Been RIDICULOUSLY busy this month! Haven't even had the time to post up the pics from SCPASA yet, and in a couple of hours I'll be flying out to Indiana for the MAFA conference! But I PROMISE you all, I'll have some sweet eye candy and that Baybayin stylin' you all know and love for you all soon.
Finally finished a draft version of my first Baybayin font last night/early morning. I'm quite excited to reveal it to you all soon, after I get some critique and polish it up a bit! Here's a sneak peak:
The font was modeled to compliment the capital characters of the font, Futura Book, following the angles, line weights, and counter spacing. The FIRST people to see this will be all workshop attendees at tomorrow's (Saturday) SCPASA workshop! I'll be facilitating a Baybayin workshop/lecture sessions 2 and 3 at USC. Click on the flyer for full details:
Apologies for not having updated in a while; this month has been RIDICULOUSLY busy, and unfortunately I can't even tell you some of the reasons why... yet... but just know that everything is moving.
Now for the main point. IF YOU'RE IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA or plan to be this weekend, you can catch me live at the SCPASA conference at USC, facilitating my classic Baybayin Writer's workshop! Click here for more info
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. day! A year or two back, the illest hiphop vlogger on the planet, JSmooththe Illdoctrine, chimed in on a couple of MLK's knowledge droppings. Check:
A late Translation Tuesday due to Youtube hating on a brotha... but anyways, happy new year! In this week's special first-of-the-year episode, I bring to you another translation and art-making episode! Today we translate "2010", which in Tagalog reads, "Dalawang Libo't Sampu"; the word "Taon" (Years) is added after to denote years. The reason why 2010 gets translated is because Christian Cabuay, who runs many of the google-popular Baybayin websites, opened the first Baybayin online art gallery, featuring many of your favorite Baybayin artists that you know and love:
As you can see from the flyer, the theme for the very first online gallery is "2010"; how one interprets 2010, and what one expects of it. So, taking a step back from design-communication, I thought I'd take a crack at fine art interpretation...
Essentially, I've experienced a rapid growth of the Baybayin community within the last year; Baybayin writers coming together, acknowledging each other, collaborating, and the word is spreading quickly. Sure, it's still (for lack of a better term) "underground" for now, but we're quickly expanding. I think that in this new decade, the Baybayin community will only grow faster, and essentially begin to blossom:
The Baybayin characters, which spell out "2010" (Dalawang Libo't Sampu) are spread out like roots and vines; extensions are drawn out of them, like leaves and branches extending and reaching out. I illustrated Sampaguita flowers (the national flower of the Philippines) to express my idea of the Baybayin community "blossoming" all about. Also, I wanted this printed piece to resemble a vintage print poster. I'm thinking, a Victorian-era retro Asian poster print. The reason why is because I always thought of Baybayin art as immediately becoming anachronistic once someone brings it into any time frame context outside of it's own, since it is an ancient writing system. Asia has been of the early adapters of poster printing, and I wanted to resonate that look in it's modern-day message; a play on the times, a decade's blossom.
Stay up,
Cyph
P.S. As seen in the end of the video, this piece was made for print. 11x14 prints WILL BE AVAILABLE only at the upcoming Baybayin Art gallery exhibition in February...
Late last year I redesigned my logo to the circular-form:
The idea was to resonate a familiar geometry, the circle, to complement the mostly-unfamiliar Baybayin script. However, as I further self-criticized the logo, I came up with the following faults:
1. The circular form heavily distorts the characters 2. The line weights weren't heavy enough to compliment a more even negative-space to line ratio 3. The counter spacing was rather uneven in contrast to each character 4. Because of the above reasons, at very small scale, too much detail gets lost
So, addressing these issues, I switched up the geometry to a square, which doesn't distort the characters as much, and evened out both line weight and counter spacing. Aaaand voila:
The idea was taken from ancient Chinese seal stamps, which were usually fashioned in square/rectangular forms, since the characters themselves are rather blocky within their confines. The border line pays tribute to this, resembling an inked line. The characters themselves are monoweight and rounded to emphasize modernity within its approach. Even at small scale, the characters are still distinguishable (to me at least):
And there ya go. Any comments and constructive critiques are very much welcome.
2010. It'll be bananas I'm sure! Quite excited about the adventures that I'll be having with the Baybayin movement/community. Last year of this time I was just getting my feet wet with scribbles and random acts of Baybayin vandalism. Now I'm knee deep and am about to make a cannon-ball splash onto the Baybayin and graphic design scene.
A late Spoken Word Sunday upload, this week's episode features the homie Helio aka Intelect (yes, that's one L) spitting and politickin. Intelect describes his style as "Immortal Technique content with a Tech-Nine influenced delivery." Word up.
Welcome to the last Translation Tuesday episode of the year! My, what a journey 2009 has been... to compare my entire mindset, attitude, and Baybayin style in January to now, it's night and day! I learned alot, built with many people, and 2010 is only going to be bigger and better!
But first thing's first. Today's Translation Tuesday episode addresses how to achieve the "Ch-" sound, such as in "Chuck" or "Peaches"...
Again, thank you to all that have made 2009 so memorable and have supported the Baybayin movement! 2010, WE GOT THIS!
In this day and age of self awareness regarding consumerism, the echoes of colonization through Christianity, and general ideals that oppose the face value of Christmas, I can't help but still feel happy about the holiday season. I guess I can blame it on all on the great Christmas' that my parents could have afforded both my sister and I as children. I can blame it on the unity that my family had to congregate with the cousins and our ability to get along with each other, play, and give gifts. I can blame it on how much my family cares for one another with genuine smiles and cries.
But I am aware that it ain't all good in the hood. I know there are broken families that make being with them intolerable around this time of the year. I know there are people with no families to confide with throughout the whole year. I know there are those who can't afford to be a participant of the heightened consumerism culture for the holidays.
But I see you, brothers and sisters. I know you're there. For some, Christmas is the worse time of the year because it reminds them of what they don't have, much like Valentines is the worse for some because it reminds them of WHO they don't have. But stay strong, my brothers and sisters. You don't have to have a happy holiday just to be HAPPY. You're alive and breathing, and hopefully eating. I see you and I'm with you.
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.
Be sure to follow The Bathala Project on either Twitter or Facebook for your chance to win a very special FREE SWAG THURSDAY prize: The Baybayin Christmas Card - Magellan's stocking
What you see is poor old Magellan, finding a lump of naughty coal in his Christmas stocking. Above him reads "Maligayang Pasko!" which is Merry Christmas! in Tagalog, written in Baybayin (Nordenx's Baybayin Round font). The colorway of Magellan's garb was inspired by historical documents:
Sort of... So again, be sure to follow The Bathala Project on both Twitter and Facebook for your chance to win this 4"x6" Holiday card print!
No Translation Tuesday episode this week... but instead, will be a very special FREE-SWAG THURSDAY holiday give-away! So be sure to follow on either Twitter or Facebook for your chance to win some FREE Baybayin Stylin!
So, I know I've been rather quiet this past week, but that's because I spent the most of that week rushing to finish this video piece, "Under Pressure".
Music recorded, video edited, and motion designed all in 3 agonizing days by yours truly. Good looking out to my brother in rhyme, Stimey, for shooting the video! This piece was my first real project using Adobe After Effects, to see what I can get done using pre-edited video without green screen or track markers (or money). In three days too! THE POSSIBILITIES ARE THERE, AND THEY ARE NUMEROUS! I can't wait to start working on some Baybayin-incorporated motion work, as soon as I figure out an idea to display modern Baybayin in practical design application...
While I assess the Baybayin projects that I've lost, which ones I'll just drop anyways, and which ones I'll recreate, here's a non-Baybayin related piece I finished just before my hard drive crashed that I uploaded to my flickr. It's a photochop of me, smashing atoms the old fashioned way. Consider this my "I'm working on it" picture...
It's been said that the universe is always self-preserving, as is the nature of everything. So, when my harddrive crashed, taking along with it several projects that I didn't back up with it... I can only assume that whatever benefits I get out of this are going to be so grand and fantastic, it will make whatever I lost seem trivial in comparison...
But to my old operating system... it was hard to say goodbye, but I have to admit, Windows 7 is pretty damn sexy. So, my dearest XP, though we met long ago when I was a freshman in college and we shared many secrets, laughs, and cries together, this is an official farewell.
Spoken Word Sunday and Translation Tuesday will be on hold for a minute, as will other works; give me a second to regroup, and I'll get back at ya...
A great blog post written by Malaya Design on the modernization of Baybayin. Here's a snippet, but check out the whole post here.
Modifying, modernizing the Baybayin is a debated issue between some writers. Some don’t see a problem with using the Spanish modification by placing a + sign under a character to cancel out a vowel, but some do. It is both right and wrong at the same time, depending on who you are…yeah, it’s vague. I am a traditional practitioner that has evolved to include a variation of it by placing a kudlit above and below the character. I didn’t make it up, I saw it someplace and had an “error 404” episode.
Does that mean I condone the use of cancellation kudlits? Yes, to some extent, but I will not bastardize the writing system just because of an individuals ignorance. If anything, I hate seeing transliterations that are blatantly wrong because either the writer or the person wearing the script just didn’t take the time to research and ask questions. There is no “system restore” for this mishap.
And in case Wordpress gets wonky on me, here's the reply comment I (tried to) put up:
Very insightful and well put!
I do believe that modernization of Baybayin is the way to go, however, who would be responsible for doing so? Who should be held responsible to commit to the task of amending a writing system? The Baybayin artists? The tribesmen that still use an iteration of it? The Philippine government? College professors, academics and intellectuals? Consider a similar scenario in which the increasing Spanish-speaking population in America may one day deem it necessary to add the Enye (~n) letter to the American alphabet. Who would be responsible in doing so? And how would such an amendment be standardized throughout the country? Then how would this be distributed to the academic institutions? I suppose one can look at the politics behind the redefinition of Pluto no longer being a planet and being made into public intellect as a reference.
I understand that several Baybayin writers have tried to modernize the Baybayin script by adding new characters to express modern phonetics as well as reconfiguring the kudlits to become more expressive; however, I feel like most of these changes were done independently by the individual Baybayin writer thus becoming unlikely to be held as a standard. Without a cohesive agreement from the "Baybayin community", I think it would be difficult to bring forward a modern Baybayin character set if there are too many individual variations.
I think to successfully modernize Baybayin, several things must take place: First, a committee should be formed to discuss, debate, document and deliberate all Baybayin-related matters. By unifying efforts and collecting opinions, insights, and perspectives, macro-level changes of a writing system could have a stronger foundation to be built upon. Second, the 17 Basic character system should have it's character strokes finalized and standardized to be recognized by the Baybayin community; The problem with making changes to Baybayin I feel is that because of regional, stylistic and individual differences, it can be difficult to communicate the same idea when many are unsure if the character they're writing is founded on a standard character face. But once this has been defined, standardized, documented and distributed, I truly believe that modernization of Baybayin will be a much smoother, calculated and designed process.
As to what we do with this new Baybayin system is a discussion for another time...
~Cyph
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The future is now, it just needs to be thought out before it's implemented. Like the creative designer mantra goes, "Think more, design less."
Baybayin (aka Alibata) is an ancient script used by the native Filipinos, pre-dating Spanish Colonization. The Bathala Project utilizes this bold rhetoric in its artwork in an effort to proliferate the cultural knowledge and significance of this dead script... Among other things.
