Mundane: Photography and the Reciprocity of Seeing

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By Ted Aldwin Ong

When pulmonologist Dr. Malbar G. Ferrer and scientist Magin Benedict F. Ferrer, together with the Gilopez Kabayao Foundation Inc., chose the theme “Mundane” for their first father-and-son photo exhibition, they sought to “challenge the notion that art exists only in the grand, sweeping moments of life.”

Through the exhibition, they aimed to highlight what people often overlook — the mundane aspects of everyday life, or those “ordinary routines that we go through every day without a second thought,” as described by Dr. Ferrer.

In today’s fast-paced world of constant connectivity, many of us lose the ability to notice and appreciate the living presence that surrounds us: the patch of flowers by the bike lane, the bird perched quietly on a utility wire above the busy downtown area, or the Lunok tree along Molo City High that has stood for years.

In the rush from one task to another, these everyday sights often fade into the background, ignored despite their beauty.

Listening to Dr. Ferrer speak about the significance of life’s mundanities recalls James Gleick’s observation: “We are in a hurry because we are in a hurry.”

In “Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything,” Gleick argues that modern life has become trapped in a self-perpetuating cycle of speed, leaving little space for reflection or attentive observation of the world.

It is this tendency to overlook the seemingly ordinary that the exhibition seeks to confront.

By drawing attention to the mundane, the artist-photographers invite viewers to slow down and rediscover the beauty, meaning, and presence embedded in everyday scenes.

As Dr. Ferrer explains, people can “find poetry in the quiet places,” but doing so requires noticing a “passing shadow” or the way a “quiet light” falls upon the sidewalk.

Such moments may appear irrelevant, yet through the lens, they are held long enough for their significance to emerge and be shared.

Curated as a visual conversation between father and son by Jose Roy Paniza and shaped by his vision as a travel photography hobbyist, the exhibition presents a selection of 24 color and black-and-white digital prints.

It brings together the distinct sensibilities of two photographers, shaped by different generations yet united by a shared attentiveness to detail.

Their images reveal varied ways of seeing the world while reflecting a common spirit of observation and inquiry that also informs their work in medicine and science.

Photography has long functioned as an extension of Dr. Ferrer’s medical practice.

His work behind the lens has earned him multiple Photographer of the Year awards.

He served as president of the Photographic Society of Iloilo in 2006 and later as president of the Philippine College of Chest Physicians.

Magin Ferrer, meanwhile, is a postdoctoral researcher at the Mulhouse Materials Science Institute in France.

His engagement with photography deepened during his postgraduate studies in Paris and Genoa, providing a good balance for his demanding academic life.

Through the camera, he developed new ways of observing his surroundings and finding meaning in the everyday.

His work received international recognition when he won the Prix du Public at the second Concours Yugen Photography Competition hosted by the French Embassy in Japan.

Among the photographs that stand out in Dr. Ferrer’s collection is “Son of the Sea,” taken in Batangas in 2013.

Captured from a striking overhead perspective, the image depicts a fisherman emerging from dark waters, his figure appearing almost fluid against the inky surface.

The photograph draws attention to the traditional fishing method of muro-ami, highlighting the skill, instinct, and risks Filipino fishermen endure in pursuit of a catch.

Another poignant photograph, “Hope in the Dark,” captured in West Sumatra, Indonesia, in 2018, portrays a child peering through a hole in a wall as sunlight filters into the dim interior.

The image invites contemplation, suggesting a sense of hope, renewal, and possibility with each sunrise.

A theme closer to home is “Big Brother, Little Brother,” taken in Iloilo City, which offers a tender glimpse into the closeness of young siblings and the bonds of family.

The photographs of Magin Ferrer, on the other hand, span different European cities, combining various types of photography with perspectives that share Henri Cartier-Bresson’s attentiveness to ordinary moments.

They depict people in unfamiliar scenic locations within popular tourism landmarks, transforming travel into a meditation on human presence, movement, and reflection.

Architectural photographs like “High Rise Window Cleaner” in Osaka, which may even be mistaken for a scene from a high-rise condominium in the Iloilo Business Park, and “Tiger and Turtle 1” possess formalist qualities that draw the eye not only to the structures themselves but also to the relationship between individuals and the built environment.

The inclusion of human activity invites viewers to consider how people inhabit and interact with modern spaces.

His outdoor scenes similarly elevate ephemeral moments into meditations on the human condition.

In “Sunbathers at the End of Summer in Paris” and “Spring on Petřín,” individuals emerge as transient presences within the landscape, evoking themes of seasonal change, leisure, and humanity’s relationship with nature.

Echoing Henri Cartier-Bresson’s notion of the decisive moment, these photographs preserve fleeting experiences that might otherwise pass unnoticed.

Though separated by geography and circumstance, two images affirm that travel can also be a journey of introspection and spiritual reflection: “Afternoon Prayer,” taken in Metz, France, and “Woman Quickly Praying,” captured in Sofia, Bulgaria, both evoking moments of devotion, meditation, and faith.

Together, their works demonstrate how attention can nurture a deeper appreciation for the subtle beauty of everyday life, foregrounding the significance of the ordinary and the overlooked.

The longer one lingers with the works in “Mundane,” the more this relational dimension becomes apparent, drawing the viewer into the act of looking itself.

As John Berger notes in “Ways of Seeing,” images are not passive surfaces but participate in a shared field of looking, where what is seen carries traces of the act of seeing, suggesting a reciprocity in which seeing and being seen are intertwined.

This reciprocal dynamic of looking ultimately transforms “Mundane” into an exercise in attentiveness, prompting viewers to slow down and engage more deliberately with the world before them.

The exhibition illuminates how acts of observation can uncover the richness and significance latent within everyday experience.