Translation Tuesday: Twin (Kambal)

This week's Translation Tuesday is quite different. It's been a while since I did a walkthrough-video of myself creating a Baybayin art piece, so when a client called in to render the word "Kambal" (Twin) into a Baybayin piece, I thought to kill two birds with one stone...



Props to my brother in rhyme, Stimey, for assisting with the videography! So, here's the text: According to Filipino mythology, the supreme being Bathala one day sent a lightning bolt to strike the largest bamboo plant on earth. This split bamboo plant gave two beings, the first man and first woman. The man was named "Malakas" (strong) and the woman "Maganda" (beautiful). I always thought that this symmetery and close relation with god, earth, nature, spirituality and this overall harmony in the Filipino creation story was quite interesting. The idea of natural compliments is the essence of the balanced equations that ties all sciences and theories together. So what about life? What about emotion? These questions are raised in this 24" x 36" poster...

The bamboo, representing the whole idea of Filipino spirituality finding compliments and harmony in nature are represented by the symmetrical patterns around the border, and the two large bamboo poles. Complimenting hues, orange and blue, are each tinting half of the poster. In the middle however, is a hodge podge of colors. I always felt that visually, colors can represent so much simply because there are so many depths to interpret, much like emotion. So, I wanted each dash of color to represent an emotion, and the essence of this ball of emotions is a soul. But if everything truly IS complimentary, and everything essentially has a twin, what is a twin to a soul? A soul mate? A kindred spirit? A best friend? I don't personally know, but whatever they call it, "Kambal" (Twin) seems to be one of those names by which we call such a beautiful pair. On the Baybayin characters I included repetitious strokes to further resonate the idea of "twin". And lastly, the characters in red, which as a color has historically been used for either love or war. Many poets have compared and contrasted the two, but they indeed compliment each other regardless of their extreme outcomes...

Perhaps we're on this planet to find our twin? Our soul mate? Our optimal genetic match? Surely, if the universe is self complimenting with matter to antimatter, 0 to 1, on to off, then perhaps it is our mission/destiny/fate to search for our twin. But to realize our choice as to who our twin is would be a lifelong adventure. If you're lucky enough to actually identify who your twin is, then love with loyalty and leave with honor.

Stay up,

Cyph

Translation Tuesday: Twin (Kambal)