May 5, 2021, Vancouver, BC – On May 13, join the Vancouver Art Gallery for a special talk with artist Ralph Escamillan, fashion historian Gino Gonzales and textile designer Carlo Reporen Eliserio to share 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, will offer simultaneous translation from English into Tagalog and will be broadcasted live in Manila.
WHO:
Ralph Escamillan, Performance Artist, Choreographer, Teacher
Gino Gonzales, Fashion Historian
Carlo Reporen Eliserio, Textile Designer
WHEN:
Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 5:00 PM PST or
Friday, May 14, 2021 at 8:00 AM Local Time in Manila, Philippines
WHERE:
Vancouver Art Gallery ZOOM channel
To RSVP: CLICK HERE
Art Connects is generously supported by RBC and Jane Irwin and Ross Hill.
Piña by FakeKnot is also supported through:
Dance Victoria’s Chrystal Dance Prize British Columbia Arts Council’s PIVOT for Individuals program
Image Credit: Raquel’s Piña Cloth Products
ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION
CART Services (Communication Access Realtime Translation) are available for Public Programs upon request. Please provide seven business days of advance notice prior to an event. We will make every effort to meet requests made outside of this window of time.
To place a request, please contact Stephanie Bokenfohr by email at sbokenfohr@vanartgallery.bc.ca
