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Sep

21

Painting a Ceiling

Filed Under Architecture, My Art | 18 Comments

I’ve gotten so engrossed in comics for the past 16 years that I’ve almost forgotten that I had a totally different career a long time ago. I graduated from UST with a degree in Architecture, and several weeks before graduation, I was already working as a construction supervisor.

I have a lot of stories from that time and one of the most hysterical moments came towards the end of my architecture career, just as I was beginning a new one with comics. I was working for Architect Jonathan Lim, with offices near Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City. My job there consisted of drafting, designing, and construction supervision.

It was early 1994, and I was right in the middle of dealing with a devastating break up. I had yet to even think of creating Wasted, and I was not right in the head in so many ways. I didn’t want to be in architecture anymore, and I was seriously considering leaving the office because I felt I was no longer able to work as well as I should.

The office was contracted to design and construct the interiors of a restaurant along C.M. Recto Avenue, near Morayta. Jonathan gave the job to me, and saw it as an opportunity to do something different. I had been in that office for a couple of years, and I knew the kinds of designs that they liked to do. I followed none of that. In fact, I came up with a design that was so crazy, fueled by an I-no-longer-care-anymore attitude, that I was sure that it would be rejected outright.

The area was around 5 meters wide and 18 meters deep. My idea was to line the long sides with classical columns, capped with Corinthian capitals. The entire ceiling is to be curved, and a Trompe-l’œil of a dramatic blue sky with windswept clouds would be painted on it. (Don’t ask me to pronounce Trompe-l’œil. I don’t know how! ha! ha!) Lights would be hidden, lighting the ceiling very brightly. The idea was this: when someone walks into the restaurant from the dirty, dusty and noisy C.M. Recto, they would suddenly enter an open atrium under a bright beautiful sky.

Thinking about it now, the design wasn’t really bad. It’s just that it was so completely different from anything the office has produced before. I was actually quite proud of it, but I was so sure that they would go for a more conventional (therefore boring) design.

Jonathan looked at the design and thought about it for a minute. “Do you really think this is good?”, he asked. Mustering my best poker face, I said, “Of course!”

Much to my surprise, Jonathan agreed to do it. I stood there incredulous and speechless. I thought, wow, they’re actually going to do it! Are they insane?

Supervising the construction a couple of weeks later, I stood there marveling at my design slowly taking shape. I honestly couldn’t believe that they actually went with it. The workers, bless them all, were at first stumped at the challenges this new type of design they were asked to build. They took it as a challenge, and they surprised even me with the enthusiasm they put into the work.

Rene, one of the other designers in the office, came to visit and told me there was a problem. None of the painters in our labor force seemed to know how to do the ceiling. They attempted it a couple of times, but with disappointing results. There really was no other choice. He said that I had to do it myself.

Now comes the hysterical part.

I did end up painting the ceiling myself using a spray gun and a heavy duty compressor. I went to work in my old pants, slippers and a throwaway shirt. I wrapped another old shirt on my head leaving only my eyes visible. At the end of a couple of days I was as dirty and paint flecked as the other workers. I went out to the sidewalk to take a break and Boyet, one of the engineers at the office stopped by for a visit and stood beside me watching the construction. Not having the energy to say anything I just nodded, and so did he.

After a minute, he took 10 pesos from his pocket, and gave it to me. Now why in the world was Boyet giving me 10 pesos?

“Can you buy me a couple sticks of cigarette?” He asked.

Underneath the shirt in my face, I smiled. Apparently, Boyet didn’t recognize me. And he wouldn’t, not with how I looked. He thought I was one of the other workers. It took all my effort to keep from laughing. I knew I just had to go with it. I nodded, took the 10 pesos, and went off to buy some cigarettes. On the way back, I took the off the shirt on my head that was hiding my face, and handed the cigarettes to Boyet. I tried not to smile and acted as nonchalantly as possible, all the while continuing to watch the construction.

From the corner of my eye, there’s an expression on Boyet’s face that I wish I could have captured on camera. He was speechless for a few moments, clearly shocked, then we both just laughed.

In the end, the restaurant turned out great! It worked as I planned that it would. Stepping into the restaurant really did feel like stepping out under a bright blue sky. I couldn’t believe it. My bluff worked! And credit has to go to Jonathan Lim for going with it. As far as architecture is concerned, I feel it’s one of the best things I did.

My one big regret is that I wasn’t able to take any proper photographs of the place. Unfortunately, the restaurant has since closed, and the design subsequently destroyed to make way for another commercial establishment.

In any case, it was one of the more memorable moments in my architecture career that I’m glad I experienced.

Comments

18 Responses to “Painting a Ceiling”

  1. Randy Santa Ana on September 21st, 2008 2:07 am

    Thanks for sharing, Gerry. Made me look back at the time when I too had a career in Architecture. Just like you, I worked for a Chinese architect. In fact, he was our classmate; you may know him, he is Sison Siy. I worked for him for a couple of years as his designer and draftsman. I had my share of stories working in architecture and reading about yours brought those memories back. It sure made me smile.

    Thanks for turning back the clock to those good old days!

    Randy

  2. Rod Samonte on September 21st, 2008 2:10 am

    Gerry,
    What??????? No pictures. The way you describe it sounds like a ceiling I saw in Las Vegas, at the Venetian. Here’s a flicker picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andres_campos/2860997546/in/pool-d200
    Ganun ba? Hehehe.
    Rod

  3. Rod Samonte on September 21st, 2008 3:50 am

    Gerry,
    Eto ang paraan para i-pronuounce yan (hindi ko na iispellingin) ng wasto: pagsamahin mo ang mga katagang Tagalog na trumpo at daloy = trumploy. Hehehehe. Pinagsamang Tagalog naging Frances. Yan palagay ko ang tamang pag-bigkas niyan.
    Rod

  4. Jose Mari Lee on September 21st, 2008 4:17 am

    Hey Gerry:

    There is a mall in Las Vegas where the structures of building (real, honest-to-goodness buildings) with stores and offices to boot, but this huge area is enclosed by a very high ceiling that are painted with blue skies. The feeling when you’re inisde this mall is like being outside.

    You can view this here, the mall is called The Venetian. It’s located along the strip, and every time I visit Vegas, I go here to buy some Hawaiian shirts made in haiwaii.

    http://picasaweb.google.com/msisaacs/VegasVacationPhotos#5227906397102251186

  5. auggie on September 24th, 2008 9:33 am

    Gerry,

    Hindi man lang ba na document ito, kahit sa litrato ? sayang naman , it was ahead of its time. Imagine, in a seedy district like Morayta, mi ganoon ? nandiyan pa ba ang blueprints sa iyo ? maybe it could be recreated elsewhere ? bilib ako doon sa boss mo, mi tiwala sa iyo, asan na siya ngayon ?
    Incidentally, are you aware of this Eco-houses called LUZVIMINDA, it’s an innovation of James Jao, another architect graduate of UST, baka kaklase mo pa ? Mi masters daw ito si James sa LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS. Ang una nilang showcase will be built in Bulusan, Sorsogon.

  6. Gerry Alanguilan on September 24th, 2008 9:35 am

    Rod! The shape of the ceiling is like that, but I simply painted on a sky, very much like in JM’s photo. :)

    Sayang nga Auggie, di ko nakunan ng picture. I think it looked really great with all the lights on. That’s what I liked about Jonathan. He placed a lot of trust in his people. I think he’s still around continuing to do various projects. He was even quite supportive when I mentioned my intention of doing comics.

    Randy! Wow, boss mo pala si Sison. Tanda ko sya. One of these days I’m going to be writing about college! With pictures! he.he.

  7. Ed on September 24th, 2008 9:35 am

    Mas nauna ka pala mang-yari kesa kay Bitoy eh. :P

  8. Rod Samonte on September 24th, 2008 9:36 am

    Gerry,
    I was going for the classical columns you described but couldn’t find the skies. I think if we combine the picture from JM we’ll have an idea of what your interior design looked like. Sa Venetian ko nga nakita yun as shown in that picture of the sky painting. If you’re in that building, you get a feeling of displacement, it really seems like you’re outside under the sky and clouds, instead of having just gone inside a building. And it’s not a small place either.
    Rod

  9. Gerry Alanguilan on September 24th, 2008 9:37 am

    Rod… oh yeah, the columns are like that, although less flourishes in the mouldings, and no lower tier of mouldings too. In between the columns are mirrors to make the area seem bigger.

    Ed…what yu mean? Ah, yun bang biniro ko si Boyet? he.he.

  10. Rod Samonte on September 24th, 2008 9:37 am

    Gerry,
    Jeprox na jeprox ka between your office picture and the You Tube Yearbook video. Payat ka pa na mahaba ang buhok. What happened? Hehehe. Oh, yes, Morayta and Recto. My bailiwick in my younger, bachelor days. Tambayan ko ang PCC, FEU, UE, San Sebastian. A girl in every school, pwera San Sebastian, hehehe. Right on that corner I found a Picasso book by Octavio Paz for one peso, an original first edition paperback that’s worth a couple of hundred bucks now. I can’t forget that because I still have the book, and it was my last find before I left for the U.S. And if you go past Legarda, and Recto becomes Mendiola, that’s where my Alma Mater is – Mapa High School.
    Rod

  11. Gerry Alanguilan on September 24th, 2008 9:38 am

    Rod! Mapa High School ka pala! I used to pass by that school everyday. In fact, the first apartment we moved into after leaving San Pablo was located just beside it. We lived there from around 1977 to 1978. Afterwards, we moved to Aguado St., and even then I still passed Mapa every time I went to school. There’s a small eskinita in between CEU and Mapa where I can see into some of the classrooms.

  12. Rod Samonte on September 24th, 2008 9:38 am

    Gerry,
    I graduated 1958. Yikes 50 years na. In fact we had a Golden Anniversary Grand Reunion with my classmates in Manila last February, and one of the events was our class, the 58ers, was to visit Mapa and give a gift (I think it was computers for the school) to the current principal. However, I could not make it. Mapa High School was then vaunted to be the largest High School in the world. There were 50 sections, each section had about 40-50 students. The early 1990’s when you were going to school, was in all probability completely different, from the late 50’s. Aguado was a no-no to go to during my time. Parang little Tondo yun noon, though not as bad, but I would not venture inside except to walk along Pascual Casal. Why did you live so far from UST?
    Rod

  13. Solo Galura on September 24th, 2008 9:39 am

    wow. i hope to have a story like that in architecture. hehe

  14. Gerry Alanguilan on September 24th, 2008 9:40 am

    Rod, I took Grade 5-6, and High School at San Beda College. That place beside Mapa was almost ideal if not for the incorrigible landlords. We had to move to Aguado after a year. Ironically, 3 years after graduating from UST, we moved to an apartment beside UST. My brother is still living there with his family. :)

    Wow, I didn’t know Aguado had that kind of reputation. I lived there from 1978 to 1993… almost 15 years, and it seemed rather peaceful. Of course, behind our compound was a small squatter area. It got rowdy once in a while, but it never felt dangerous to me.

  15. Pat on September 24th, 2008 9:40 am

    Klasikero ka pala!

  16. Rod Samonte on September 24th, 2008 9:40 am

    Gerry,
    Manila boy ka din pala if you were there for 15 years. Akala ko’y purong San Pablo ka. Aguado had that reputation at that time. Years later I had a kumpare who lived there, and I used to visit and it was not that bad. The place where I lived in Balik-balik was even worse during that period. Panaan at batuhan gabi-gabi. Slowly and one-by-one however the bad seeds got killed. Now it’s a really peaceful place. My brother and sister still live there.
    Rod

  17. auggie on September 24th, 2008 9:41 am

    Rod,

    Ito ba yung kasikatan noong Sigue-Sigue Sputnik, OXO,Bahala Na, Komando etc. ? Intramuros then, was No-Man’s Land, Tondo’s Bangkusay and Angustia streets were the main events.

  18. Rod Samonte on September 24th, 2008 9:45 am

    Auggie,
    Tama, OXO at Sigue-Sigue ang kinatatakutan noon. Hindi ko na alam yung iba mong binanggit. Bangkusay oo, talagang maraming krimen at patayan doon. Intramuros, marami lang mga squatters, pero hindi magulo. Nagpupunta pa ako sa Intramuros noon, oks lang. Minsan may nakita pa akong movie shooting, sineng espadahan, naka-custume sila, may mga kabayo, naroon sina Mario Montenegro at Delia Razon. Ang ganda ni Delia Razon. Hindi ko alam kung anong pelikula.
    Rod