I’ve always been fascinated by the textiles created by the various indigenous people of our country. I myself have visited their places and have seen with my own eyes how they weave and crafted these pieces of works. To them, the designs and patterns, influenced by their surroundings, nature and belief is inherent and flows naturally through them. In Ayala Museum’s newly opened exhibit at its 4th floor galleries, the “Art and the Order of Nature in Indigenous Philippine Textiles” showcase to display the indigenous Philippine textiles in a different light.
“Textiles speak the earliest language that expresses the beginnings of our culture.” according to Mercedes Zobel who generously donated 111 textiles representing indigenous communities in the Philippines from Cordilleras in northern Philippines and from Mindanao in the south, including the Muslim regions in Western Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago.
Collaborating with the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, the exhibit provides a new way of seeing the indigenous Philippine textiles. With the schools extensive knowledge and resource on the world’s crafts and traditions, they were able to analyze, dissect and interpret through traditional geometry and biomorphic design principles a selection of Mercedes Zobel’s collection.
Ayala Museum will be producing various activities and education programs across the duration of this long-term exhibition, allowing museum visitors to go more in-depth into the topic and relate it to multiple disciplines. A publication co-authored by Dr. Patricia Araneta (Outreach Program Director) of the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts and Amihan Lim, Research Assistant with photographs by Neal Oshima is also set to be launched.
For more information about the“Art and the Order of Nature in Indigenous Philippine Textiles”, please contact (632) 759 82 88 or email [email protected].
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