- Low stock - 1 item left
- Backordered, shipping soon
This piece is part of the exhibition Innovative Threads: Contemporary Weaving on at the Alberta Craft Gallery - Calgary from January 25 to April 12, 2025.
"In 2018, I came across a kusikus rug online and I was drawn in by its psychedelic pattern. I learned that it was a pattern traditionally woven by the Ilokano people in the Philippines, and that they believed the pattern confused and warded off evil spirits. As an Ilokano myself, and learning about this textile for the first time, I was very intrigued by it.
Shortly after, I told my dad about it and he said, "Oh, you're interested in weaving? Did you know your Lola comes from a family of weavers?" That was when my weaving journey truly began. It became a way for me to not only learn traditional ways of weaving but to connect more deeply with my ancestors and my Ilokano identity.
I work only with natural materials (cotton, linen, etc.). I also recently purchased some abaca and pineapple weaving yarn from the Philippines. It's important for me to try and use materials traditional to my ancestral lands. However, I am open to utilizing local materials from Canada as well because it is where I was raised and speaks to my experience as someone of the Filipino diaspora."
2024
handwoven cotton
236 x 39 cm with 10 cm fringe