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c h i k k a
b u z z
PHOTOS
COURTESY OF CANVAS
Artist Elmer Borlongan and poet Vim Nadera’s book, RIZALPABETO, uses the
Filipino alphabet and specific moments in Rizal’s life to create moving images
Rizal, to
the letter
IT TAKES
creativity to put a new twist to
something retro, and it requires nothing less
than a flight of imagination to make something
as old-fashioned as the 19th century engaging
and fresh to young kids. But that’s exactly what
artist Elmer Borlongan and poet Vim Nadera
did in RIZALPABETO, a collaboration that
celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Jose Rizal.
In this pioneering project, Nadera uses the
Filipino alphabet as the starting point for 28
poems about various aspects of Rizal’s life
— his early childhood, his life in Europe, his
return to the Philipines and exile in Dapitan,
and ultimately, his martyrdom at the Luneta
more than a century ago.
Borlongan, with the iPad as his medium
(and an app called Brushes as his, well,
paintbrush), employs a 19th century art form
known as
letras y figuras
as a visual handle
for Nadera’s poetry. Popular during Spanish
colonial times, the letters are imaginatively
formed from animals, figures and objects.
The resulting illusions come out as lyrical and
allegorical images.
Their collaborative output is a children’s
book published by the Center for Art, New
Ventures and Sustainable Development
or CANVAS
(www.canvas.ph),
a non-profit
organization that promotes awareness of, and
appreciation for, Philippine culture and arts.
An e-book version of the publication will
also be made available for free downloading
on the CANVAS website in the hopes that
they can be used as additional teaching
supplements by Philippine schools.
RIZALPABETO the book will be launched
on June 19, Jose Rizal’s birthday, and an
exhibit of both poems and artwork will be
showcased at Manila Contemporary
(White
Space, 2314 Pasong Tamo Ext., Makati City;
www.manilacontemporary.com)
for most of the
month. RIZALPABETO is curated by J. Pacena
and Marika Constantino, and is made possible
in part by the generous support of the National
Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
A unique collaboration between a painter
and a poet revives the story of national hero
Dr. Jose Rizal on a high-tech platform