The Epitome of Function: Inside TOTC’s Creations

In a metropolis where a high rise of abstract and individual artistic set-ups come to play, the desire to stand out is a natural response.

Can you cite an experience where design meets function?

In the famous axiom of Louis Sullivan, a reputable architect known for modernist architecture and industrial design, implied a guiding light where form always meets function. This idea emphasizes the form or shape of a structure within an organism is correlated to the purpose or function of that structure.

Needless to say, many of today’s structure follow that idea- although some may challenge it.

Nelvir “TOTC” Co, or better known as TOTC (Tot-see), is a Bacolod City-based Filipino artist who has the ability to intrude art in a modernized and regenerative way. His unique creations has brought the power of Sullivan’s idea into life- at the same time provokes it.

Co, who has been doing creative and brilliant artistry for over 20 years, is a proud member of the Black Artists of Asia, a group which gathers the most noteworthy artists in the Philippines.

In his recent solo exhibit, “Witness Lines,” Co managed to pull off incredible pieces of functional art in the form of welding and making outdoor and indoor sculptures, as well as functional art like candelabras and furniture from scrap wood.

His visions has showed how limitless the mind can become.

“I created all these pieces from scrap wood, turning it into something functional, and artistic at the same time,” Co said to Negros Daily Bulletin.

He added, that the sense of purpose of these pieces remain alive even if it may look peculiar and different.

You can find pieces like colorful “candelabras” (lamp) which are peculiarly molded together out of wood; birthing anonymous shapes and lines out of Co’s imagination. If you can look closely into these pieces, there is brilliance in its concepts; it’s great for high-end commercial establishments as well as homes that enjoy an adventurous touch of unique functional art.

“It hits differently for me after discovering that this is where my heart belongs,” Co stated after telling how he was exploring all sorts of mediums and art until he found a “home” in inventing and re-creating furniture and sculptures.

In collaboration with Sonia Interiors where most of his works are being sold and displayed, his designs were an eye candy to foreign viewers as well as to fellow artists who visited.

Co, who is allured to more creative and “out-of-the-box” pieces, has never missed the value of function into his style.

Witness Lines, was a two day exhibition held last December 17 at Block 17, Artspace, Art District, Mandalagan.* (Kristine G. Alonso)