MANILA — Robert Alejandro, RAA Design owner and prolific sketcher, kickstarted today’s adobo Design Series by teaching the participants, who are also designers, illustrators and design enthusiasts, how to create a design that does not give a f***. To do that, says Robert, designers have to let go and break the norm.
“Letting go is not a bad idea. Sometimes you get more results by letting go,” said Robert.
Van Gogh is Bipolar, a restaurant owned by Jetro Rafael, according to Robert, is the epitome of design that does not give a f*** because Jetro is crazy. In fact, he literally is. Jetro is clinically diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, “Jetro is insane. You know the line between ingenuity and insanity? I see that. It’s very, very close. It’s amazing,” said Robert.
According to Jetro, who joined the aDA Series Q&A session, he never planned for Van Gogh is Bipolar to become a place where people could come and eat, “Everything happened accidentally. It’s like an accidental restaurant. I created this creative space as my personal space because at that time I was going bonkers and actually still am.”
The design principle of Van Gogh is Bipolar is unstudied, nothing is calculated and it changes regularly. It houses really unique areas—The Darkroom where people can freely write their demons and negative emotions on the walls using fluorescent pens which are then illuminated by a black light, and The Red Wall where people can write, this time, about the exact opposite, positive feelings and love.
Because the restaurant is headed by a cuckoo chef, as Jetro considers himself, the food they serve claims to have an effect on the moods of the people who take it—the meals are mostly organic, fresh and natural. According to Robert, Jetro did this to stabilize himself, “I don’t advise you to stop taking your medication, your anti-psychotic drugs. It just doesn’t work for me so I created this diet,” joked Jetro.
People from in and out of the country flock to Jetro’s restaurant for the unique experience. It has been recognized by international media outlets like CNN and BBC.
Robert recalls that he used to be a very clean and organized designer. It also helps that he is a children’s book illustrator and works with the stationery and gift item brand, Papemelroti. But after working with Jetro and Van Gogh is Bipolar, he said that he learned to let go, “Perfection is also about letting go.”
It saddens Robert though that we don’t see much of this brut art, or what he calls art para sa mag sira ulo, “We hardly see this in Manila. Everything is so calculated here.”
So, Robert advises designers, especially those who work in advertising, “ You can portray advertising and design, and be wild and free, and fresh. It doesn’t have to conform. Because that’s what resonates with us—when we see something completely new.”
