“Esquire Philippines took their July 2016 issue to discuss the most pressing threats to urban life in the Philippines: traffic. To illustrate the torturous state of the Philippines’ transportation, Esquire enlisted the help of John Ed De Vera, a Filipino artist who is better known on Instagram as @battery_full. De Vera used his unique style of paper craft to create an artistic translation of a common scene in urban Philippines, specifically Metro Manila—traffic jams, faulty trains, and general over-crowding, always made worse by bad weather. Inside, Esquire consulted with urban planners and motoring journalists for a feature on the state of traffic, alongside other automotive-related stories.” – coverjunkie

Editor: Kristine Fonacier
Art Director: Paul Villariba
Photographer (Cover): Paul del Rosario

Crafted to complement a cover feature on the poor state of Manila’s transportation infrastructure, this piece was created with intricate layers of cut paper, with the final artwork serving as a beautiful representation of the capital city’s chaos. Here are some WIP photos from one of my favorite projects in 2016. Special thanks to Kara Ortiga for the opportunity.