As a seafarer, he has seen the world, but whenever he lays his eyes on some wire, he sees another world.
Meet Alvin Bantog, a local wire artist. A resident of Brgy. Malimpec, this town, Alvin started making wire art in 2002. One time, he saw a raw spider wire art made of copper wires from his sister-in-law's brother. Fascinated by it, he began his own version when he embarked on his next ship assignment. Since there were a lot of scrap wires on the ship, he turned them into something else as part of a newfound hobby -- you could say it was his way of escaping the pressures of his job and the boredom he endured onboard. Recycling is the idea that inspired him at first, knowing there are a lot things that we could do to our trash than making them into another contributor to environmental pollution. As he himself puts it, "It's like taking out the 'sh' out of 'trash' then reversing the word so it becomes 'art'."
But it's not like he became an artist overnight. Alvin has long been into graphic design, designing mugs, keychains, ref magnets, and other souvenir items for he co-manages his schoolteacher wife Marisol Inacay's little business. Their products remain on sale at the Capitol Resort Hotel in Lingayen.
Through trial and error, he said, he was able to create scorpions and spiders from the wires, and the initial result was not bad at all. He admits he still needs more time to fine-tune his dragonfly pieces, and other designs. But his family and friends were pleased with his work which he usually gives as gift. What he gets are priceless smiles and suggestions as reward, which help him improve his work.
Some of his friends want to buy his works and even suggest that he sells them too.
That was an indication that his wire creations had a strong market potential, for if you can't please those close to home, then how can you attract attention from the rest of the world?
He recalls a video of Kenneth Cobonpue, his design idol, being interviewed during the World Industrial Design Day 2016 celebration at the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts. When asked, "What are the challenges you encountered and how did you overcome them?" Cobonpue is said to answer, "I think one of the greatest challenges that I had when I was starting out my career was to overcome this feeling of lack of confidence in what I was doing and not being sure about my designs. And I think I came to a point when I said that if I like it, then someone else out there in the world will."
That was Alvin's second inspiration -- where his confidence came from. Not all people will like his work like spiders and scorpions and other such creatures that would strike some as nasty critters or 'creepy crawlers,' but someone else in this world will.
Alvin has since gone on working on other types of wires. A few twists and turns here, and some splices and joints there, and he was able to come up with bicycles. He reserves a day that he calls his "Wednesday Wire Art Day," so whether on vacation in the Philippines or wherever he is in some part of the globe at the moment, you can be sure that he is holding a wire and a pair of pliers in his hands. But that doesn't limit him if he gets inspired on a regular day. He just makes it a point that on Wednesdays, he must hold a wire, even if he doesn't feel like it, to keep him creating new designs.
He now focuses on his wire creations as having a double purpose, like turning the wire spiders into ref magnets, gadget holders, key chains, or wall decors, which are not only good for display but as functional art as well.
He dreams of having his own art exhibit someday and his works being displayed in mall galleries, as well as to inspiring artists of all ages to pursue their passion in art. He also hopes that the message of his art may touch hearts, that whatever people are going through, they would stop for a while, smile and appreciate the art. "After all, we are 'wired to touch each other's heart, and to create art," he muses.
These days, while working shifts on the ship with his colleagues, he continues to tinker with other ideas to occupy himself while being miles away from home. Who knows what is in store in his mind of possibilities, which stretches as vast as the world's seas?
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