Forest Foundation Philippines, in partnership with the British Council Philippines, launched RE-STORY-ATION: Weaving creators, communities, and connections, an exhibit that showcases the works of our Woven Network Grantees who participated in our Scoping Grant with the British Council in 2022. Each grantee worked in collaboration with various stakeholders in the focal landscapes of the Foundation.
In Sierra Madre, Forest Foundation grantee Panublix, a social enterprise, worked with indigenous artisans of Isabela to pilot a business model for the textile industry that weaves forest conservation in its value chain. One of their outputs is the production of bamboo fabrics, in collaboration with the DOST-PTRI and woven with their partner weavers from Indigenous Enabel Crafts.
Another grantee, LifeCollege, a sustainable enterprise in Palawan, worked with communities in Palawan to share their stories and cultures in relation to the forests through exhibiting their woven products. They have DIY kits available for visitors to try and make their own coasters.
For Samar and Leyte, grantee Carmen Lopez of HerStore Asia worked with 6 local enterprises in Samar and Leyte and co-designed products with British-Filipino designer Diana Auria. Aside from woven products, their exhibit also features a short documentary film commemorating the 10th anniversary of Typhoon Yolanda and the stories of resilience of the communities who remain dreamers, creators, and storytellers despite the devastation from the typhoon.
In Mindanao, grantee Emanuelle Andaya worked with the indigenous communities of Higaonon in Bukidnon, also called Peace Weavers, as their textiles are traditionally given as a peace offering during tribal conflicts. Rising from the artists and communities’ desire to bring back the real value of textiles from their experience with misplaced consumerist values, her project highlights instead, the stories of labor, the stories of the forests where resources come from, and the traditional knowledge passed on from generations to generations.
Dr. Shirley Guevara, Dean of the UP College of Home Economics shared her support for the projects saying, “These activities are aligned with our advocacy of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, specifically the use of indigenous materials. Thank you for this opportunity and we hope to see more collaborations like this in the future.”
The Re-story-ation launch was attended by the grantees and their collaborators, as well as students and faculty of the UP College of Home Economics.
The exhibit is open to the public and will run from December 12, 2023 to March 11, 2024 at the UP CHE Costume Museum in UP Diliman, Quezon City.
