University of the Philippines' "Uplift" scuplture have reached headlines last year, 2017 due to some plagiarism allegations. Even before the UP Female Oblation or "Uplift" could be formally installed, there has been many reactions from people who took to social media about its resemblance to The Virgins of Apeldoorn which was made by the Dutch artist Elisabet Stienstra.
.jpeg)
With such similarity, this could tamper Cacnio’s artistic integrity with alleged plagiarism. Infringement of copyright or plagiarism is defined as using someone else's ideas or idea without giving them such credit.
THE VIRGINS OF APELDOORN
The husband of Elisabet Stienstra was quick to question Mr. Cacnio's work and addressed it through Facebook.
“Hello. I am Elisabet Stienstra's husband. Elisabet doesn't do Facebook herself. She [Elisabet Stienstra] would like it to be known however that she sees Mr. Cacnio’s sculpture as plagiarism. The principle of her work (made in 2001) is to use sculptural conventions to suggest weightlessness. Mr. Cacnio’s sculpture does not only imitate her idea in general terms, but also in specific terms: the long hanging hair, the falling-back head, the outstretched arms, the outstretched body. The similarities are too evident to be coincidental. Plagiarism is still plagiarism even if a few details have been altered”.
Image Source
“The Virgins of Apeldoorn” was installed last 2001 at the Netherlands by Elisabet Stienstra. It is a series of three girl statues that appears to be floating and is made up of bronze.
UP FEMALE OBLATION - UPLIFT
Ferdinand Cacnio who is an engineering/psychology student at the University of the Philippines denies it's a copy. In his defense, he's never been to The Netherlands neither had he heard that the work of Elisabet's The Virgins of Apeldoorn exists. He claims that his work - "UPLIFT" is entirely original.
So, what do think? Was UP's "Uplift" a plagiarism of Elisabet Stienstra's "The Virgins of Apeldoorn"? Share me your thoughts in the comment section below ^_^
References:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/518899188300435385/
http://www.interaksyon.com/watch-uplift-the-sculpture-at-up-that-more-than-makes-heads-turn/
https://www.topnewsphil.com/husband-of-the-artist-made-the-virgins-of-apeldoorn-says-that-the-artist-behind-the-up-female-oblation-plagiarized-their-sculpture/
https://www.thevolatilian.com/verdict-in-suspension/
Oh it looks similar
Hello! I'd like to share my thoughts on this one. Haha As an alumna of the university, overall, I'm not entirely smitten by the artwork or the idea of having a female version of the oblation since it drew a line between men and women in the university that actively campaigns for gender equality. What reached my perspective is that this female oblation with her hair on the ground and the rest of her whole being being raised upward implies that females need to give their everything - body and all - to claim that they have done their share on service; and honor and excellence unlike Oble who only had his head held high and arms open.
As for plagiarism, it's possible that the artist's claims are true. Geographically speaking, the Netherlands is very far from the Philippines. And The Virgins of Apeldoorn is not that well-known, at least not to me. So probably, there is just some coincidence since UPLIFT is also based on Oble, just horizontal.
Honestly, I would also like to be enlightened on this one. Just my 2 cents worth. 😉
Hello saiyanide :) Here's my thought on this one, when it comes to geographical setting, yes The Netherlands is far from the Philippines however, The Virgins of Apeldoorn has been on the internet for years and is very accessible to research on. At first glance one could tell their similarities however, despite these similarities both have very distinct meaning. “Uplift” was constructed to give honor and excellence to UP and promote women equity as it appears to be levitating. On the other hand, “The Virgins of Apeldoorn” represents innocence as there are 3 floating virgins covered with clothing. So yes, (on my opinion) both are different and not copies of one another.
I would also like to emphasize that just because it is alleged it doesn't directly mean plagiarism happened. It is up to UP Diliman to judge whether it is indeed a plagiarism or purely coincidental. Thank you for sharing me your thoughts. 😉
Hehe It could be available on the internet for years. Yes, but one cannot simply think and google The Virgins of Apeldoorn if they dont know that what they are looking for is actually The Virgins of Apeldoorn. Get what I mean? Hehe unless the same photo would appear if you google 'statues of women horizontally levitating' or something like that. Anyway, I think we arrived to the same conclusion though.
And I think UP Dil has made its judgement since the artwork was allowed installation in the campus. 😁👍
This is very interesting topic. Now I'm curious about this. Will research more I guess. Hahaha