A sculpture created by Filipino artist Impy Pilapil to evoke the experience of flying with Singapore Airlines has begun a new chapter, this time inside the Singapore Embassy in Manila.
Titled Flight, the original sculpture was commissioned by Singapore Airlines in 2015 and displayed for nearly a decade at the airline's SilverKris Lounge at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. Singapore Airlines has now gifted the artwork to the Embassy as part of its celebration of 60 years of operations in the Philippines.
The move also brings Flight together with three other Pilapil sculptures already housed at the Embassy, creating an unexpected reunion of the artist's work.
Why was Flight moved from the airport to the Singapore Embassy?
For years, Flight formed part of the experience for passengers passing through Singapore Airlines' SilverKris Lounge.
Pilapil created the work specifically to reflect the experience of flying with SIA. Its original setting was fitting: an airport lounge is a place associated with movement, departure, arrival and the anticipation of travel.
After around a decade at the lounge, Singapore Airlines decided that the sculpture deserved a new setting.
The Singapore Embassy offered a particularly meaningful destination because three other works by Pilapil were already part of its collection.
The turnover ceremony at the Embassy in Bonifacio Global City brought together Pilapil, Singapore Ambassador to the Philippines Constance See and Singapore Airlines Philippines General Manager Liwei Tai.
Rather than simply moving an artwork from one building to another, the occasion effectively reunited four pieces by a Filipino artist whose work has long been connected with Singapore.
How did Impy Pilapil’s Flight begin?
Singapore Airlines commissioned Flight in 2015 as an original artwork inspired by the experience of traveling with the airline.
At the time, the sculpture was installed at the SilverKris Lounge in Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, where it became a familiar visual element for passengers preparing to fly.
Its new location changes the context.
At an airport, Flight was encountered by travelers in transit. At the Singapore Embassy, it becomes part of a broader cultural setting, alongside other works by Pilapil and within a diplomatic space.
That shift gives the sculpture a different meaning without changing the artwork itself.
Why are there already three Impy Pilapil sculptures at the Embassy?
The Singapore Embassy's connection with Pilapil goes back years.
When the Embassy's Manila building opened in 2008, three of the artist's sculptures were installed there. The addition of Flight means that four of her original works are now together at the Embassy.
For Pilapil, seeing the pieces reunited has personal significance.
She described the four works as creating a more cohesive artistic dialogue, with themes of movement, connection and crossing physical boundaries reflected in the new arrangement.
The artist also expressed her affection for Singapore and happiness that her work would remain in a place connected with the country she has long admired.
What makes Impy Pilapil’s art distinctive?
Pilapil is known for working across a range of materials, including stone, glass, steel, wood and paper.
Her work explores ideas such as nature, harmony, tranquillity and community. Her sculptures and other works have been exhibited in the Philippines and internationally, including in Singapore, Japan, Australia, Italy and the United States.
That range of materials and settings makes her work particularly suited to spaces where art can serve as more than decoration.
In the case of Flight, the artwork was created for an environment centered on travel. Its new home places it within a setting where art can also represent cultural relationships.
How does art reflect Philippine-Singapore relations?
The story behind Flight is also part of a larger relationship between the two countries.
Singapore Airlines' six decades of operations in the Philippines have connected travelers, businesses and communities between the two countries. The airline's anniversary therefore provides a natural opportunity to look beyond aviation and at the cultural relationships that have developed alongside it.
For Singapore Ambassador Constance See, the presence of Filipino artworks at the Embassy reflects that cultural connection.
The Embassy's decision to continue displaying Pilapil's work also highlights the role Filipino artists can play in representing the Philippines in international spaces.
Art can communicate aspects of a country's identity in ways that official meetings and diplomatic documents cannot always capture.
A new chapter for a familiar artwork
There is something fitting about Flight moving from an airport to an embassy.
The sculpture was originally created around the idea of travel and movement. Its new home places it in a setting associated with relationships between countries and people.
That makes its journey more than a change of location.
For Singapore Airlines, the gift marks 60 years of serving the Philippines. For the Singapore Embassy, it adds another Filipino artwork to a collection already connected to the artist. And for Pilapil, it brings four of her sculptures together under one roof.
After spending years welcoming travelers at an airport, Flight now has a different role: quietly representing movement, connection and the creative ties between Singapore and the Philippines.
The Art of Travel
Airports have long been places where art and design intersect with the travel experience. From sculptures in terminals to commissioned installations in lounges, artworks can give otherwise functional spaces a sense of identity and place.
Flight offers a particularly personal example. Its original audience encountered the work while preparing to leave the Philippines. Its new audience encounters it within an Embassy representing another country.
In both settings, the central idea remains the same: art can help make connections that extend beyond physical borders.