By Carl Kuntze

17 April 2008

LATTICE ART

by

Carl Kuntze

Edgar Bayani, semi-retired Filipino advertising photographer, began experimenting

with lattice images in 1998, using illustration boards as prototypes. He was searching for new ways to display his photographs. His results, while quite striking, didn't really leap to

the eye to command attention until he converted to wood. It was an eminently difficult pro-

cess, deconstructing, then reassembling his images on quarter inch slats of plywood, then

glueing them into a solid base, but the effect he obtained from the translated picture were so unique and emotionally evocative, he continued producing them. Even pedestrian snap-

shots became portrayals of uncommon beauty. It takes three weeks of painstaking, almost

uninterrupted labor to produce a 30" by 40" lattice picture, so he has to charge accordingly,

limiting commissions, but he's content to work from his own pictures. His works came to

public attention when former classmates from his fine arts school asked him to submit a few

pictures for a group exhibit. He sent two lattice panels, which stood out among conventional paintings submitted by his contemporaries. Deconstructed, then reassembled photo-graphs from 140 separate slats , they, nevertheless, were hypnotic visual magnets.

Bayani had been an industrial and advertising photographer for nearly thirty five years. He got there through a circuitous route, starting out in news, dance photography, then

shooting movie stills for runaway productions for US drive-ins. When he accumulated eno-

ugh capital, he opened his studio, developing a reputation for dependability. "In focus.

Well composed. Properly exposed. On Time" He explains his success. Meeting dead-lines was crucial for his chosen field. His training in art was never neglected. Not only was it

evident in his photography, he persisted drawing and painting in his spare time. He also

engaged in woodworking for relaxation. That he could combine his hobby with his occupa-tion was fortuitous. He begins with with a sheet of plywood, carving tracks with a mechanical tool. Then he gathers quarter inch slats 40 inches long. Planing each slat smooth, then sha-ving connective slots by hand. He then lays the woodwork aside.

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Selecting the picture he wants to lattice, he scans them into his computer with a UMax 2000 scanner, scaling the dimensions to a ratio to produce 30 by 40 " images at 100 dpi. He saves the image after converting it to a grayscale, then reduces the file size to one manageable by his program. Regulating the contrast according to his judgement, he applies the straight line screen, adjjusting the screen lines to 3.5 per inch. Extracts a small portion to print in his Epson 1200 printer to evaluate the actual width of the lines. He corrects any aberration, then prints another small portion to ascertain it comes up to 1/4 inch per line. He then types the numbers inside the lines on opposite sides of the photo for consecutive sequencing. Saving as TIFF, he places it in illustrator program and readjusting the document size to 30 by 40 ", tiles all imageable areas so they can be printed in 9 13 x 17 panels (Super A3 size) leaving three quarter inch borders on areas to be joined. Carefully aligning the segments to a single 30 by 40 " image, he binds them together with adhesive. Then, using a straight edge utility knife guided by a metal ruler, he slits the lines a little less than 1/4th inch to produce 140 slrips 1/4th inch by 30 inches long.

He returns to the wooden slats prepared beforehand. The precise dimensions of the 140 pieces of wood is 1/4 x 2 x 30. The strips are glued on the 1/4th of an inch face.

The printed strips are his carving guides. He scrapes off all the dark areas leaving the light

portions on both sides of each slat, numbering each one so as not to lose the sequence after removing excelss media. The slats are then thinly coated with Elmer's Wood Glue and laid one by one in predetermined tracks on the 30 by 40 marine plywood bed, image

side exposed. Small pieces of spacers (measurijg about 1/16th of an inch, the size of a popsickle stick) separate each slat. Once the reconstruction is complete, the lattice are laid

on a flat surface to set for a day. Finishing is done by sanding the sides and surface smooth, followed by the application of two coats of Boysen Clear Gloss Varnish. The

lattice is now ready for viewing.

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The subject dancers in two of his lattice images are members of The Moscow City

Ballet Troupe, who were visiting performers in Manila about a decade before. His nudes are quiet examinations of form rather than sensuality. The family portrait was provided by the client, a wealthy real estate developer. Edgar Bayani is currently experimenting with

aluminum prints, commencing with small ones until he has tamed the medium.

His instruments are:

PowerMac 8500 Computer

UMax 2000 Scanner

Epson 1200 Printer

A 36 inch metal ruler

A common utility knife with replaceable blades.

Materials are:

Epson ink cartridges.

A3 Photographic Paper, either Kodak, Epson, or Canon.

Marine Plywood for Base. Slats for photostrips.

Elmer's Carpenter Glue. Full strength to attach wood. Diluted to attach strips.

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Although Edgar Bayani may not have been aware of it. Perhaps, his inspiration comes from a subliminal memory embedded in his mind. Islamic Puertra, rectilinear inter-laced lattices, found in woodwork (artesonado ceilings, mosque minbars, doors and win-dows.), inlay furniture, ceramic tiles (courtyards, cupolas, roofs.) wrought iron, stucco reliefs,

tapestry, and other Islamic art and architectural disciplines, past and present, especially in Al-Andalus, and later, Spanish Mudejar, designs of intricate complexity.

(Source: Javier Sanchez Gonzalez, Geometric Architecture. )

Examples can be found in The Alcazar (Segovia, Spain.), Konya Museum (Turkey.)

The Alcazar (Malaga, Spain.) among many others in The Middle East.

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