THESIS SYNOPSIS

I've decided to publish my thesis proposal onto this blog in order to give my readers and audience a background on my final thesis for University, and hopefully you all will be able to understand my mindset and my inspiration for this final collection. 

Revival and Survival

Thesis Proposal

Senator Nikki M.L. Coseteng from the Philippines stated, “In this world, only those who have a strong sense of who they are, can insist on their own terms. Only those that can value their real nature can exercise power over global forces” (Pastor-Roces, 3). I have come to the realization that in order to have a strong sense of who I truly am, I must learn more about my heritage and only then will I be able to express myself and to find my identity. Terrance Houle’s Remember in Grade… and the extinction of traditional Inuit practices, more specifically the practice of creating Inuit play dolls provides two examples of the ways in which a loss of culture in the Western world can occur; firstly, by overlooking and forgetting of certain traditions of said culture, and secondly, the prevention and disregarding of teaching and practicing of a culture. Similar to the children in Terrance Houle’s class, which had inspired Remember in Grade…“Too many Filipinos have become incapable of refined craftsmanship, simply because too few of us have seen or heard of the extraordinary qualities of Philippine antiques kept in local and foreign private and public collections” (Pastor-Roces, 3). Many Filipinos simply do not know the traditional artifacts created by our ancestors, therefore the traditions and ultimately the culture will become forgotten. Traditional textiles become seen as something precious when it begins to be forgotten or extinct. Textiles are chosen to conserve the culture as Philippines as “our ancestors, being non-monumentally inclined people, had developed and chose the form of a textile to show their “love for the smallest detail, the most elusive motifs, the most nuanced aesthetics. This is our heritage. We must value it for its intrinsic qualities, instead of pining for the measure of excellence of other societies” (Pastor-Roces, 3). After experiencing and volunteering at Canada Philippine Fashion Week for the past two years, both times being held in June, I became aware that this event it is an effective and inspiring way of showing other cultures about our culture, and good way to keep it alive. So if I could help keep my culture alive, I would want to do it through fashion and textile design.        

            In the first grade, Terrance Houle and his peers were required to make costumes out of paper bags for an Indians and Pilgrims pageant for Thanksgiving. He was reprimanded by his teacher when he had noticed and pointed out the inaccuracy of the costumes to his teacher, even offering to bring in the traditional garments to show his peers. In the piece Remember in Grade… Houle is shown pouting, and wearing a paper bag costume (Houle). This piece shows a loss of culture due to external influences, the influence being his teacher, not allowing him to show and teach others about his culture. Aside from being an example of prevention and disregarding of a culture, this work also raises the question of how others of a different culture, views Filipino-Canadians, their cultures traditions, garments, and essentially the people.        

As the way of learning and playing had changed for Inuit girls, Inuit play dolls had become obsolete; collector dolls developed. These dolls were made only for people from the Southern Canada; these dolls would be bought for their children, or would be bought as souvenirs. Inuit girls never played with these dolls. Pina cloth was seen as the epitome of luxury, refinement and wealth during nineteenth-century Philippines history; pina cloth is woven from the fibres extracted from pineapple leaves. By the twentieth century, “pina production had declined so much that it had to be systematically revived and sponsored” (Roces, 364). The rarity and declining of pina cloth weavers and fabric in the Philippines can be seen as a reflection of a declining of a culture, similar to the loss of the practice of Inuit dolls in Canada. From the perspective of foreigners, pina cloth is identified “… as a souvenir rather than as dress… today’s foreigners see it as a curiosity, as exotic textile” (Roces, 366). Similar to Inuit collector dolls, foreigners see pina cloth as a souvenir, rather than its use to Philippine fashion and the symbolism it has in Philippine history. It is clear that through garments, one can learn and eventually teach others about a culture and its history.

            My involvement in every aspect of the collection is vital to the concept; the materials, techniques and processes must be as sustainable and ethical as possible. The desire to weave fabric for certain aspects of the dresses comes from the aspiration of original woven patterns, and the knowledge that the woven fabrics were made ethically. Also, as weaving “was an integral part of the cultural definition of womanhood in Southeast Asia,” (Roces, 343) it can be seen that the technique of hand weaving a feature of the dresses would be essential. The materials for the woven fabric will most likely be Tussah (wild) Silk, and pina yarn. Tussah is seen as more of a sustainable and ethical alternative, also, silk is a natural fibre, therefore, biodegradable, unlike petroleum-based fabrics, silk can become mulch or compost and would eventually decompose in landfills if it is not repurposed or recycled industrially (McLaren). A natural dye system will also be used to dye the silk instead of buying the silk pre-dyed, as it is important to be aware of how the material was treated and dyed. The natural dyes that will be used are avocado leaves, mango leaves, and banana leaves, as these trees and leaves have a connection to not only my heritage, but to my familial homes.

The result will be a collection of wearable garments, more specifically gowns, which incorporates and modernizes the traditional Philippine garments, materials, and techniques. The collection will consist of 3 to 5 gowns. This collection is not only is it a tool of teaching and revival for other people who are unaware of the cultural implications of these garments, but it is also a learning tool for my Philippine heritage. Aside from the conceptual appeals, the formal qualities of the collection will be a fascinating and unique point for the market. This collection as a prototype will frame a business model as the collection is being approached as the possible garments and aesthetic of the business. Lastly, this collection frames the message of the importance of sustaining a culture where it is not indigenous to, such as the Philippine culture in Canada, because the collection will be an attempted mixture of the Philippine culture with the Canadian culture. Also, it will provide an outlet for an otherwise declining use of a material that has had a significant importance to a culture, thus keeping a part of a culture and tradition alive. This collection and research will most importantly serve as a means of expressing my views of who I am.

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Work Cited

Houle, Terrance. Remember in Grade…. n.d. Photo and Statement. McCord Museum, Montreal.

McLaren, Warren. “Q&A,; Is Silk Green?” Treehugger. MNN Holdings, LLC., 2006. Web. 24 March 2014.

Roces, Mina. Dress, Status, and Identity in the Philippines: Pineapple Fibre Cloth and Ilustrado Fashion. The Berg Fashion Library, 2013. Web. 27 Jan. 2013.

Strickler, Eva, and Anaoyok Alookee, Inuit Dolls: Reminders of a Heritage. Canadian Stage and Arts Publications, 1988. Print.

Pastor-Roces, Marian. Sinaunang Habi: Philippine Ancestral Weave. Nikki Books, 1991. Print