"Baybayin, calligraphy for the world"
The millennial artist Taipan Lucero calls his art CalligraFilipino, applying an Asian art form to the Filipino pre-colonial script Baybayin.
He has taken his art overseas where he’s demonstrated it at US universities, Google headquarters, and even at a Golden State Warriors basketball game.
It’s his way of honoring Filipino heritage while calling for more teaching of Filipino scripts. #TheHowieSeverinoPodcast
The millennial artist Taipan Lucero calls his art CalligraFilipino, applying an Asian art form to the Filipino pre-colonial script Baybayin.
He has taken his art overseas where he’s demonstrated it at US universities, Google headquarters, and even at a Golden State Warriors basketball game.
It’s his way of honoring Filipino heritage while calling for more teaching of Filipino scripts. #TheHowieSeverinoPodcast
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00:00 [SPEAKING IN TAGALOG]
00:02 Howie Severino, again, who reminds us that long attention spans are smart.
00:07 Our guest today is Tai Pan Lucero, a visual artist with a unique art form.
00:14 He calls this "Caligraf Filipino" where the works are calligraphy interpretations of the "Baybayin",
00:23 the ancient Filipino writing.
00:26 And he is a friend of the Baybayin Advocate.
00:29 He's still young, but he's been to many places to exhibit,
00:33 to give demos, and to give lectures about his art.
00:36 Good day to you, Tai Pan Lucero.
00:39 Good day to you too, Howie Severino.
00:42 Thank you for giving me the time for this interview.
00:50 Thank you for joining us.
00:52 Tai Pan, your name comes first, right?
00:55 Tai Pan usually associates with Asian business tycoons, right?
01:02 Tai Ban of China, Hong Kong, etc., or the Philippines, for that matter.
01:07 How did you get your name?
01:09 Actually, my mom nicknamed me this because when she was in Sip, she was trying to convince me.
01:17 She was reading a book whose title was "Tai Pan".
01:21 I was reacting to it, and she thought that maybe she would like this book.
01:28 So that's why she gave me that nickname.
01:31 So you're still a baby, Tai Pan?
01:35 Yes. I haven't done anything yet.
01:39 Maybe your mom has wishful thinking.
01:42 Anyway, long live. So there's time.
01:45 So congrats on your successes.
01:48 You've exhibited in various places in America, aside from the Philippines.
01:55 You also did a demo where you introduced your art.
02:01 But first, let's go back to the beginning.
02:05 You studied art at UP Diliman.
02:09 When you graduated, what did you start doing?
02:12 Actually, my course was more on design and advertising.
02:18 After I graduated, we created a small advertising agency.
02:25 But we separated there.
02:27 Eventually, I went freelance and went to Japan.
02:31 One of my clients was a freelance artist or designer from Japan.
02:37 He liked my work, so he sent me there.
02:41 While I was working there, I had to get used to Japanese calligraphy or shodo.
02:49 So that I could understand or bring to life their design philosophies, artistic philosophies.
02:58 While I was doing that, I experienced firsthand how much Japanese love their culture.
03:09 We all know that their culture is very strong, not just in Japan, but in the whole world.
03:15 Even if we say small things like writing, they give love and respect.
03:23 That's calligraphy.
03:25 The way they sit, the way they hold brushes, the way they breathe.
03:33 They do this seating. Everything in their culture is seating for them.
03:39 It's really inspiring when you see that they do that.
03:44 I thought, "Why can't we do this in our culture?"
03:49 I know that at that time, we had a tendency to write, but not much attention was given.
03:58 So I thought, "If I learned how to make Japanese calligraphy, maybe I can apply that to my writing."
04:08 So that's when I thought of giving calligraphy to the people of my town.
04:15 It's not a unique idea, but I just added my own experience and expertise in making it.
04:25 That's how it became unique.
04:28 Of course, you have your own style.
04:32 Let's go back to calligraphy, what you discovered in Japan.
04:38 When you started doing art and design in Japan, what was your style?
04:47 What was your medium? Was it digital?
04:50 Or did you also choose by hand? What was your approach in design?
04:57 The first things I did in calligraphy were more on digital.
05:02 Because at that time, that was my forte.
05:06 But eventually, I also went to writing.
05:10 So that's really calligraphy.
05:13 But even before the calligraphy, before you became a Filipino calligrapher,
05:18 what were you designing? You said you were working in advertising.
05:21 Were you designing logos?
05:23 And you said your work was liked.
05:26 Why did your work get liked? Why did you get recruited in Japan?
05:29 My work in Japan is more on packaging and logos.
05:34 It's like a pharmaceutical company, but they need packaging designs.
05:39 That's what I did there.
05:41 But before that, we also had international clients.
05:44 Branding, logos, graphic design, sometimes copywriting,
05:49 slogans, advertising campaigns.
05:52 I guess that's all I used to promote my work on social media and the internet.
06:04 You said you're not that unique.
06:07 That means you were not the first to do Baibayan calligraphy.
06:13 Who influenced you?
06:15 Did you have anyone?
06:16 Did anyone come to you first?
06:18 And did you learn from them?
06:20 I started out by just doing what I was doing.
06:24 I was looking for people in the industry.
06:29 I met Christian Cabuay.
06:32 He's based in the US, but he's one of the first.
06:36 He's been a Baibayan advocate and artist for more than a couple of decades.
06:42 He's the main person I met in this space.
06:50 But there are others who are not Baibayan.
06:54 More on writing.
07:01 There are a lot of people who are more on Middle Eastern calligraphy.
07:06 It's great when you look for inspiration in Arabic calligraphy and Arabic designs.
07:13 I get a lot of inspiration from them.
07:17 Okay.
07:20 For those who are not familiar with calligraphy as an art form, how would you describe it?
07:30 I would say that it's a way of interpreting writing.
07:40 It's a way of introducing or presenting writing.
07:48 In this case, Baibayan, our characters are doing art.
08:00 They're putting their own interpretation.
08:07 Like each of us has our own way of writing letters, our handwriting.
08:15 It's like that, but it's more focused on the scene.
08:21 The scene of writing is what I would call calligraphy.
08:27 Writing is a form of communication.
08:32 That's how it originally evolved.
08:36 But calligraphy is an art form.
08:41 It's an artful interpretation of writing.
08:44 You said that you're good at Japanese calligraphy and Arabic calligraphy.
08:49 You probably can't read Japanese characters or Arabic characters.
08:55 So my question is, it's possible to appreciate the calligraphy of other writing systems even if you don't know how to read it.
09:05 That's true.
09:06 You don't really need to understand.
09:10 Even though Baibayan is just a few of us who can read Baibayan,
09:17 my goal is to get the first impression that they're good at, hopefully, in the artwork.
09:27 Then they can be intrigued about what it is.
09:32 If they see it from afar, they'll think it's an artwork.
09:37 But if they look closer, they'll see it's a letter or a character.
09:43 If they're interested, they'll be able to pull in more.
09:50 "Hey, Baibayan, what's Baibayan?"
09:53 That's where the conversation starts.
09:55 "This is our first writing.
09:57 Our ancestors used this. They know how to write and read."
10:02 It's like a gateway to the conversation towards Baibayan and towards our culture,
10:08 towards our history, our heritage.
10:11 I do things that I mix in with what's familiar, like I make a bird shape.
10:28 It's written in the character of Baibayan, Adarna, but it's shaped like a bird.
10:36 The familiar aspect is Adarna, which is a common thing.
10:43 But the unfamiliar is Baibayan.
10:46 So when they see it, they'll think, "Is this Adarna?"
10:50 Then they'll read it, "Yes, it's Adarna."
10:53 Then they'll be introduced to the unfamiliar aspect, which is Baibayan and calligraphy.
11:00 So it's like you're bridging what's familiar and what's not familiar.
11:06 Okay, understood.
11:08 Of course, that's your intention, which you have tested in different places in America.
11:18 Because that's where not only Filipinos are there, there are foreigners there.
11:24 What are the reactions to your art form, the Filipino calligraphy, in America?
11:30 First, to the Filipinos, how do they react?
11:34 Was it really a way for them to be interested in Baibayan?
11:39 Or did they just look at it as art?
11:42 Did it trigger a lot of questions?
11:44 What was the response to that?
11:46 Thankfully, it was very positive.
11:49 It's a very special case for Filipino-Americans when they grow up or are born there,
11:58 they're not exposed to Filipino culture.
12:01 Of course, they're very receptive to our true culture.
12:08 Especially when they learn that Baibayan is something of a heritage or ancestral
12:16 and that I make art.
12:18 I'm very thankful that they were very receptive, appreciative,
12:24 and they asked a lot of questions about it.
12:29 They were very interested.
12:31 They wanted to see it.
12:32 Sometimes, they wanted to have their name made.
12:36 It really made my heart feel full that there are people who share this passion for our culture,
12:46 for Baibayan itself.
12:48 They were very receptive because they wanted to see and experience what is legitimate Filipino culture.
12:59 But were there others who were interested enough to actually learn how to write in Baibayan?
13:10 There were a lot of people attending the workshop.
13:14 Usually, there were around 20 to 30 on average.
13:22 There were also less than 10.
13:24 But there were a lot of people who were interested.
13:27 I think there were around 10 workshops.
13:30 There were also a lot of people from schools to consulates, to embassies.
13:36 There were also a lot of people from institutions like Google, Logitech.
13:39 There were a lot of Filipino employees who wanted to learn about Filipino culture.
13:45 So, there were a lot of people attending.
13:48 Wait a minute.
13:49 So, you gave a workshop at Google headquarters, right?
13:53 Yes.
13:54 We know that's in the Bay Area, in California.
13:57 So, you went to Google headquarters to give a workshop on Baibayan and Kaligrafilipino.
14:03 Were there mostly Filipino employees of Google or were there more?
14:07 And what was their reaction?
14:09 Yes, at Mountain View, at Google headquarters.
14:14 There were around 10 people attending in person.
14:19 But it was also broadcasted online for other Google employees.
14:25 They have a network.
14:26 They call it the Filipino Googlers Network, FGN.
14:29 There were a lot of people interested.
14:31 It was like the Filipino Googlers Month or Day.
14:35 So, they really had a lot of days to celebrate Filipino culture.
14:44 And especially with Baibayan, we really showed the Filipino culture.
14:50 What is your approach in the workshop?
14:52 Do you teach calligraphy in the workshop or the basics of Baibayan, the history?
14:58 My first part is usually the history so that you can listen to it and be interested.
15:07 And the last part is how Baibayan relates to our language, to our culture.
15:18 I have something about it because we don't have an F. We don't have certain characters in Baibayan like F, B.
15:28 And I relate it to how we got used to not having an F sound.
15:34 Like the Filipino accent, how we say French fries.
15:43 It becomes French fries or fried chicken because in Baibayan, we don't have an F.
15:49 So, I relate it to how our ancestors were not used to the sound of F.
15:59 Because it's not in Baibayan, it's not in our old way of speaking or writing.
16:04 That's why it's ingrained in our brains that we don't have an F sound.
16:08 So, sometimes we get confused and it becomes a P sound because it's the only one in Baibayan.
16:13 And it can be funny. There are a lot of funny pronunciations because of that.
16:18 You see it in Filipino-American comics.
16:22 The comedians, there are some famous ones in America, like Jokoy, etc.
16:30 Part of their material is their immigrant parents, how they talk, and how it's so different from American English.
16:40 But I noticed from your social media feeds that you also shared the basketball game of the Golden State Warriors, the NBA dynasty.
16:57 There are a lot of Filipinos watching it in San Francisco.
17:02 What did you do in the basketball game of the Warriors?
17:06 So, in October, it's the Filipino-American history month.
17:14 Usually, it coincides with the Filipino-American Heritage Night for the Golden State Warriors.
17:21 There are a lot of basketball teams that have this, but specifically the Golden State Warriors.
17:27 They have programs and events.
17:32 For example, in the halftime, there are people dancing.
17:36 They are really dancing in the middle of the game.
17:39 It's really proud.
17:41 I have a table there.
17:43 All of this is because of Mr. Al Perez. I'm really thankful to him.
17:49 So, for the Filipino-American Heritage Night, we set up a table there and I made name tags using "Baybayin".
18:02 So, they will enter the arena with their name on it.
18:07 Maybe, when they see other people with name tags, it means that they are interested in "Baybayin" and they are Filipinos.
18:19 Something fun to do.
18:21 So, you are at the entrance of the arena before entering the seats, right?
18:28 Yes, in front of the arena. Not necessarily at the entrance.
18:38 Before entering the arena.
18:41 I see.
18:43 Okay.
18:45 For the Filipinos, is your style different?
18:49 Do you notice that many more people in the Philippines know about "Baybayin" than the Filipinos in America?
18:56 Many Filipinos in America, especially in the Bay Area, California, are conscious of their ethnic identity.
19:06 They really explore their identity.
19:10 That's how they get introduced to "Baybayin".
19:13 But in the Philippines, many of us take our culture for granted.
19:18 In fact, we prefer foreign cultures, right?
19:22 So, is your reaction to the Filipinos different?
19:27 Yes, you're right.
19:29 Filipinos in other countries have a stronger passion for our culture.
19:37 I guess, maybe because they are here everyday, they are living here.
19:43 But here, the Filipinos experience their culture everyday. They are not as receptive or mundane as the Filipinos.
19:55 It's true that they are more inclined to other cultures.
20:01 They watch a lot of K-pop and K-dramas.
20:05 That's what makes the Philippines a pop culture.
20:11 For me, there's no issue with that.
20:15 You can do whatever you want.
20:20 But what I can say is, if you have time to pay attention to the culture,
20:33 you should also have the passion to give time to your own culture.
20:43 Do you hear reactions from other Filipinos?
20:48 "Baybayin" is just a Tagalog word, but you're forcing it.
20:52 You Tagalogs are forcing your culture to our Bisaya, Kapampangan, Ilocano, etc.
21:01 Do you hear that? What's your response?
21:06 I'm still new to the "Baybayin" culture.
21:11 We attended an international conference on Philippine scripts, which was held in Surigao.
21:21 It became a major issue because "Baybayin" is more in Tagalog.
21:26 We have a lot of different ways of writing, like "Kulitan", "Badlit", "Hanunuo".
21:32 They're trying to reach a consensus on what the writing system of the Philippines should be.
21:41 Their decision was to call it "Sulat" or "Surat" or "Suwat".
21:49 There are a lot of sentiments like "Baybayin" is for Tagalog, "Tagalog Supremacina" etc.
21:57 It's a difficult aspect.
22:03 From a visual perspective, if you look at "Badlit", which is in Bisaya,
22:14 the characters look alike and there are different rules.
22:19 Is it better to make it standardized?
22:24 We should update the rules and characters for modern usage.
22:33 I don't know what to do about that.
22:39 But it's ideal that we work together on what we can do to preserve, develop and move forward with it.
22:53 Okay, Taipan. I'll just share it because there are linguists who say that
23:02 it's not the same. It's like the writing system in the Philippines,
23:12 the pre-colonial scripts, there's just a variation.
23:16 You can call them all "Baybayin" or you can call them by their regional names.
23:22 "Badlit" in Cebu or Bisaya or "Kulitan" in Pampanga, "Hanunoo", "Buhid" in Mangyan, Mindoro.
23:33 But they can all be considered one writing system with variations.
23:40 I mean, Christopher Miller, a Canadian linguist who has studied "Baybayin" said this to me.
23:50 So there shouldn't really be any quarrel.
23:53 Our regionalism is just entering and of course, people like you who advocate, or like me,
24:00 who often speak about this, we are Tagalog.
24:05 So "Baybayin" is associated with Tagalog.
24:08 But linguists themselves say that this is not just a Tagalog thing.
24:13 There are Baybayin specimens or documents, there are Baybayin signatures found in Bisaya,
24:22 in Iloilo, etc. And that's in the UST archive if others want to see it.
24:31 So it's just a matter of educating people, informing them that it's not just Tagalog,
24:39 that our writing is not just for Tagalog.
24:44 But speaking of education, were you self-taught in Baybayin?
24:52 Or was this taught in UP? How did you learn Baybayin?
25:03 The very use of Baybayin, self-taught, was only on the internet because no one taught it.
25:13 I remember when we were in high school, we just went through this.
25:20 We were just told that there are written words like this, the ones our ancestors taught us.
25:26 But they didn't teach us how to do it.
25:29 And that's the extent of what I can say about Baybayin.
25:35 So eventually, I became interested in Baybayin and I learned it myself.
25:42 It's easy to learn, the only difficult aspect is to understand the characters themselves.
25:54 That's the hardest part. The rules are easy to understand. It's very intuitive.
26:02 What do you use? The traditional or the modern? Do you use a "pamatay patinig"?
26:11 Yes, what I use for virtual purposes is the "pamatay patinig" is two dots.
26:21 One dot on top and one dot on the bottom.
26:24 "Pamudpod" is the one with a long comma.
26:30 Yes, that's also fine. For the visual aspect, "pamudpod" is fine.
26:36 I use the two dots because the X is not good for the visual aspect, for the designs and artworks.
26:48 I use "pamudpod" and the vowel killer.
26:51 What's your opinion on Baybayin's teaching?
26:56 Should it be taught in schools? Or should people just teach themselves?
27:02 I'm 50/50 because I've had experiences that told me to focus on what's needed in the future.
27:20 For example, in college, in degrees, in finding a job.
27:26 A lot of parents tell me that it's not necessary to look for a job.
27:36 It's just an additional job for their students and their children.
27:42 So, I'm 50/50.
27:45 I understand their concern that their children and students will learn this in time.
27:54 That time, they can just focus on math and science.
28:03 But of course, I'm also nationalistic and this can uplift our pride and sense of identity.
28:15 So, I'm in the middle. I'm 50/50.
28:19 Okay. What are your plans now?
28:24 Do you want to take your show on the road again, so to speak?
28:29 Do you want to do a demo in other countries?
28:33 Introduce our old writings to other races?
28:38 Yes, sir. Definitely.
28:40 I'm thinking of doing it in Asia.
28:45 Especially in cultures that have a primary art form, like calligraphy.
28:52 I'll do it in Japan and China for diplomatic relations.
28:59 To show camaraderie between nations.
29:04 I can also do it in the Middle East because calligraphy is a shared culture.
29:11 And ultimately, hopefully, the last show would be in Spain. Just to show that this is our culture before you guys came here.
29:24 Our culture is really beautiful.
29:28 That's the ultimate.
29:30 Okay. What about the Philippines? What are your projects now?
29:35 Do you have any upcoming events?
29:38 How can people access your work?
29:42 For now, I'm saving my artworks for shows that I can do alone.
29:53 For now, I'm doing studio work. I'm painting and writing.
29:59 And mostly, I'm just posting on social media.
30:03 So, type "Panlocero" on Facebook and Instagram.
30:06 Just like that.
30:08 I'm trying to show something relatable about our culture.
30:13 I'm trying to include the "Baybayin" in my artworks so that there's a connection with the "Baybayin".
30:21 So, artworks or posts about life and our culture.
30:28 I'm trying to do something for everybody, hopefully.
30:34 Okay. Well, thank you for doing all of that.
30:38 And thank you for your time today, Taipan.
30:41 Thank you for honoring our heritage.
30:43 And may you continue to reap rewards.
30:46 Long live, Taipan Lucero, Baybayin Heritage Advocate and creator of Kaligra Filipino.
30:54 Thank you very much.
30:55 Thank you.
30:58 Hi, I'm Howie Severino.
31:00 Check out the Howie Severino Podcast.
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31:09 (♪)