Musician
Delfino Torres III
Delfino Torres III or “Delfin”, creates musical instruments from repurposed scrap items. It’s his ingenuine and innovative approach in upcycling materials into musical instruments which he uses for his musical performances and tools to conduct workshops. Besides being a recycler and a musician, he is also a hand painter and an administrator of a vocation which he named “ Handmade Ethnic Instruments”. Delfin was born and raised in Baguio. He started to travel the country when he was an architecture student in college at the age of 18. While traveling, he immersed himself with different cultures of traditional music in festivals and learned the various ethnic art patterns of each province he visited. His journeys ignited his passion for the arts and his love for music. His attained knowledge came from a senior artist who taught him about music. Besides being mentored, he derives inspiration from theater arts and cultural films. Since Kidlat Tahimik is a national artist for film in the Philippines, Delfin admires his artistry. As Delfin progressed towards his career, he consistently continued to feed his creative comprehension with art, music and the peace in nature. He’s been creating musical instruments, painting art and performing his style of music for more than 15 years.
Delfin’s Works
The materials and tools Delfin uses consists of wood, paints, beads, cord. PVC pipes, rattan and brushes. He gets his materials by saving scraps, bartering unused items and from the local “Ukay”. “Ukays” are thrift shops popular in the Philippines where people buy clothes from digging into a pile of clothing. He utilizes the natural shape of driftwood by crafting it into the form of an animal or the abstract construction of nature. Before he starts to craft an instrument or paint an artwork, he takes a walk and basks in what nature offers him. He meditates and taps into his inner peaceful state to conceptualize an idea. He sketches his ideas and conducts research on how the process is conducted. It takes three to two months to finish a single painting or instrument project.
He is known for mixing various art media in painting. In regards to his music, he stated that he is known for his emotionally and spiritually touching music. The communities he engages with are captivated and eager to learn the meaning of Delfin’s philosophy through art and music. His talent is unique for his music gives a healing ambiance to the people he interacts with. It’s important for Delfin to share his knowledge to people that lack encouragement and motivation but are interested in what he does. His wisdom awakens the creative and musical prowess of the youth he mentors. Delfin defines by virtue of what makes art and music beautiful. It is how an artist portrays their story and struggle through art and music. In his opinion, art is valued because of what way we interpret it.
Delfin encourages everyone to add art and music everyday into their time. Art can be beneficial to our mental health especially with the incorporation of colors and harmonious music like what Delfin creates. His music is an infusion of culture with a traditional but sustainable approach. After all his ventures, he believes that Baguio City is the center of creativity. The atmosphere the city breathes inspires him to continue performing his music to his audience.
information
Facebook:
Devendra Delfino
Location:
Little Milkyway, Ili-likha Artists’ Watering Hole, Baguio City