For its major exhibit Woven Universes: Math, Method, Meaning, and Magic in Philippine Indigenous Textiles, Yuchengco Museum has selected antique textiles handwoven by various indigenous groups from around the Philippines to highlight the creation and usage of the pieces. The quality, rarity, and condition of the fabrics on display make them outstanding ethnographic specimens and objects of beauty and inspiration. Analyzed and annotated by scholars and academics from different fields, however, these textiles become springboards for further study and analysis.
As Woven Universes closes at the end of February, the museum is presenting a one-afternoon series of lectures focusing on the mathematical symmetries in indigenous textiles, the ues pinutuan travelling blanket of the Isinay of Northern Luzon, and textile conservation. The talks will be held on February 21, Saturday, from 1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at Yuchengco Museum.
Dr. Ma. Louise Antonette De Las Peñas, a Mathematics professor from Ateneo de Manila University, will share her analysis of “Mathematical Symmetries in Philippine Indigenous Textiles.” Dr. De Las Peñas is interested in hyperbolic geometry and tilings, and has written about weaving maths, symmetry in handwoven mats, and weaving symmetry in the Kankana-ey of northern Philippines.
Dr. Analyn Salvador – Amores, a social anthropology professor from the University of the Philippines Baguio, will shed insights into the “Ues Pinutuan: The Isinay Traveling Ikat Blanket of Northern Luzon.” Dr. Salvador – Amores is the first Filipina scholar to obtain a masters degree and a doctorate in Social and Cultural Anthropology at Hertford College, Oxford University. She has authored papers and publications on the culture and traditions of various ethnolinguistic groups in northern Philippines.
Finally, Marilou Dancel, a conservator from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), will discuss “Textile Conservation.” Ms. Dancel is a supervising science research specialist at the NHCP and concentrates on textile and paper conservation. She is currently involved in restoring the religious images and ecclesiastic collection of Molo Church and Sta. Barbara Church in Iloilo City, central Philippines.
The exhibit talks complement the exhibit Woven Universes: Math, Method, Meaning, and Magic in Philippine Indigenous Textiles, which showcases close to 40 fabrics and clothing from the collection of Floy Quintos. Lecture fee is P150 for adults and P100 for students and seniors. Reservations are recommended. Yuchengco Museum is located at RCBC Plaza, corner Ayala and Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenues, Makati City. For reservations and details, call 889-1234 or email [email protected].
