A digital archive of some century-old images of the Philippines turn in to full color images
Role: Product Owner, Colorizer, Creative Designer
Date: August 2016 - Present
Brief
A generation of modest living existed more than a centuries ago. Neo-classic buildings, unpaved rustic roads, pristine river water and lush green trees swaying through the breeze of the freshest air; one can only just imagine what this deep-rooted land looked in its heyday. Nowadays, when we talk about history, we usually imagine it in sepia or monochromatic colors. But to realize that there's more color in our history than we may be aware of.
Crafted as a digital archive of some century-old historical photos of the Philippines, these images aremeticulously restored and colorizedwith research-based methods, connecting them to significant,historical, cultural and personal stories.
The Beginning
I discovered photo restoration and colorization in 2015. One morning while having coffee, my Mom approached and asked if I can restore one of her old 35mm sepia photos, a family image of her childhood days with her siblings. She wanted me to clean it up, restore the details and probably enlarge it so we can reprint it. But I had a better idea and that is to add colors into it.
By the time that I showed the after product, it was then that nostalgia has set in for my mom; so she started telling mestories of her younger days, back when life was much simpler. She said that there were just few buildings, fewer cars. One can savor the fresh breeze as the lush green trees sway beside the very pristine Pasig River. She was telling me her past. Shewas remembering her life, reliving her memories. It was hers and, at the same time, our History.
Process
When there's an old photo, I see depth in it. It expresses soul, it speak its own space that leads me to be more curious, especially when it tells about a personal story, and more so our history. Along with the fast-pace evolution of our technology, the new generation is faced with a drastic shift of views towards history. That's why when it comes to process, I put more time and effort on research more than the creative work.
By restoring these old aged photos, I hope history becomes more relatable to the people and gives a sense familiarity from the world that once was lived. The goal is not just to put color in to the photos but more so, to showcase our history through a more personal and vibrant perspective.
Why is research very important?
The least objective of this whole process is to mislead the audience with wrong information. We need to study the story of the photo, the environment, clothes, skin, eyes, hair, the culture, event, the shadings, even the time when the photo was taken, then meticulously scrutinize every details of the photo down to its smallest element, to finally apply color on it. We collect information coming from all sources, may it be from archives, libraries, internet, and even personal narratives from resource persons.
As we zoom out and see the whole picture, a colorized photo expresses itself a whole new air, a more vibrant perspective.
Why restore and colorize these photos?
With the evolving revolution of technology comes the change in our views towards history. Viewers nowadays are somewhat disengaged from the essence and stories of the past, creating a gap of generation. By adding colors to these portraits, history is brought a little closer to the present. Colors help to give a little bit of a glimpse into the world of the past, and gives an opportunity to experience the life they once lived. No colorized photo can replace the original monochromatic photos, but it hopes to further appreciate our history in a colorful perspective.
Milestone
To date, Philippine History in Color has been privileged to be part of Filipinas Heritage Library’s milestone, celebrating their 20th Anniversary by hosting a first-of-its-kind exhibit entitled, COLOR IN HISTORY: FHL Now 20. First shown at the Ayala Museum in 2016, the exhibit is brought to De La Salle University – Dasmariñas (October 2016), De La Salle Santiago Zobel School (August 2017), De La Salle College of Saint Benilde (February 2018) and TEDxUPLB Event (April 2018).
Learnings
From a simple favor from my Mom, I had this eagerness to hunt the “treasure trove” of old images of the Philippines. And what was initially for nostalgic reasons, grew in me; that in my own little way, I’m doing something worthy for the country. My curiosity for these moments and love for my country led me to creating a project called “Philippine History in Color”.
Again, the main reason behind colorization is not to distort an image or alter the photos or any historical facts. Rather, to further promote the values and lessons of our past; re-introduce and share it to the new generation of audience. We can never replace the value of the oldblack and white photos, there is depth in it. It expresses soul, especially when it tells about a personal story, and more so, our past. It is arecord of someone’s personal experience. And because it is such, I put as much time and effort on research more than the creative work.
It is not the intention of this whole exhibit to mislead the audience nor give them the wrong information. Yes! The colors are my own interpretation of the shades. But again, the goal is not just to put colors into photos, but to rediscover, to relive,and to see our history in a more vibrant perspective.
The main goal of this project is to celebrate our history now more than ever. Remember, our generation is next in the history books. Let us not waste our time doing something that may lead to nothing. We may never witness and experience those historical moments but that doesn’t mean we should distance ourselves from it. We should read, research, relearn, relive and revisit our history. These archives recorded our country’s timeline and are handed through generations. These photos, and our history deserves greater respect, diligence and appreciation from us, from as well as for the next generation.
We can at least start by imagining how colorful our country was; appreciate how beautifully manifested it is today, and from there on, maybe wecan save what is still left for us. We need to study our history to be able tounderstand our society. When we get to understand the lessons of our history,then that is the time when we can start again, help build this country.
