image: Raquel’s Piña Cloth Products
This Thursday, May 13, the Vancouver Art Gallery continues its Art Connects, series of online gatherings encouraging dialogue and connection in these times of physical distancing.
Streamed on the the Vancouver Art Gallery Zoom channel, this next special talk features artist Ralph Escamillan, fashion historian Gino Gonzales and textile designer Carlo Reporen Eliserio sharing the history and everlasting significance of piña (pineapple) textile in the Philippines and beyond.
It is at the centre of Escamillan’s newest performance work under his company FakeKnot. In this Art Connects, Escamillan will invite us into his research, and, joined by Gonzales and Eliserio, they will take us on a journey through the history of Piña—how it is cultivated, woven, and worn historically.
Piña fabric is widely known as a lustrous, transparent cloth made from pineapple leaf fibers, which are stripped off, dried, tied together to form a continuous strand, and then woven. It has been used to make a variety of products from clothing, bags, scarves, and even furniture upholstery. Piña fabric weaving has become an integral part of Filipino culture and demonstrates the history of Spanish colonialism in the Philippines in the mid 16th century and the cross-cultural impacts of this time.
This talk, being offered as part of Vancouver Art Gallery’s Institute of Asian Art, and taking place during Asian Heritage Month, will offer simultaneous translation from English into Tagalog and will be broadcasted live in Manila.
Art Connects with Ralph Escamillan, Performance Artist-Choreographer-Teacher, Gino Gonzales, Fashion Historian, and Carlo Reporen Eliserio, Textile Designer takes place Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 5PM PST (Friday, May 14, 2021 at 8AM Local Time in Manila, Philippines)
Registration is required to receive the Zoom link, to RSVP for Art Connects visit vanartgallery.bc.ca.