The Wood Whisperer

In his hands, wood yields until it fulfills its destiny.

A Benji Reyes chair isn’t just a chair. It’s a work of art. An heirloom piece. A triumph of imagination’s persistence.

Benji Reyes calls himself a carpenter. “Because that’s what I am. I make chairs and tables and beds and doors,” he told us when we visited him in his house in Antipolo a few months back. Yes, he welcomed us into the home he built with his own hands.

I received one of Benji’s most recognizable pieces, the Rajah, from a friend. Fit for royalty, it is a high-backed chair made of a mix of Ipil, Dao and Kamagong, I believe. But despite being made of hard wood, the chair follows my movement whenever I lean back. That’s because, according to Benji, the chair was inspired by the principle of the bow. The chair’s back flexes so it moves with you. A curious thing for wood to do.

But that’s the genius of Benji Reyes. He looks at a piece of wood and instinctively knows what it can become.

Poised to showcase his works in a much-awaited exhibit, Benji showed us pieces he was working on. One furniture piece we saw stunned me. Two pieces of wood coming together like soulmates, embracing each other, no nail, no glue, just the skillful putting together of wood to become a table. How it was done defied comprehension. And yet, it was utterly beautiful.

He said he works according to the natural contour of the wood. I believe him. Because I’ve seen massive doors turned into brilliant sculptural pieces. One whole piece of wood sculpted to create a door, the handlebars and all the design elements never a separate piece.

But Benji says an artist always knows when to stop. “Design is common sense. ‘Pag sobra, nagiging baduy, dapat sakto lang,” he shared. The element of surprise in his work is tempered by simplicity.

Benji Reyes took up Architecture in UST then went to the University of the Philippines to take up Fine Arts. He intimated stories of how, as a student, he used to beg for materials from the university custodian to create his pieces. He started working with Palo China because it was the cheapest wood. Then he started picking up, literally picking up, tree parts that others used to throw away. “Alam mo ‘yung tinatapon na nilang part ng puno, ‘yun ang ginagamit ko noon.” He reminisced about a time people threw away Narra Burl or Amboyna Burl which is now highly-prized. He said, “Noong nagkaroon ng demand, alam na nila ang value.”

Benji builds with his own hands. It’s daunting work for lesser men. “Bago ako magsimula, nililiha ko muna ang kahoy. Tapos bago ikabit, nililiha ulit. Kapag buo na, nililiha ko ulit.” That’s why each Benji piece is smooth. He actually dared me to run my hands against the wood in his house- the chairs, the stairs, the edges of every table. My hand glided so softly on every surface.

The photo that best captures his hard work is one that shows him holding down a piece of wood with his own feet. A photo he captioned, “The Best Clamps In The World.” Indeed!

We visited his home because I wanted to get another chair to pair with the Rajah. My husband’s late parents had a pair of Narra botaka chairs and I still have this image of them sweetly spending afternoons together sitting in those chairs. So I wanted a pair of Benji chairs for my husband and me for when we grow older. Benji asked me to sit down and try out the different chairs to find the one that’s a perfect fit. I guess, it’s the same for finding works of art. You have to choose which one speaks to you. Or, perhaps, it is in chairs as it is in love. You just know.

Then I found it. The Pedro. The moment I sat on it, the chair touched my lumbar area as if trying to say everything will be okay. It was uncanny because I had lumbar spinal surgery just a few months back and that part of me was aching for comfort or reassurance or, yes, a little loving. And, maybe, the chair was an ode to my humble childhood. Simple Pedro.

When I asked Benji when I could have the chair if I chose to order one, he said I could have it in January next year. He needed time to make it. It’s a testament to the passion he devotes to his craft and art. Every single piece is built, polished and finished to perfection before it gets stamped with his name.

And here’s the amazing thing about a Benji piece. Each one is made of recycled wood. He waits until a tree is fallen. Or until an old house gets torn apart. Or until somebody decides a piece of wood is useless. That’s when he rescues it and reincarnates it into a piece of functional art.

“Walang namatay na puno sa paggawa ko ng bahay.” When he said it, I knew exactly what sets him apart as an artist. It’s his respect for the very thing that allows him to do what he loves best.

xoxo