probably have not seen capiz done this
way before. They had been shaped
into three-dimensional pyramids,
then magnets inserted inside a few so
that you could play with them, attach
one to another and then to a third, to
form different shapes. Those looking
for functionality could arrange them
around a light source, showcasing the
shell’s natural luminosity.
Exiting the small house to take a
walk near the unusual garden furniture,
you discovered that the surprises
were not over yet. On
the walls were objects
both modern and
childlike — shelves
in the form of white
paper planes.
Interior decorator
Nina Santamaria says,
“
Daniel makes you think of what
Manila has to offer. He presents capiz
and metal and the bahay na bato in
a creative way that is his own, yet he
leaves some space in the process for
the client to finish the conceptual work
in his head. If I were a big foreign buyer,
I would put value on that.”
Manila Fame aims to attract the
attention of buyers — representatives
of companies mainly based abroad
—
looking to stock their shops. These
are professionals who make it their
business to know in advance what the
market wants. What you see at the
design fair should give you a feel for
where moods and tastes are going.
Wanting to look at what other
booths have to offer, you move away
from Latorre Cruz still appreciating
the playfulness of his pieces, and
impressed by the idiosyncratic nature
of his work — especially given that
he is there to sell, in the face of
conventional wisdom that dictates
idiosyncratic products do not often
make for bestsellers.
P I N O Y D E S I G N S
112
{
}
Clockwise from
lower left: The
Basilisa collection,
named after Kish’s
grandmother, uses
solihiya weaving
patterns found in
different regions of
the Philippines; the
Gregoria chair, made
of turned balusters,
was named after
his mother and her
five sisters; Ito Kish
is his eponymous
company’s chief
visual storyteller
Yet we tire of seeing the same things
over and over again. We’re moved by
human nature’s need to stand out, and
perhaps feel jaded knowing that most
of the articles we use in our daily lives
roll out of anonymous production lines
in places we haven’t even heard of.
So it’s no surprise we begin to latch on
to the personal, drawn to objects that
assure us that there is a human being
behind the object — that it was created
by an individual with a unique story
to tell.
Would you want
one of these in
your home?
PHOTOS
AT MACULANGAN
