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What does world-renowned sculptor
Ramon Orlina have to do with Philippine basketball, or the simply
the sport, for that matter? The answer measures 1-meter high in
24-carat gold.
In October
2006, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) posed the
challenge to Orlina to design and execute the first PBA Philippine
Cup Conference Perpetual Trophy. And after three months of arduous
conceptualization and work, the artist rose to the occasion by
producing the cup that is indeed designed to be coveted.
Because it is
a “perpetual trophy,” the work of art will be passed on like a
torch and surrendered like a crown from the previous year’s
champions to the present hard court heroes. And the only way a
basketball team can whisk away the prized award for good is if they
win for three consecutive years.
The ease with
which Orlina designed the perpetual trophy can be traced back to the
year 2000 when he won the First Prize in the Sculpture Category of
the 2nd International Biennial of Basketball in the Arts in Madrid,
Spain.
His latest
piece for the realm of sports resonates the Filipino team spirit,
athletic endurance and fair play. Overall, the trophy encapsulates
the nation’s first love when it comes to sports—basketball.
A 24-carat
gold-plated frame stands as the ring, and acts as a support for the
orb, which is enclosed in a 24-carat gold-plated sphere that
reflects the spiraling steel design on its surface, evoking the
grooves of a basketball from all angles. Perfectly afloat at the
center is the optical illusion of a golden basketball—the object
of aspiration of any competitor.
This global
yet proudly Filipino trophy has distinct local elements such as the
net underneath the ring, comprised of eight panels with four designs
reflecting their counterparts on the other side. It is made of brass
and also fully gold-plated on either side. Reminiscent of the
intricately crafted pastillas de leche wrappings, its patterns
depict the Pinoy basketball hero in action—dribbling, dunking,
eye-on-the-prize and flying high. Indeed, the sweetness of
hard-earned victory can be likened to that little rolled-up native
delicacy.
At the base is
a vast span of stainless steel—awaiting the record of basketball
team legends to be engraved on it for seasons to come.
Like a true
victor’s game, everything is decidedly polished: Stainless steel
will not tarnish, and gold plate will last for years. In the spirit
of Orlina’s trademark mirror effect, even without glass,
everything reflects on the sparkling exteriors purposefully.
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