Lirio Salvador

One man’s junk is another man’s playable instrument, according to the guitar in front of me made out of bicycle forks, cogs and several dinner spoons. Filipino-born Lirio Salvador’s pieces of art have surged in interest from the two industries these machines fall under. So how has his work gone from workshop to worldwide attention? The humble musician seated in front of me can’t fathom a definite reason. ‘I don’t know!’ Lirio smiles, hands shrugging in the air. ‘An art gallerist saw my work in a magazine and wanted one. And another one.’

When he was 16, Lirio wanted a guitar but couldn't afford it. He didn’t let this get in the way of joining a band. His first instrument was made out of discarded metals from art school: the steel pipe and two-stringed steel pipe which at first glance didn't look like it could do anything, made a sound. ‘It was improvising on what was already there,’ he says of why he selected the materials. It wasn’t until his teacher suggested hanging the pipe guitar on the wall of an exhibit that his creation was looked at as more than just a noise-maker. It was bought at the exhibition that night for 2,000 Philippine pesos (S$70).

Since then, the world has been hearing and asking for the works Lirio has produced. Hong Kong’s auction house Christie’s brought these intricate instruments under the hammer on an a stage on the art circuit, giving Lirio some much-needed attention to his craft – as well as the HK$110,000 (S$17,000) winning bid. Lirio laughs with a shrug of his shoulders when I asked how his work became under the mallet. ‘At the time my friends and I just wanted to play music. I wasn’t expecting it to be bought. I thought: Great, now I’ve got money,’ Lirio laughs.

With the design itself being a masterpiece concept with each instrument, it was a shock to see his attempt at counting how many he’s made. ‘A lot [laughs]. Hundreds?’ he asks me, hoping I had the answer. ‘Most people buy it to put it on their wall.’

His next piece was a saxophone connected to a discarded television set that reacted to the sounds played. When asked about the electronic side of construction, he smiles. ‘Experimenting and testing. I did one class in electronics, but a lot of electric shocks,’ he laughs. ‘Many times. Hundreds.’

The recognition from his work hasn’t fazed the laidback lover of scrap, who jokingly refers to his daytime job as 'a professional drinker', but his experimental band Elemento is not as calming as Lirio’s disposition.

‘It’s too noisy for them. Even the punks, they don’t want to hear. But they want to see. They come to the show, they stay, plug their ears and stay in the middle of the bar.’

Noise might sum up the improv music of Elemento, but the musicians are more the silent type, which leads to the conclusion that actions definitely speak louder. ‘Most of the people want to see the work, but not hear it,’ Lirio jokes when describing the musical process.

‘We were invited in the punk movement. I thought it had a lot of symbolism to our music. But [the design] was also to knock people away who were climbing on stage,’ he gestures with nudges.

His synthesizer with a built-in theremin, bass string and multiple USB connections offers a fully functional machine. Other parts, like a portable cheese grater on one of his guitars brought in, is not necessarily used for its primary function. ‘Salads aren’t part of the show,’ he points to the grater.

Lirio Salvador performed on 16 July as part of the Van Gogh Alive: The Exhibition at the ArtScience Museum.