Escape

Artist’s Name Joshua Ryan S. San Juan

Size 1920 x 1080 pixels

Medium Video

Year 2021

Leading to the exhibit are business challenges, graduate school deadlines, personal and health crises, and desperation from scrapped art pitches. This, along with the inquiry on “why” led the artist to run and escape the pressure and anxiety even for short afternoons.

Escape is a video art in a point of view (POV) of the escapist, the artist, featuring jog scenes from April to June 2021, remixed with superimposed clips of elements from work and school. It is partly a video documentation and an artistic expression of what is going through the mind of someone who runs to escape.

The artist-escapist breaks down the piece into important elements: the outdoors, strangers, the blankness of the mind, music, and sunset. The Outdoors, NIA road extension, is a physical escape. The lockdowns have been building up unease since March 2020 with loss opportunities for vacation, gatherings, and even idle moments in a café. The company of strangers is an escape from isolation. Other joggers, cyclists, vendors, policemen, dogs, cows, and once in a while, friends, and neighbors, by simply being there, gives comfort that the escapist is not alone. The blankness is an escape from stress, symbolized by the flash of whites and blackouts. It redirects focus on the jogging pace, breathing, and heartbeat. The playlist is an escape from the day-to-day concerns in work and school. The songs invite one to look deeper into life beyond the daily grind calling memories of the past and dreams of the future. Finally, sunset is an escape from overthinking and complication. The sunset requires no logic, no commentary, yet it is the most beautiful thing that one may see every day. It listens, it distracts, and reminds us that the world revolves and will move on as one should - but for now, the sunset asks us to escape, sit, and enjoy the view.

Songs in the video (in order of appearance):

Song: Bai

Artist: Paul Pablo

Producer: ℗ Pao Lofranco

Singer-Songwriter: © Paul Ramirez

Song: Bukod Tangi

Artist-Composer: Unique Salonga

Production House: O/C Records Studio, House of Billy Gaga Studio

Recorded by: Unique Salonga and Emil John Dela Rosa

Song: Ride Home

Artist: Ben&Ben

Producer: ℗ 2017 Warner Music Philippines

Composer, Lyricist: Miguel Benjamin G. Guico & Paolo Benjamin G. Guico

Song: Kilometer Zero

Artist: Ian Pangilinan

Producer: ℗2021 Juan Miguel Severo And Globe Telecom Inc.

Song: Iyong Iyo

Artist: Zack Tabudlo

Producer: © 2021 Island Records Philippines

All rights and credits go directly to the rightful owners of the music heard in the video. No part of this video is intended for commercial purposes. No copyright infringement intended.