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\nBillboards today are taking a whole other dimension. And this 3D anamorphic work of installation art by Elmer Borlongan is no exception.
It\u2019s the first billboard of its kind in the country that features \u201cart for art\u2019s sake,\u201d with no commercial strings attached.
In the moving image, the artist\u2019s character stands against a backdrop of blue skies, passing clouds, lush fields, and mountain ranges. His character releases three sparrows from his outstretched palms. The birds circle and multiply, growing in number. The figure moves into a powerful stance as a sparrow rushes toward the viewer, seemingly beyond the screen before it fades to black.
Launched in August, this billboard featuring Borlongan\u2019s art commemorates and celebrates the 12th year of the VLink Robinsons Galleria 3-Panel LED Billboard, a pioneering site in partnership between VLink and Robinsons Land Corporation. The installation art encompasses a message of gratitude through artistic innovation.
You might have seen some of the out-of-home advertising company\u2019s billboards before. Besides the interactive 3-Panel LED at Robinsons Galleria, VLink also built and operates the largest two-way static billboard in the Philippines (628 feet wide, 68 feet high). This panoramic colossus has become a sight to behold on the Skyway 3 SLEX-NLEX Connector. The company also operates those ubiquitous indoor interactive kiosks throughout the city.
The milestone project of VLink features art not for commercial purposes or for a promotion of a product, but for art\u2019s sake\u2014to move, to spur, and to inspire passengers on their daily commute.<\/p>\n

Elmer Borlongan is a prominent Filipino painter, perhaps best known for his distinctive stylized, bald figures with large eyes and long limbs. He works through themes with social realist commentary. In the \u201980s, he contributed to the social realism movement with the Salingpusa and Sanggawa artist groups.
A recipient of the 1994 CCP 13 Artist Award, his work has found its way to the Malaca\u00f1ang Palace and major collections abroad. For this particular collaboration with VLink, he features a work found in the Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo, \u201cThe Circle Game.\u201d
The artist recounts a personal experience on his farm in Zambales. \u201cI chanced upon a flock of sparrows circling in between two big mango trees. The birds did not feel threatened as I approached them. I stood there, and they comfortably circled around me. What an exhilarating experience! Living in the countryside and being surrounded by nature gives me so much joy.\u201d
The title \u201cThe Circle Game\u201d seems to echo Joni Mitchell\u2019s famous song, which reflects on the cyclical nature of life. Similarly, Borlongan\u2019s work captures a moment of natural harmony, with birds circling in an eternal dance, mirroring the cycle of seasons Mitchell sings about, and prompting viewers to pause and reflect on their own place in life\u2019s greater circles, with the same emotions of ecstasy, elation, and calm that nature provides.<\/p>\n

The billboard project was initiated back in February 2023. VLink\u2019s COO, Andrew Tung Borlongan, is also a long-time collector of Philippine contemporary art and saw an opportunity to innovate.
\u201cI realized that in the Philippines, we do have quite a bit of installation art, but not so much in the digital space,\u201d Andrew explains. \u201cMoreover, we do have 3D billboard ads, but it\u2019s usually to launch an ad campaign. So I came back to my roots as an art enthusiast.\u201d
The project utilizes anamorphic or naked-eye technology, a centuries-old visual technique reimagined for the digital age. This optical illusion creates a 3D effect without special glasses, playing with perspective to make images appear to leap from the screen.
VLink\u2019s team meticulously studied the billboard\u2019s physical angle, adjusting and rendering Borlongan\u2019s artwork to ensure depth and structure from all viewing angles. Andrew notes, \u201cEven the texture and the brushstrokes of the character you can see.\u201d
Working with a talented team of animators, the process was equally rigorous. \u201cWe made sure it uses really high-quality animation, fitting of Elmer\u2019s caliber, because he himself is a skilled watercolorist, oil painter, and even as a printmaker, and he makes sure he learns the process and executes it masterfully,\u201d Andrew emphasizes. \u201cFor this [the billboard animation], nothing is half-baked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew approached his second cousin Elmer with the idea. \u201cWe are second cousins, but he\u2019s always been like a big brother to me,\u201d Andrew shares. He pitched the billboard concept to Elmer: \u201cWhat do you think if we make one of your iconic characters translate into the big screen outdoors?\u201d
The artist\u2019s positive response led to careful consideration of the billboard\u2019s purpose. \u201cWhat can it actually say if it is not selling a product?\u2026 There has been a lot happening in our country, and we wanted to send a message\u2014we should be proud of who we are as Filipinos, first and foremost, who love our country, and at the same time, are stewards of our environment,\u201d Andrew explains.
This project also serves as a gesture of gratitude. \u201cIt\u2019s also our way to give back to our site on Robinsons Galleria at the corner of EDSA and Ortigas Avenue,\u201d Andrew notes.
\u201cWe wanted to give back and elevate the site into something more than just selling ads\u2026 What if the site can stand for something and be a reminder and inspiration to Filipinos, or, more specifically, the people who are passing by that main thoroughfare everyday?\u201d
The location, visible to daily commuters and overseas Filipino workers visiting the nearby POEA office, was chosen to inspire and uplift.
Andrew concludes with heartfelt appreciation: \u201cPersonally, I would like to thank Elmer Borlongan, my partners and colleagues at VLink. To work with each and every one in the team has been a blessing.\u201d
Elmer Borlongan\u2019s digital art installation located on the VLink panels at Robinsons Galleria (EDSA-Ortigas intersection) plays every five minutes in an hour and will run perpetually.<\/p>\n