[Post by Eena Acuña]

“Make something out of nothing.”  But where do we begin? Growing up with Play-Doh, Lego, and maybe some paint and crayons must have done something right to encourage the inner artist in some of us. And that’s exactly how I felt when Carl showed me his handcrafted designs over at Lilila Primitive Art. Unique little pieces, each one telling a little story. Each one I can never imagine putting together with scrap metal wires, gems, and clay.

Carl: “I don’t know how I do it. I’ve never had formal schooling. I see the wires and the stones and I just sort of know where each one should go. I’ve always been into wires since I was a kid.”

In all honesty, with the amount of knick knacks and jewelry pieces hanging from stalls in Greenhills or other tiangges and flea markets, I’ve never really stopped and thought about the effort that goes into making each piece. Until I saw Carl pull out a long copper wire and started making a bracelet (yes, for ME). Maybe its the copper color, or the thin spiraling gold wires, or perhaps, just the simplicity of it that had me drawn.

Copper DIY Bracelets. Looks easy to make?Carl: “My designs are inspired by the early Native American tribes and even Pirates where each piece of jewelry meant something – of hierarchy, class, or honor.”

As a fan of Dadaism myself, I couldn’t help but dig deeper. In a nutshell, Dadaism is not art, it is “anti-art”. It is one of the most influential movements of art that ignored aesthetics and art’s traditional ideals. But let me skip the boring art history lesson and offer you trivia that could be interesting:

• Ear piercings for guys dated as early as in the 1920s where Indian tribes and sailors wore them as superstition, pay for a proper burial (guaranteed that they are expensive enough)
• Pirates wore earrings believing that there are nerve endings in earlobes that improve eyesight and as a mark of experience (no sunken ships!)
• Wire art originated from S.Africa specifically in the Eastern Cape.

Making something beautiful out of nothing.

Lilila Primitive Art takes orders and requests for customization online and can be shipped anywhere nationwide. Check them via their Facebook account to see more designs! Also available at I.T. Park, Cebu City.