FINISHING THE SACRED

2008 OctoberB

Immediately after settling down from the trip to India, we traveled to Bacolod the weekend after for the inauguration of the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters Chapel in Talisay. It was, one could say, a complete family affair; with me and my husband Gus was the family of my sister, Marian and K. We took a land trip––that means we rode our cars to a barge that traversed the distance between the port of Toledo, to San Carlos in Bacolod, and then rolled off from there––to the novitiate house that I spoke of in my earlier posts. It was finally completed, and the sisters were so kind as to invite us to the blessing.



We all decided to take advantage of the situation, kill two birds with one stone. Apart from myself, the rest of the family has not had the chance to visit the site yet, and this was the perfect opportunity; my nephew was home for the term break as well.

The trip itself takes around two hours to get to the port on the other side of the city, another one and a half hour on the barge, and still around two or three more hours to get to the mountains of the site. We visited the sisters' orphanage along the way, meeting with the girls of the centere.






When we arrived at the novitiate, everyone lent a hand: in preparing for the opening rites, in getting everything for the dinner afterwards ready. It was a little tricky, because I planned for it to be a garden party. The wind was too strong at first for the torches to stay lit!



Late in the afternoon we commenced with the blessing. Even the best-laid plans are not immune to unexpected little surprises, and just as the procession was to enter the chapel, the lights went out. A complete blackout; for the novitiate located in a vast area of farmland, "dark" was literally only a few shades lighter than pitch black! Not to be deterred however, we continued with the ceremony in candlelight...



...and sure enough the lights returned immediately after the final blessings! Shall we call it theatrical? Maybe. I'd like to think it was nicely choreographed. Apart from that, like all good designs, a little natural wabisabi here and there contributes to a perfect experience.

Labels: place-Talisay-Bacolod, projects-CTS-Novitiate

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HOME FROM INDIA: DHANYAVAAD!
» 2008 October

Traveling is a very essential ingredient in a designer's context, as it opens up numerous windows of inspiration. It also keeps one exposed, and in contact with the world at large––and such an amazing world it happens to be, indeed. Through cultural touchpoints such as food, art, religion and of course interaction with the place and the locals, travel creates a niche in one's mind which will eventually also affect all creative processes in some way.



7th~11th of October found me and my niece in the heart of bustling Bombay to be part of the product launch of my collections at ABACA India [»]. Mercifully we had half a day to settle down; our route had many pit stops––from Cebu to Davao in Mindanao, to Singapore, and finally to Bombay––but the morning after found us back on our feet.



The product launch and the Elle Décor-sponsored talk coincided fortuitously with two very ancient, very important events in the Hindi calendar: Durga Puja [»] and the Diwali [»]. For the evening's event, there was much arranging to be done and last-minute tweaking, but it was fun, and it reminded me oh so much of Milano!





Apart from the product and designer launch, I had the great opportunity to speak to a crowd of young students of the Sansa Rachna University, with colleges for architecture and interior design.



The food was incredible, of course; albeit naturally needing a few starter meals to get used to the food and how it is properly eaten, once one gets the hang of it, there really is no end to the eating. Very little room to 'feel guilty' too, since a lot of the food available is vegetarian, and prepared with meticulous detail. The chutneys for instance, were amazing.



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On the 12th~15th of October, we found ourselves in Kutch, which is in the Gujarat region of India. Rural for the most part, the cottage industries that were found there were fairly flourishing, proving that with a systematic approach, commercialism and retention of local crafts' quality can go in perfect synch.




Several challenges for the beginner though: Kutch is right by the Pakistan border, and thus is largely a desert area; the heat of the sun had probably never been as hot as I ever remembered it to be! That, and for someone used with a bit of meat in the everyday fare, Kutch is entirely vegetarian. It was also where we had what was probably the best lunch of the whole experience––in the humble living room of a woodblock artisan's home.



We were welcomed by a very hospitable staff who accompanied us throughout our Kutchi sojourn. Certainly it humbled and inspired me in many ways. Beauty and its practical application speaks clearest through material and the skill of the artisan. Technology in Kutch is developing; and yet pumping their local skill and being proud of the local arts, putting it out internationally and ensuring that the next generation is both aware of, and interested in its continuation, keeps the aesthetics alive.




The empowerment of women was a particularly strong movement in the area. Women who, for years and years have lived without tapping into their full potential as meticulous craftspersons, now produce embroidery works for limited-edition designs, as well as for more commercial enterprises, with stores in major cities like Delhi and Bombay. For instance, also the movement of Tsunamika [»] which helps women from villages devastated by monsoons and tsunamis, promotes industry from the cottage level, through creating hand-made little dolls from scraps of cloth.




Friends were made along the way.

Labels: events-abaca-india, places-india

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