BAGUIO CITY – The 6th edition of the World Ikat Textiles Symposium (WITS) officially launched at the Baguio Convention and Cultural Center this Tuesday, December 3.
With the theme “Ties that Bind: Weaving a Defining Future”, the event featured a symposium, exhibition, weave exchange, fashion show, workshops, and an artisan’s bazaar.
Ikat is a Southeast Asian dyeing method that uses resist dyeing on the yarns before dyeing and weaving the cloth. The word “ikat” means “to bind” in Malayo-Polynesian languages.
WITS seeks to provide a shared forum for honoring the rich history of the ikat tradition, which is practiced in the Philippines and other countries across the world. Its goals are to create links between these ikat artisans, craft groups, and textile enthusiasts; to promote cross-cultural dialogue on issues impacting ikat-weaving communities and heritage preservation, and to inform and educate the public about the many ikat traditions around the world.
The WITS opening program featured various performances from different groups and the National Living Treasures in the Philippines (Ikat Master Weavers). The featured National Living Treasures of the Philippines Gawad ng Manliliha ng Bayan awardees were Barbara Ofong, a T’boli Textile Weaver, Sampronia Madanlo, a Mandaya Textile Weaver, and Rosie Sula, a T’boli Chanter and Performer.
Mr. Aziz Murtazaev, President of the World Crafts Council (Asia Pacific Region) acknowledged how symbolic it is to have the symposium held in Baguio City, a UNESCO Creative City.
“This city embodies the spirit of craftsmanship and creativity, it is in rich traditional weaving, carving, and other crafts. In light of Baguio’s outstanding potential, I’m excited to encourage the City Government of Baguio on its inclusion in the network of Craft Cities of the World Craft Council,” Murtazaev noted.
Arch. Edric Ong, Advisor of the ASEAN Handicraft Promotion and Development Association, shared how the symposium started.
“The Ikat component of WEFT (World Eco Fiber and Textile Forum) took off in a different direction when my partners in Ikat, Manjari Nirula and later on Elaine Chan, came together to say that “let’s do the World Ikat Textile Symposium,” WITS, to become very witty if you know the ties that bind.”
Ong further explained how the vision of bringing WITS to Baguio started way back in 1999 when Dr. David Baradas and Mrs. Narda Capuyan from Baguio participated in the first Ikat Textiles Forum in Kuching, Malaysia.
“But it has taken a quarter of a century, 25 years, before their vision of bringing WITS to Baguio finally happened, and I’m sure that both of them are smiling down in heaven that this has finally arrived in a place where ikat has its home,” Ong expressed.
The symposium featured both international and Philippine speakers, delving into plenary sessions focused on Philippine Ikat Traditions, and Ikat from the Islands, the Mainland, and across the oceans, On the Trails of Silk, and Contemporary Developments. The exhibit, fashion show, and bazaar, gave a spotlight to weavers and crafts from all over Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Japan, India, Mexico, and the Philippines. The weave exchange, on the other hand, will be held at Narda’s Winaca Eco-Cultural Village in Tublay, Benguet.
The World Ikat Textiles Symposium will run from December 3 to 6, 2024. By Heleina Taeza
