Southeast Asia can look forward to more contemporary global crafts and designs as works of master craftsmen from the region took center stage in the recent Manila FAME, the country’s premier international event for lifestyle exports, at the World Trade Center.
Dubbed the ASEAN Master Craft Design Festival, the exhibit highlighted the first collection of crafts developed through the project “Improving the Status of ASEAN Mastercraft Designers” which is supported by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
With the theme “ASEAN Crafts to the World,” the festival featured contemporary crafts in an ASEAN Pavilion featuring the works of master craftsmen Roselyn Long Lah and Edric Ong of Malaysia, Lim Masulin of Indonesia, Truong Phi Duc of Vietnam, Rush Pleansuk of Thailand, and Al Valenciano of the Philippines.
The pavilion, inspired by a cocoon and executed in metal and cloth, was curated by celebrated Indonesian architect Cosmas Gozali. The Vienna-trained designer presented modern and futuristic design works with innovative spatial exploration.
On display were Indonesian batik hand-weaving applications on furniture, clothing, houseware and installations, and Malaysian beadwork, Sarawakan native headgear, and cloth as fashion accessories and lighting fixtures.
The Philippines was represented by inabel hand-woven products from the Ilocos region, Vietnam displayed its notable lacquer ware sets, while Thailand its craft designs applied on furniture, lighting, accessories and houseware toys.
A partnership with the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the project was initiated by the ASEAN Handicraft Promotion and Development Association (AHPADA), the region’s largest group of craftsmen.
The project was endorsed by the National Commission on Culture and Arts (NCCA) through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and funded by the ASEAN–Republic of Korea Future Oriented Cooperation Program.
“The program aims to strengthen and enhance the use of design in reinforcing cultural identity in the development and marketing of ASEAN products by sustaining the region’s master craftsmen,” says Mina Gabor, chairman of the Philippine Small and Medium Business Development Foundation, Inc. (Philsmed) which is managing the project.
She said the project stemmed from the decline in the export sales of Southeast Asian crafts as observed by the ASEAN countries during the AHPADA meeting in 2009.
“The solution is, not only to groom and propagate mastercraft designers, but also to make them develop and establish their individual cultural identity, attain brand distinction despite the commonality of raw materials, diversity, and ultimately enable them to name their price,” she added.
The Korean-funded program kicked off in mid-2015, and was able to train 103 new craftsmen in Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.
The five senior ASEAN master craftsmen underwent an observation tour in Milan, Italy in April to interact with top international designers and get updated on global trends.
Gabor said that the exhibit is the “coming out party” for the ASEAN as they make a statement that they are ready for the world fashion and design market.
A second round of workshops is slated for the master craftsmen of other ASEAN countries such as Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos as a continuation of the program.
A similar exhibit showcasing the crafts of the five countries will also be held in 2017 in Jakarta and Bangkok, and the complete 10-member ASEAN will stage an expo in Paris in 2018.