What a novel idea!

Some of you may remember my Vandalizing Victoria series, and how DeviantArt decided to take my series off my DA account due to Copyright Violation. Today, I had an epiphany as to how I could continue doing similar work that not only would get me some hits, but would also be completely legal (I think).

Not too long ago, while my friends and I were at some club in Hollywood, I was in the middle of this packed cooridor, trying to take a picture of my friends. With my LX3 strapped to my hands, people around saw my proper-looking camera and assumed I was the club photographer. Suddenly, girls from left and right were pulling me towards their direction, asking me to take their picture for "the website". Thus, the "Fake Club Photographer" game was born. I would go around clubs, asking groups of people to take a picture of them, and if I came in with enough swag, they would ask me to join them, which would later lead me into introducing myself to the ladies of the group. Also, it's a great wing-man technique, as I could have a friend pose like he's a promoter or some rising-celebrity and tell people "I need pictures of him with the public..." The rest is up to him to make up his story....

One time playing this game, people started asking me for "my card", so they can "see their picture." Typically I just give people a bullshit website name and they're satisfied. But that got me thinking... what if I actually posted their picture on this blog? But then, why would I do that? The Bathala Project is my art site, focusing on Filipino-American life and the revival and proliferation of the Filipino writing system, Baybayin (aka Alibata). How could I justify taking pictures of drunk Hollywood girls and posting them on The Bathala Project?

Then I started thinking about my copyright violation notice for my Vandalizing Victoria series, and hit me: Because the people at the clubs are GIVING me consent to take their picture, therefore, the picture is MINE to use and manipulate. That's how paparazzi make their money. This is how I will get my UPS. Also, since the experienced club-goers know to ask for a photographer's business card, I could give them my own business card, leading them to The Bathala Project where they can find Baybayin-stylized pictures of themselves!

Sad part is, for fear of slander, liebel and defamation, I'd have to draw "nice and complementing" words on them, unlike the Vandalizing Victoria series where I would write shit like "I'm fucking ugly" or "I'm stupid and skinny" all over them. But whatever. With the increased traffic, I can quickly get Baybayin some major ups in the local Hollywood/club community. A little bit of Guerilla Marketing just might be what the Baybayin and Filipino Cultural community needed...

2009 is MINE.
Bitches.

What a novel idea!

And so the fun continues...

Free swag in the mail today:



Fuel for the fire.

And so the fun continues...

For the ladies...

Real talk.

Yet again she has a revelation today
With a bright new perspective on all that may//
Saying that her old self is dead and gone away
Yet it isn’t the first time I’ve heard her say//
Dead & gone away, cause it’s just for the day
till tomorrow the sorrows come back to stay//
So we stray into the night, under the glowing lights
She hope the liquor drown her quicker than the tears in her eyes//
She’s burned many bridges built by her guilt in disguise
Extinguished by the rivers that she cried into the skies//
But she’ll lie to herself, and take a look at her life
And she refuses to see, though it’s all in plain sight//
That her definition of happiness isn’t making her smile
But she tries to make it fit ‘cause it’s what’s currently in style//
She walk a mile in shoes that she know she don’t like
But it’s what her friends do to strut their stuff to guys//
Behind her eyes is a girl that’s screaming inside
But she’s supposed to be happy with her current way of life//
She’s expected to be perfected, or at least be fine with it
So every revelation she has is just a new lie she’ll try to give-//
To herself and to her loved ones to show that’s she’s fine
Cause after lying to herself for so long, she lives the lie//
And it would all work so well if only the girl inside
Wasn’t screaming for truth behind her silent eyes//

For the ladies...

Splatter

Bahala Na...

Negative space has always intrigued me. Like using white calligraphy against black paper, something about the inversion of the expected seems attractive and alluring... like unwrapping a present; each tear is a glimpse of the total package, while at the same time each tear is revealing less of the wrapping paper.

Bahala Na, written in my original hand style. The letters themselves is for a little English girl's tattoo that I'll soon prep the letters better for presentation. BaHaLa Na, which contains 4 Baybayin characters, were designed especially for her such that each character is designed with another character within for each syllable of her name... More on this later.

"Killin yall on this Baybayin shit, mayonaise colored benz, I push Mircale Whips..."

Splatter

My President is (half) Black

Jay killin the same damn verse and still rockin the crowd off the Richter:

Jay-Z My President is black Remix LIVE 1-18-09 from pleasedontstare on Vimeo.

Let's just hope he can do the country some good. Good luck Mr. Obama.

My President is (half) Black

Copyright Violation, eh?

"There's nothing new under the sun" ~Nas

Arite Deviant Art, I get that you're pissed that I used pictures from a Victoria Secret catalog to ruthlessly deface them for my fun and leisure, but really, if I'm not profiting off of it, where's the harm?

1. Victoria Secret gets some shine
2. So do I
3. If money changes hands, it's probably them that gets dough for prissy bitches coppin their bikinis. Shit, I even left the bikini descriptions on the scans!

But I understand the copyright law and all that bullshit. So it is what it is. I'll graciously take the loss, 'cause I know if Victoria Secret gets in that ass of yours, it won't be bikinis and bitches for ya... but I'll be laughing my ass off while it happens.

And Victoria Secret, get over yourselves. You put this bullshit in everybody's mailboxes this time of year, and you expect everybody and their grandmother to love your shiny new catalogs like it'll save their lives?

If anything, I'M doing the favor here; writing outlandish statements on airbrushed models that women around their world become imposed by with insecurities that are reinforced by a commercialized vision of "beauty". For me, by scrawling "I'm fucking ugly" on a bikini model is the biggest joke of all that anyone can enjoy. Chin check the punchline to ya dome!

Shieeet... yall make me wanna vandalize somethin.

Copyright Violation, eh?

Vandalizing Victoria

Without the luxury of having hundreds of young, beautiful, and willing models to strip their clothes off for me to paint Tagalog phrases in Baybayin on their bodies, I decided to do the next best thing: Draw on pictures of young, beautiful, and overly paid models in a Victoria's Secret swim suit catalog. Click on any picture for full view.


This actually turned out for the better, because I could write the most outlandish things on them, and they wouldn't flinch a bit.



The following sums up the experience of it all:


One person said, "That's mean."
In between my laughs and chuckles I replied, "I know, right?"

The "Vandalizing Victoria" series, part 1.
No copyright infringement was intended. No profit is being made; just a lot of laughs and entertainment.

Vandalizing Victoria

"Mahal"

In Tagalog (the main dialect of the Philippines), the word for "love" and "expensive" are the same word: "mahal"




Stock photos taken from Stock.xchng and some porno... I think it's called "Ass Love 3" or something...

"Mahal"

Bahala Na...

Be careful. Take caution. God be with you. Lord bless you. Though there still isn't a single definite translation for the Pilipino phrase, "Bahala na", the point makes its way.




Bahala na...

Bahala Na...

Two-Thousand-Mine

End of the year projects:





This year will be quite interesting. I'm on my way to make a name for myself in the world of Baybayin/Alibata writing and art. I'm coming in swinging HARD, and what I lack in fundamentals I'll make up for with ingenuity and balls. Fuck you kids doing your simple one-color canvas Baybayin canvases, 'cause my tags are iller than your pieces.

Two-Thousand-Mine

Finally...

Cyph's Mothaf*ckin Art Diary - My First Mural from cyphaflip on Vimeo.

Finally...

Quick Note on Writing Baybayin...

Quick Note on Writing Baybayin/Alibata from cyphaflip on Vimeo.

Quick Note on Writing Baybayin...

New Additions

Somewhere in Los Angeles...

New Additions

John Baybayin

For the cuzzie J.B.

Acrylic and spray paint.
Check the link for details.

John Baybayin

Almost there...

Somewhere in Los Angeles...






Lesson learned: Spray paint doesn't dry well during humid conditions.

Almost there...

Creative Recreation

Somewhere in Los Angeles...









To be continued...

Creative Recreation

"KLeG" (Craig)

Ideas on paper

Visualizing concepts

Laying the foundation

Details of foundation

The meat

The garnish

The trimmings

The main course

Happy birthday, Craig.
Acrylic, spray paint and paint markers on canvas.
My personally modified Alibata writing system depicted.
Biters shall be eaten.

~cyph WIC~

"KLeG" (Craig)

Tenk da lord!

Roughly 3 hours of Photoshop fun later...

1 down, 13 to go... :-/

Tenk da lord!

Permanent ink

Coming soon...
















It's weird... designing something that's going to be permanently inked on a person's flesh. Scary. Exciting.

Permanent ink

DVD Review: Monaco Nights

Rappers have hood movies, Rockers have tour movies, Skaters have skate vids, Snowboarders have snowboard vids, and Graffiti Writers... have graff flicks.

When I watch a graff flick, I'm looking to see footage of live bombing (proliferation of one's moniker via marking or etching onto a well seen medium) specifically. I'm looking to see how they get to their spots, what kind of paint they use, their can control, their paint process (outline color first? fill-in color first?), how fast they paint, their handstyle... really, I'm looking to vicariously live through their actions, and watch and feel the raw sense of urgency, immediacy and accuracy.

With that said, Monaco Nights, a European Graffiti flick is... lacking. Very. What you can expect to see are videos of LOOKING AT (subway) trains with graffiti ON them already, via a shaky camera hand. Monaco Nights plays like this:

• 20 minutes of looking at bombed trains
• 5 minutes of painting on/in trains
• repeat.

So, if you're like me and all you really want to see is bombing footage, then don't get your hopes up, and pass on this DVD. Also, for my American writers, this DVD may not interest you since ALL GRAFF on this DVD are on/in euro-subway cars. There is NO footage of highways, freeways, streets, alleys, heaven spots, billboards, or extinguisher tags, which the American graff scene is known for. Also, unlike American graff flicks, don't expect to see any random footage of naked strippers/hookers, public pranks, or street fights either.

However, the plus side: Though Monaco Nights really is a glorified graffiti SLIDE SHOW, you can expect to see great quality masterpieces at all times. Displaying a variety of European piecing styles, accompanied with a constant soundtrack of euro-electronica-fusion music, this DVD is pretty good for background music/visuals while you chill with your friends. I'd probably play this on the PS3 during a bbq kickback or while playing cards/Connect4 with the homies...

When it's all said and done, Monaco Nights delivers good visuals, shaky camera work, interesting bombing vids (though they are few and far in between), good constant soundtrack, and is perfect for those that LOVE LOVE LOVE LOOKING at train graff. But really, you could probably go to a railroad crossing and listen to your ipod and get the same effect.

5/10

DVD Review: Monaco Nights