Moving the mountains closer to the seas

"Moving the mountains closer to the seas" is a Shri Vishayas exhibition at Ang Panublion Museum in Roxas City. It celebrates the culture of the Suludnon or the Panay Bukidnon indigenous communities through installations and mixed media that highlight their stories, music and traditions. 

The birha is lattice work in bamboo, a material abundant in the hinterlands of Panay. The design allows for ventilation and a modicum of privacy. On a social note, the use of bamboo latticework draws the line between haves and have nots with the former using Capiz shell windows. Peter James Fantinalgo created this birha in collaboration with his grandfather, Tito Reyes Flamiano, a master bamboo craftsman from Cuartero, Capiz.

The patadyong or wrap-around skirt is typical clothing worn by women in barrios or rural areas. The artist, Norberto Roldan, embossed an epic story on the skirt and decorated the previously worn fabric with demonetized coins. This series of textiles is entitled, "Incantations from the land of virgins, monsters, sorcerers and angry gods."

The story roughly translates as follows:

If this land is lost 

We the Tumandok will be gone as well

The hills where we plant will be gone

And so will the seas for fishing.

Aspects of Performance, Recordings and Preservation of Panay Bukidnon Traditional Music is an installation by Mark Vincent Omega in collaboration with Roger Gilbaliga, a cultural bearer from Barangay Garangan. The musical instruments like tikumbo and suganggang are laid on a papag, a traditional Pilipino bamboo bed.

This patchwork tapestry entitled, "Parallels in time, place and history" is the work of Olive Gloria. It incorporates short stories from Mug-ot nga Hinun-anon, a collection of stories from the Panay Bukidnon. Hinun-anon is a traditional story told orally by a magurang or elder. The needlework while presented in contemporary fashion is grounded on the Panubok, an embroidery and needlework tradition that has existed as early as the 11th century.

Tikong Kadlum by Regina Caballero Villanueva draws its story from the epic Tikum Kadlum, the first episode of the Sugidanon mythological cycle.

"From highlands to lowlands and back" is a fabric assemblage by Margaux Blas that takes inspiration from the Panay Bukidnon and their relationship with nature. It's a collaboration between Blas and Regina Villanueva, (a Panay Bukidnon cultural master) to celebrate the embroidery tradition of the Panay Bukidnon. 

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Images by TravelswithCharie