Friday, May 8, 1998
Taste the rainbow
ARTS: Personal taste and cultural symbolism color the vibrant
Filipino textiles in Fowler’s newest exhibit
By Megan Dickerson
Daily Bruin Contributor
Wearing the "wrong" color in some parts of the Philippines might
be more than just a fashion faux pas.
Or so says Roy Hamilton, curator of "From the Rainbow’s Varied
Hue: Textiles of the Southern Philippines," the Fowler Museum’s
traveling exhibit opening Sunday. The presentation of 50 textiles
from Mindanao and the adjacent Sulu archipelago focuses on the
brilliant colors of the rainbow, what Sir Walter Scott called "the
dyes of heaven."
"It’s reported in the literature that you had to have taken a
certain number of lives before you would be allowed to wear this
color," Hamilton says of a deep red-brown pair of loose-fitting
pants in the exhibit. "In the West it’s been labeled headhunting,
but it’s really much deeper than that. It is status based on valor,
on bravery, and this red color symbolized that."
Tribal peoples believed that wearing certain colors would bring
to supernatural retribution.
Still, the chromatic significance of the textiles is not
clear-cut, much like a rainbow itself.
"It’s not so much a one-to-one correspondence," Hamilton says.
"I try to stay away from direct correlations like ‘yellow is the
royal color’ and ‘red is bravery.’ Those things are all true, but
sometimes you’ll see different versions of that. But what that says
to you is that the people are very interested in color, and put a
lot of thought into it."
The importance of color tints the entire exhibit, which will
travel to Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Honolulu as part of
the international 1998 Philippine Festival. The celebration, which
will include museum exhibits all over the world, commemorates 100
years of Philippine independence from Spain.
A constructed arch marks the entrance with one of the most
colorful textiles, a piece made from a pattern aptly titled
"Rainbow." The pair of highland red-brown pants hangs nearby,
reinforcing the idea that not just the technicolor pieces hold
significance.
"Although it’s the Muslim textiles where you get this beautiful
range of bright colors, color was still important for the highland
people as well," Hamilton says.
Other textiles in the exhibit include rare ceremonial costumes,
tapestry cloths, as well as beaded, embroidered and shell-sequined
garments. A huge flag, made to be flung from boats and woven of
abaca fiber, will be displayed, as will an immense bed canopy.
Hamilton says visitors might be surprised that the exhibit
includes huge, monumental textiles, not just articles of
clothing.
The exhibit title itself comes from the oral literature of one
of the Islamized Sulu groups, the Maranao.
"’Let me choose a color from the rainbow, and let me change this
green color to fuchsia,’" Hamilton paraphrases from the epic poem.
"This (quote) keys the listener to the fact that this is going to
be a love story, because it has that hot pink color."
They talk about textiles reflecting the colors of the rainbow.
It’s a way to honor the textiles and to describe, through metaphor,
how brilliantly colored they were, and beautiful," Hamilton
says.
Because the exhibit travels nationally, preserving the delicate
textiles challenges museum staff. Many of the fabrics are made of
fibers taken from the inside of abacas, banana-like plants. Abaca
has also been called "Manila Rope" for its use as a strong-when-wet
marine rigging. But when many of the textiles hit the
centennial-mark, the fibers can become brittle and break.
To abate possible damage caused by frequent moving, conservator
Jo Hill worked with collection lenders and curator Hamilton to
reach a happy medium between display and safety. By using
well-placed bars, felt sheets and specially made foam mounts, Hill
readied the textiles for the traveling portion of the exhibit.
"I think the textiles are so beautiful," Hill says, as she walks
through the exhibit. "I mean, banana fiber! Why would anyone think
to make something out of banana fiber? It’s just tremendous."
Because cultural studies often ignore Filipino textiles, the
exhibit makes history in many ways. Whereas Indonesia has, in the
past 20 years, received much attention from ethnographers, studies
of Mindanao and Sulu cultures remain undone, says Hamilton, who has
also completed research in Indonesia.
"The reason why Indonesian textiles have been so popular is
they’re so beautiful," Hamilton says. "And they’re so culturally
significant. And you find those same things in the
Philippines."
Students on campus also hope this exhibit will draw attention to
Philippine studies.
"To have something Filipino at the museum shows that there is
importance to our culture and there is something for people to
learn," says Katherine Carillo, a board member of Samahang
Pilipino. "Hopefully this exhibit will induce more people to learn
about the culture."
As a culminating project, the Fowler Museum issued a 200-page
publication, edited by Hamilton. The museum traditionally tries to
pick a fairly limited, regional tradition for its publications, and
often recruits noted scholars in the field to contribute.
"I’m hoping it will stimulate more interest in ongoing research
in the Southern Philippines," Hamilton says. "Philippine textile
studies are as rare as Indonesian textile studies were 20 years
ago."
ART: "From the Rainbow’s Varied Hue" will be on view Wednesdays
through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. and Thursdays until 8 p.m.
Admission is free to all through December 1998. Parking on campus
is $5 in Lots 4 or 5. For more information, call (310)
825-4361.
A Mandaya woman wears an embroidered blouse, abaca ikat
tube-skirt and assorted jewelry.
UCLA Fowler Musuem of Cultural History
Detail of three panel tube skirt.
A T’boli woman’s sun hat with applique decoration and horsehair
ornaments.
Sultan Aksara prepares for a performance of episodes of the
"Darangen." His attire is special for the performance, including a
silk skirt.