28 Sep 2019

National Museum of the Philippines' Textile Programme Presented in Geneva

The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP), an ASEMUS member, is launching in Geneva, Switzerland the Hibla ng Lahing Filipino Travelling Exhibition, Lecture Series, Weaving Demonstrations, and Embroidery Workshops featuring Piña-Seda: Pineapple and Silk Cloths from the Philippines. The events will be held at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), AB Building in Geneva from 30 September to 9 October 2019. A separate panel discussion on the role of women in the creative industries of the Philippines is also scheduled at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) site at Palais des Nations on 7 October 2019. Expert piña-seda weavers Gemma Tomolin and Cerila Crisostomo from Tibiao, Antique and expert piña-seda embroiderers Lolita Pereza and Asuncion Castillo from Lumban, Laguna will conduct and facilitate weaving and embroidery demonstrations and workshops, respectively. NMP Deputy Director-General for Museums and Hibla ng Lahing Filipino Program Head, Ana Maria Theresa P. Labrador, PhD will lead the lectures on government initiatives on the promotion of Philippine indigenous fibers and handwoven textiles, Philippine textile heritage, and economic prospects for weavers and embroiderers, among others. The Hibla exhibition in Geneva is made possible through partnerships between NMP and the Office of Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda (ODSLL), Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva headed by Ambassador Evan P. Garcia, WIPO, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippine (IPOPhil), and UNCTAD. According to Ambassador Garcia, the exhibition is an opportunity to “showcase the finest representation of Philippine culture in our traditional textiles and promote greater recognition of our cultural communities and creative industries.”

Background

Geneva is the 12th destination of Hibla ng Lahing Filipino Travelling Exhibition since its inception in 2017. This year, the NMP has brought the exhibition to the Asian cities of Tokyo, Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; and Singapore. In Europe, the exhibition was featured in London, United Kingdom; Lisbon, Portugal; Madrid, Spain; Frankfurt, Germany; and Prague, Czech Republic. It was also brought to Washington, DC; New York; Honolulu; and San Francisco in the USA. Before the year ends, the NMP plans to bring the exhibition to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The NMP and the ODSLL embarked on the Hibla travelling exhibition in 2017 not only to promote the Philippine indigenous fibers and handwoven textiles but also to establish linkages with textile experts all over the world to create economic opportunities for Filipino weavers and embroiderers as well as the other sectors that benefit from these industries. It is also an opportunity to Filipinos abroad to reconnect to their roots by understanding their heritage through the traditional textiles and hand loom weaving and embroidery. Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda encourages Filipinos living in Geneva and nearby cities to visit and take part in the weaving and embroidery demonstrations and workshops. Guests can witness loom weaving and extracting pineapple fibers from the leaves, as well as embroidering on a piña-seda fabric.