Facade of DLS-CSB School of Design and Arts
Yesterday (May 15, 2008) was the feast day of St. John Baptist de La
Salle and the first year anniversary of De La Salle-College
of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB)'s strikingly modern School
of Design and Arts (SDA) Campus. To celebrate that special day was the unveiling of a "large-scale wall installation" that features the
embroidery products of Lumban, Laguna.
Dubbed "[re]frame-manila," the design project was aimed at
assisting artisans in Laguna, particularly in Lumban, apply their traditional
creative practices to new and contemporary contexts. The project is a collaboration between DLS-CSB, Pinagkaisang
Magbuburda ng Lumban (PML), and The Omnium Research Group based at the University of New South
Wales in Sydney,
Australia.
CSB President Br Vic Franco FSC (center) is surrounded by [re]frame team members
The [re]frame concept focuses on the detailed and intricate
nature of existing traditional Filipino embroidery techniques by framing off
small sections of the work and placing them in an entirely new contemporary
context.
Embroidery is one of the world's oldest crafts. It involves
creative stitching that transforms woven cloth into intricately designed and
luxurious fabrics. In the Philippines,
typical materials embroidered on include materials indigenous to the Philippines,
such as piña, jusi, filsilk, abaca, cotton ramie or pinukpok. Embroidered products may also be dyed, painted on or beaded
as an additional decorative elements. Lumban burdaderos (embroiderers) have learned the tradition
and craft from their elders, with technology and techniques learned through
experience. Over 900 women of the town do embroidery work. Lumban is distinguished especially for their hand-painted
designs and the calado or drawn-thread work, which is characterized by net-like
patterns on the fabric.
However, despite being celebrated as the burda (embroidery)
capital of the Philippines,
most of the Lumban burdaderos actually come from poor members of the community
who provide cheap labor for the few well-off establishments that have markets
in Manila. The income they generate from the production of the
embroideries is very low and the work hours are long and laborious. Many other
parties are also involved in the process of creating these products, which
dilutes the final profit.
Another issue faced by the embroiderers is the embroidered
products themselves. The embroideries are beautiful and intricate, yet demand
is seasonal as designs and uses are extremely traditional, such as for Filipino
formal wear. This issue makes sustainable commercial viability difficult for
the embroiderers.
Through the exhibit, it is hoped that new product concepts
can be explored and developed. The end-goal is to bring the textiles into a new
and modern context so as to increase their marketability, create a new support
system to empower the small-time embroiderers of PML, and ultimately, generate
more sustainable income for the artisans, as well as explore additional product
and livelihood options in the area. The key to this idea of reframing and re-contextualization
of the embroideries is that the embroideries do not remain simply an artistic
installation, but rather a marketable product.
The installation is 4.8 meters wide by 11 meters high and
consists of over 2,500 embroidery pieces, each framed with recycled timber, all
produced locally.
Pinagkaisang
Magbuburda ng Lumban rep gives a talk before the unveiling
For this installation, each framed detail of textile can
also be viewed as individual pieces that can be used on their own as personal
or interior design or personal accents. Within this context, the embroideries
are seen in a new and modern light, yet the traditional craftsmanship remains
unaltered. The use of the embroideries is broadened from formal wear to a
contemporary and unique interior design installation.
The re-contextualization aims to create a stronger, more
direct income for the community. The installation at DLS-CSB's state-of-the-art
SDA campus, for example, meant additional labor carried out within the Lumban community,
thus strengthening the work demand for the PML while also supplying a new
stream of work for the woodworkers of Pakil, Laguna in the form of creating the
frames. In addition, the ongoing cross-collaboration between Benilde
and UNSW in the research and design process aims to ultimately result in a
self-sustaining artisan community in Lumban.
The ties that bind DLS-CSB to Lumban go as far back as 1995
when the College began various programs in the community, such as student
immersion activities, annual coastal clean-ups, livelihood development
programs, and other forms of community service. It was in 2002, through the College's Microfinance Project
and the then Caucus for Poverty Reduction under the De La Salle System, when
PML was organized. Responding to the need for marketing support expressed by
small-time embroiderers in Lumban, Laguna, the organization hoped to enable the
community to maintain the quality and sustain the tradition of producing
embroidered products.
The inspiration for the piece
In 2004, a stronger commitment was forged between PML and
DLS-CSB when it became a partner of the College in its Community Development
Program. In 2006, the school partnered with the UNSW for postgraduate programs
in design and arts. The partnership later on expanded to involve more than just
academic concerns. With a vision of aiding creative communities in various
locations around the globe, UNSW's Omnium Research Group joined PML and DLS-CSB
in 2007 in developing a design project that would eventually become
[re]frame-manila.
Pictures courtesy of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and Cesar de Larrazabal
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