Babaeng Buhangin / Babae ng Buhangin

babae + kampon ng buhangin + walang tunay na tahanan + buhangin lamang + pakikilahok sa klase ni Joan Lao para sa fil 14 (2015) + sci 10 (2016)

[joaneunicelao]

Another short comic I made for the MATA zine by BLINK for Komikon.

[babaengbuhangin]

Sadly, this will be my last Sci10 post on this blog. And so, today’s plenary session was about the origins of the universe. Talks about the big bang theory, gravitational waves, blackhole collisions, etc. A little poetic at the end too, with discussions on how we humans are essentially made from stardust, formed from matter from millions of years ago.

This takes me back to a comic I made last year, under the prompt of “closing of eyes” for the MATA zine by BLINK. I made it this way in that in one instance, you would have the whole world on your hands, and then the universe after. Like a hatched egg, as illustrated, if you will.

This felt similar to my experience in the lessons I’ve gone through in Sci10 class. I learned to be more aware of the issues endangering the Earth, letting me know that change is in my hands, and then in the end: a humbling feeling of being miniscule and almost insignificantly tiny in the amass that is the universe.

But it’s up to me to entertain this cycle (and so this comic can be read over and over again with the first and last panels seemingly connected to each other) of observing, learning, and acting. In hopes, that maybe, I could make a change even as tiny as I may be to the scheme of all things.

[babaengbuhangin]

This week in Sci10, we talked about sustainable living. I wanted to make a simple sort of reflection and statement on environmental habits. In this case: proper waste disposal for recycling. I drew this image of properly disposing paper waste on a piece paper, crumpled it right after, and disposed it in a proper waste bin. I feel that this speaks about the cycle formed by good habits through the medium I used and its context this time around.

[babaengbuhangin]

Dreary, Damp, Dirty (2016)

This week in Sci10 class, we mostly talked about the growing population and pollution in the Philippines. I made this series/triptych in reflection of my experience when I first moved to the Philippines for university two years ago.

Dreary was the environment of the whole city. I honestly hated it and continuously thought to myself that I don’t want to stay here alone. I wanted to go back to my desert paradise in Bahrain. But now I want to contribute to how we can help improve crowded urban spaces. One attempt I have as of yet is being a part of abodeco, a hult prize competitor, in their design team and video production. They are currently tackling crowded urban spaces and I’m learning how to help and spread the word.

Damp was the feeling of a dry and wet cough stuck in my lungs. I got sick at the end of last last year because of my weak immune system. My lungs were too weak and whenever I’d commute all the way to Pasay, to OWWA, to submit my monthly scholarship reports, I’d come back home with rashes and a newly earned illness. I had my blood tested multiple times and was a mess, I had to deal with it alone. I wish the air was cleaner here. I wished so hard to the point that I escaped to Baguio alone during my Christmas break; I couldn’t take it.

Dirty were the inner linings of my whole system. I felt that it was the same with the country’s system, government, beliefs. Two years later, I’ve become accustomed to the black tar in my lungs and the smoke in my brain. I wish my aspirations for the Philippines wasn’t so cloudy, and that I could concentrate on how I can help others with my experience as a third culture kid, but the perpetual smog catches up with my will.

[babaengbuhangin]

Drawn during Fr. Jett's plenary session today about sustainable living. This is in reflection on how we think we have minimal fault in the world's crisis like climate change. We ultimately still have fault, be it vices or waste. We're turning ourselves into waste bit by bit, and we amass the entropy of the future. "It's not ONLY my fault > It's not my fault" We need to change, together. Cooperate well or become leaders ourselves. Stop carbon waste, stop ending ourselves out of convenience. We're passing down doom to our kids, not a future.

[babaengbuhangin]

This week in my SCI10 class, we talked about alcohol intake and its effects. I've always been honest about my alcohol habits, which were in its worst state in 1st year 2nd sem. I've had two blackouts in my life so far and they haven't been pretty. Not all of the information shared in class about the dangers of alcohol was new to me, but rather, reiterated into my life. I've so far significantly lessened my alcohol intake and have taken care of my body so far in comparison. Although, I can't rule it out of my life because it boosts my creative drive at times when I need to work on a heavy creative project. I in turn made this artwork on an old printed to show my old drinking habits overlapping with my academic affairs. I think to myself: I'm supposed to consume the alcohol, not let the alcohol consume me.

[babaengbuhangin]

This week in Sci10 class, we talked about proper diet. Bad food doesn't exist, only bad diets do, according to my professor: Ma'am Ragaza. I made this triptych in response to the recent lessons. Coffee, pizza, and chocolate have so far been the most common factors in my diet. I realize that I should cut down on pizza and chocolate (not coffee, because I need to stay up a lot for work) and try to become healthier. I do get to exercise regularly every week via Muay Thai, but I need to put in conscious effort to improve my diet as well.

[babaengbuhangin]

This week we discussed about technological advancements in Science & Society class. In reflection, I made this illustration both traditionally and digitally. The traditional aspect, which is the hand-inked lineart, shows the manual labor put into art for example. Meanwhile, the digital rendering of the colors laid onto the illustration reflect the technological advancement of communication (among other things), further highlighting the different mobiles/phones as subjects. We’ve come a long way, and I hope this simple illustration communicates something in the wonder that is technology.

[babaengbuhangin]

Here’s a picture of an establishment that definitely cannot apply for a trademark, as an assignment for my SCI10 class.

This is pretty self-explanatory but yes, “lunchbox” is an existing word and is therefore not trademarkable because people use it on an everyday basis.

[babaengbuhangin]

This week in my Science & Society class, we discussed copyright and trademarks in depth. I’ve personally always struggled with branding myself as an artist and watermarking my own works. Above are two versions of my A4 print entitled “Yellow”. The first was sold in the Katipunan Art Festival last 2015 under the GRIDS org booth while the second version was released on my facebook art album.

It seems simple enough to slap on my signature on my prints but I actually put a lot of thought into it. What if buyers/viewer would rather see a link to my blog? Or would rather just have my name on it? How would they search for art under “Yuni” then?

The discussions we had in class helped answer some of my questions on how to go about to protecting my art/intellectual property. I’ve always feared art theft because it already has happened to me in my earlier years of posting my works online. I hope that I will be able to establish myself better as an artist in the near future through coming up with a better branding/watermarks.

[babaengbuhangin]

So in my Science and Society class this week, our group was assigned to answer if the following thesis statement could be explained in through either religion or science:

“A complete blueprint of a person exists in each and every cell of the body.”

We ended up answering ultimately through science. But what I did learn is that it could still be explained in religion, as we all came from the same source in a sense (in this case: God). I may not entirely agree with this perspective personally, but I do see the point. Nevertheless, the lesson was intriguing and informative. It was an especially beautiful notion that we are all made up of the same bunch of stars in the universe in the beginning.

In result, I made this artwork (painted digitally) and entitled it as “moonshine” because it sounds like a celestial word but actually means foolish talk. This was in reflection to our discussion in class and how we, as humans, are all made up of stardust from the same divine wellspring.

(But in one way or another, we’re only made up of foolish talk, I guess.)

[babaengbuhangin]

Ngunit (A Choose Your Own Adventure Game in Filipino by Joan Lao)

Ang Ngunit ay aking inilikha batay sa itinalakay namin sa klase ukol sa gaan at bigat ng pagiging tao. Sa larong ito, ikaw ay isang mag-aaral sa kolehiyo at ito ang unang araw mo ng klase. May makikilala kang iba.

Ngunit bakit?

Simulang laruin ang Ngunit.

[babaengbuhangin]

(Ang mga litratong ito ay mockups lamang.)

Basahin ang buong aklat dito.

Inilikha ko ang storybook/coffee table book na ito––isang baryasyon ng unang dalawang linya ng kantang Ang Huling El Bimbo ng Eraserheads–––para sa pagsasanay blg. 5 ng Fil14 sa Ateneo de Manila University. 

Maraming salamat sa pagbasa!

[babaengbuhangin]

Ang Haraya (sa buhangin) ay isang komik strip na aking inilikha batay sa tulang Haraya ni Rio Alma.

Ipinanganak ako sa Bahrain, isang maliit na bansa sa Gitnang Silangan. Doon na rin ako lumaki. Naalala ko sa tulang Haraya ang lakbay ko pabalik ng Pilipinas para ituloy ang aking pag-aaral sa kolehiyo. Halos lahat ng aking batchmates ay bumalik na rin sa Pilipinas para sa pag-aaral.

Nalula ako sa Pilipinas. Ang daming posibilidad at ang daming tao––mga malikhaing tao––sa paligid ko. Naihalintulad ko ang karanasang ito sa pagkalula ng bida sa mga dambuhalang puno sa isla.

Nang ikinuwento ng bata sa tula ang tungkol sa siyudad, nanginig ang bida sa kaba at sa pagkalimot. Inihalintulad ko ang bata sa komik strip sa sarili ko noong bata pa ako at ang bida sa sarili ko sa kasalukuyan.

Tulad ng bida sa tula o komik strip, naging tila masamang panaginip na lamang para sa akin ang siyudad ko noon––ang Bahrain.