red ink—it was horrible. The context of appropriation was understood, but it was a gloomy time when the free-flowing elements of Art, the waves of emotions, were placed in an aquarium. That is until they arrived, the group that splashed paint at the faces of critics and put them in a gallery; that gave dreamers shades to protect them from the sun; that greatly cared for arthropods; that introduced a rebellion that is not violent, but violet; not chaotic, but artistic: a rebellion wherein the heart beats to the rhythm of a broken car plate number, IRIS.
The IRIS, a group of inspired students, envisioned another period of Renaissance, through the use of technology and modern gadgets, to allow their fellow students to add the colors they wish this world—this dull and boring world that makes fun of weirdness and accepts the next well-rounded statue—to have.
The IRIS sees weird as artistic spelled backwards. The IRIS sees “normal” people as
people who only need a little push to realize their passions. The IRIS envisions a world where “black” is merely every color in existence mixed together, and not a color that embodies the forces of evil. The IRIS encompasses all acts of art, whether through simple compositions of one line-poems to movie making and more complicated art forms.
As it was said, Future Generation Philippine International School is not a hopeless one. Why? Because The IRIS is walking among the student body. The IRIS sits beside each and every student, waiting for artists who are ready to break through the shells society has placed them in. The IRIS is a shadow that provides light. And know this, fellow students of mine, that when The IRIS sees you, not even John Cena can remain unseen. So, keep your eyes open and your senses sharp, because once you see The IRIS, you shall find a path to a world where boring is taboo, and where uniqueness is merely something that needs a little tap to awaken.
Hear me, oh hopeful artistic eyes within the flock of unopened ones! Ye all must not hesitate; make haste and take part. Within The IRIS, a full plate of dreams and good fate awaits your arrival; within The IRIS is a sky for artists to fly in with wings spread wide—within The IRIS, you and I will rise!
-IRIS-
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