The idea that stones can speak is an ancient one.
Standing stones held magical meaning for the druids or the learned class among the Celts in Europe. To this day, certain people believe they hold encoded ancient knowledge from the elder seers.
Jesus himself said the very stones would cry out if his disciples were stopped from singing His praises.
As evidenced in the large pieces that make up “Circa,” Impy Pilapil’s ongoing exhibit at the National Museum for Fine Arts, the sculptor herself believes she hears what the stones are saying.
Although she works in a variety of mediums—glass, steel and armor wood—Pilapil has a special affinity to stone, specially the Romblon marble she favors.
The artist doesn’t use blocks carved out of a quarry. Rather, she seeks out unique pieces that have been weathered by time and the elements. She then transports them to her workshop, where they could remain for years, until they tell her what they want to become.
“I’m attracted by certain shapes and indentations,” she says.
“Some stones have been with me for 15, 20 years. I see them every day. There’s that constant ‘Kumusta ka na?’ It took a long time before they became like that, and it’s not overnight that you can think of what to do with them.”