“Interlace” – Abaca and Buntal in Contemporary Design

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu’s 856G Gallery closes the year with “Interlace,” an exhibit that features bespoke home accent pieces by designer and textile maker Francis Dravigny.

Known for his extensive exploration on the applications of the abaca fabric, the French fabric maker and designer has made a name in developing materials that fall into the “exotic” category – textiles and fibers that are expertly made in accordance to traditional, generations-old methods.

Ongoing until tomorrow, December 22, the show consists of a variety of items, covering small and medium-sized furniture pieces, lighting fixtures, mountable tapestries, wall-bound fixtures and fashion accessories, among many others.

Crafted with either abaca or buntal fibers, the pieces that comprise “Interlace” bear aesthetic elements that have set the mood, tone and overall feel of the modernist period of the arts – made more distinct by infusions of the contemporary trend’s coalition with minimalism.

Aesthetically and strikingly bold, the presented pieces steer visual sensibilities through the markers of art deco and art nouveau – somehow shifting their stands with the incorporation of minimalism.

The show also highlights the role played by parallel lines in creative themes around the “exotic” or “tribal” art classification, though this is not exactly its raison d'etre.

This theme-crossing amalgamation is made manifest in the way Dravigny’s strews such lines into his pieces, cordially venturing in and out the boundaries of the “exotic” and the “de facto.”

Far from being a cut-and-dry exhibition on the finer points of abaca and buntal, the show also features pieces made with advanced digital printing methods – giving it a forward- pacing scope on how far can one go with the use of traditional textiles and fabrics.

All-in-all, “Interlace” uplifts abaca and buntal’s standing as “exotic” fibers – exemplifying that its traditional bearings can be framed through the sights of contemporary design standards. (FREEMAN)