Stars alone cannot drive away the vast darkness of the cosmos, but their faint glow endures, illuminating each of their spaces. And when they gather, they form constellations–patterns that guide and inspire, they’re a midnight serenade for the lost and the dreamers. Balatik–a word shared by several Indigenous Filipinos to describe the Orion constellation–stood as a symbol of resilience and harvest, a steadfast light that guided generations through the night.

This space is our shared night sky, where each of us carries both the fragility and brightness of a star. From the reverberating calls from the first wondering to the unspoken of the present. Alone we may be scattered and unseen in the vast darkness, but binding together our own light, we form Balatik–a beacon that promises that we will never be lost in the darkness.