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Rizaleo on Bamboo

27 May

As a follow up to my post this morning, I figured I would at least burn some Rizaleo on a pendant.  Definately something I need to work on to become more proficient.  With the additional characters and kudlits it’s not something I can just turn out like I would writing traditional Baybayin.

Like I mentioned, this is a project that I will be experimenting with and in no way am I saying that this is THE direction Baybayin should take, rather a direction it could take to modernize.  Is there more freedom by using this? Yes there is.  Can you use it to tranliterate non Filipino words?  Yes you can, but should you?  Hard to say but you could.  I can tell you that this could be controversial within the Baybayin community especially with those who are just starting to experience the Baybayin renaissance themselves.

It’s easy enough to sit and play armchair quarterback, criticize or even indirectly belittle an individuals efforts, but someone has to take the risk.  Someone has to put it out there for everyone.  It’s folks that take the risk that perhaps, help create the spark, to light the fire under passive Baybayin practitioners to help the script evolve.  I think there has been enough research and debate to modernize, take it to the next level and apply those proposed changes for practical use.  Practical use, that is ultimately what we all want right? Validity and adoption, right? Debating and showing off research is much like politics where it’s all talk and no action.  Should Baybayin stay pure? Or should it evolve? Ask the Mangyans, they seem to have had no problems making evolutionary change to their living script and I highly doubt it took the pulling of teeth to do it.

Again, to make it perfectly clear, in case anyone plans on trying to flame me for experimenting with Rizaleo, I am not in any way trying to impose that Baybayin should evolve following the Rizaleo method or variant.  For me it makes sense and it could be done this way.  No, I am not a Rizalista, my interest lies in the way dipthongs are handled, purely Baybayin based.  So while the debate and note comparisons continue, I’ll be here continuing my advocacy to teach and share my craft and my knowledge.  For those of you who have taken risk and may or may not have been shot down in flames, thank you, maraming salamat sa inyo.  I would not be here if it weren’t for you.

Gumagalang, Ray

 
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Posted by on May 27, 2011 in Artfully Speaking...kind of

 

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Aklat Sanayan Ng Abakadang Rizaleo…my Rizaleo Project

27 May

Ok, so I’ve been experimenting.  Actually, I’ve experimented with this back in 1999 in Sacramento, Ca. at a Festival setting.  There are actually pendants out there with this written on it.  Thoughts of modernizing Baybayin (alibata) has swirled in my head for a long time as well as in the minds of countless Baybayin artisans and practitioners.  I’ve never been adamantly opposed to modernizing it, I prefer to transliterate traditionally but I have become much more flexible as modifying the script has become more acceptable by the Baybayin community at large.  What I am most opposed to is the ease of novices to overlook and ignore traditional Baybayin as their introduction to the script…then turn around and tell me I’m writing it incorrectly, AS IF!.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, seen here http://malayadesigns.net/tag/rizaleo/, the Rizaleo version of a modern Baybayin is my candidate for consideration.  I know there are many other practitioners doing their research, experimenting with new found material and their efforts are commendable.  I hope to see more of their continued work.  The scans of the Rizaleo I have are the only things I have to work with, the book by Marius V. Diaz is out of print and I just can’t find one.  Interestingly, this is exactly how I was introduced to Baybayin in the first place, a xerox copy of a short article, a character set, and library hunting…now look at the trouble I got myself into.  Can any of you figure out what I wrote out? I’ve supplied what you need to decode.  Lastly, if any of you have a copy of this elusive book or have an extra copy, Father’s Day is coming up.

 
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Posted by on May 27, 2011 in My Craft

 

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Baybayin Artists Got Swag

17 Sep

Gotta love it when folks put in a request for original artwork to be used for body art.  This one reads “Nothing changes unless somebody asks.”

As most of you have noticed, Baybayin artisans have a distinct writing style.  A trademark style that sets them apart. No, I do not use fonts, nor do I use fonts as a base, then graphically manipulated.  However,  I do employ a graphic Wacom pen and tablet when creating artwork for individuals.

I am pretty much known for running my characters into one another, in either a calligraphy or bold stroke.  I tend to write different each time, depending on my mood, and what I am writing.  My writing has evolved over the years and I am constantly experimenting with different ways to write each character.  When I see Baybayin art on someone’s skin, I can usually identify who designed the artwork just by the writing style.  Most often however,  it’s going to be one of Paul Morrow’s Baybayin fonts.  In some rare cases, I’ve seen stuff that was lifted from one of my pendants.

Just because I use a pen and tablet for my work these days, that doesn’t mean I can’t or won’t create a more organic piece by hand.  I used to roll old school with an actual calligraphy pen or Sharpie, and a Xerox machine with reduction/enlarge features.  I haven’t done that in a long while but if that’s what you might be interested in, maybe I can do something on a napkin and send it to you.  Yes I have actually done this.

 
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Posted by on September 17, 2010 in My Craft

 

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My Craft feat. Narciza, Holgado

07 Sep

Baybayin individual client requests on Bamboo and Philippine Narra.  Man, I absolutely dig my craft.  Not very many folks do what I do and the few that can, can’t do it like this.  Aside from pyrographic aspect of my craft, it’s the complete process, that culminates in what  many have come to know as a Malaya Designs original.

There is nothing impersonal about what I do and the approach that I take to create.  The process is a journey in itself; the harvesting of bamboo, milling of the wood, cleaning, sanding, splitting, cutting, drilling, burning, stringing and beading.  I am in personal contact with each pendant, with each line I burn and each inscription I write.  Hopefully, folks get it by now.  It isn’t just making pendants, it’s a craft.

 
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Posted by on September 7, 2010 in My Craft

 

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The Circle of Baybayin: Connecting and Reconnecting

04 Sep

I’ve recited these words often enough to become a part of my mantra list. It’s right up there with “Think before you ink” and “Laser removal ain’t cheap”. Obviously I’m talking about Baybayin, specifically Baybayin body art, those sexy curvy characters that have helped define me as an artisan for 15 years and counting.

Over the years I’ve been commissioned to create artwork to be used for tattoos, and my pendants have actually been scanned or photocopied for body art. My work has been worn on either skin or attached to a cotton cord. By whatever medium people choose, my artwork connected with them. It is this connection that I first set out to establish, the creation of something tangible that reflected a part of our Filipino culture. Moreover, I am a medium for Baybayin.

It is through the Baybayin connection that I have been fortunate enough to meet so many people including the small but growing community of artisans and practitioners that you see throughout the interwebs. Baybayin is not as uncommon as it once was and is increasingly identifiable. Sure, some people still refer to it as alibata, but the term Baybayin is gaining momentum in establishing itself.  Whichever term a person chooses to use, they are identifying themselves with the script and in doing so, identifying themselves with the Filipino culture and making their personal connection with it.

The picture I’ve included with this blog post is my very own personal connection. It reads; Tiwala, Pag-Asa and Pag-Ibig…Faith, Hope and Love. True to my writing style, the words are connected and entwined. It’s a piece that I was asked to put together for my eldest daughter. A beautiful young lady I’ve long waited to reconnect with. This piece and these words strike me deep as I have always had the Faith and Hope to reconnect with her and the Love that a father has for his child. It goes without saying, but body art isn’t just skin deep.

 
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Posted by on September 4, 2010 in Artfully Speaking...kind of

 

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In Good Company

03 Dec

I started out my Baybayin journey back in 1994 whilst taking a class in Conversational Tagalog.  The class was facilitated by Mr. Oscar Penaranda, poet, writer, teacher, activist, an all around inspiration to anyone who has had the honor of meeting.

During one of his classes,  a Xerox copy of an article was passed out about the Pilipino Alphabet.  It is worth noting that in this particular article, the terms Baybayin and alibata were never mentioned but rather the ancient Pilipino Alphabet and Tagalog scripts.  The article was written by Mr. Benito O. De Lumen, who was/is an Assoc. Professor at UC Berkely. Unfortunately the copy of the article does not show any dates or publication.

Mr. De Lumen writes that upon researching for materials for a Pilipino School, he came across a copy of the famed “Doctrina Christiana” at UC Berkely, which is actually a reproduction of the original that now resides in the Library of Congress. He writes:

“Reading it gave me a rewarding feeling of being able to try and understand the Tagalog scripts and at least be able to write in them”.

Do you remember having that same experience the very first time?  I sure as hell do, each and every time I write, whether on paper, napkins, wood, canvas, Muni, Bart…what these three yellowing, coffee stained and doodled pages have done to and for me.

My early years were full of growing pains, as this was pre Google, Yahoo, and Bing.  What I had were these three pages and the San Francisco Public Library.  Hours perusing books that often referred to the script but not a single top hit.  So there I was in complete isolation teaching myself how to write Baybayin without anyone to refer to.  This thing really got under my skin and was always itchy to write, anything and everything.  I thought, man this can be huge in the community.

I had often observed that the community lacked cohesiveness when it came to celebrate Filipino identity.  In general, folks often referred to themselves as Filipino + “whatevers” as if they were refining a Google search.  It’s no wonder that other nationalities are confused about us.   These observations and many more were the catalyst for my ongoing journey.  So, with woodburning tool in hand and a few pieces of exotic wood, I began to experiment with my art.

It wasn’t until 1996 that I was introduced to another Baybayin practitioner named Joselito Sering, who at the time was studying at SF State.  I can’t remember exactly how we met but I believe it was through a mutual friend via FMA.  Joselito Sering had written an article and was also facilitating Baybayin workshops throughout the collegiate circuit.  It was through him and his help basically, that my work and craft was finally validated.  Joselito was there with me the very first time I tabled at FAAE Pistahan at the YB Gardens in 1996.

Over the years I’ve met countless people because of my art.  I’ve been challenged by some but mostly accepted by others.  Baybayin is a top web search item and the community of artists are growing.  Sure there are just a handful of names but far more than when I first started.  Technology allows all of us to connect with one another in a virtual “mixer”, to be able to share with one another and our voices.  We all have a common theme and that is to educate people through each of our respective art forms, to help bring about a deeper sense of our Filipino identity.

In his article, Mr. De Lumen writes of a book titled “La Antigua Escritura Filipina” 1922, by Mr. Ignacio Villamor. He quotes an excerpt from Mr. Villamore:

“we consider it a great privilege to be able at this time to offer to the youth, landmarks of Ancient Filipino writing which have been for centuries obliterated from the minds of our forefathers, apparently lost in the hazy mists of the past, so that we may now have an idea of the degree of culture of the Filipinos three centuries ago”.

It is with great respect that I offer my thanks to: Mr. Oscar Penaranda, Mr. Benito O. De Lumen, Mr. Ignacio Villamor, Mr. Hector Santos, Mr. Bayani Mendoza De Leon, Mr. Joselito Sering, Roots artist/activist & KPFA Dj Kayumanggi Kaloy, Mr. Christian Cabuay of baybayin.com & pinoytattoos.com, Mr. Aleks Figueroa of Filipinotattoos.com & dreamjungletattoo.com, Mr. David Lazaro of The Bathala Project, Ms. Christine Balza of Suku Art, my KApatid Glenn Aquino and to those artists and practitioners I have yet to meet.  I am in good company.

Gumagalang, Ray

 
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Posted by on December 3, 2009 in Artfully Speaking...kind of

 

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“It’s THAT guy!”

23 Nov

Ok, so I’ve never ever contemplated on starting a blog. In fact I don’t subscribe to one nor have I ever commented on a blog site.  So why the hell am I doing it now? I guess because I’m getting older and have had the good fortune of observing alot of things, good and bad, as far back as I can remember.  My work as a Baybayin artist/practitioner over the last 15 years has had a profound effect on me as an individual.  I’ve met so many people and people recognize me as “the guy from Malaya Designs or he makes the alibata necklaces.”  Yes, I am the person behind the Baybayin/alibata necklaces, and for years my work has been my voice.  Despite it all, no one really knows my voice.  So, I think it’s about time that my actual voice catches up with my art.

 
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Posted by on November 23, 2009 in Artfully Speaking...kind of

 

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