Design + Art Direction
Design + Art Direction
sama-sama * sala-sala
2024
50' x 222.5' digital installation on LED screens
Motion by: Stéphanie Paiement
Commissioned by the National Arts Centre for Asian Heritage Month 2024
sama-sama * sala-sala was conceived as a living tapestry that weaves together the past — drawing connections to my ancestors known and unknown; my present — as a member of the Filipino diaspora, an immigrant uprooted from one colonized land to another; and the future —leaving space for what’s to come and reflecting on what we will leave behind.
The work pays homage to Indigenous weaving and tattoo traditions from the central and northern regions of Luzon, and Panay Island, where I am descended from. Rooted in the concept of kapwa — the “intuitive recognition that we are part of a shared identity” (@sikodiwa) the interwoven fibres serve as an apt representation for the interconnectedness of community, and the interdependence of our collective futures.
As a sacred tradition and artform, the act of weaving and the resulting works are not considered individual creations in Indigenous Filipino tradition, but the work of the collective consciousness. The symbols, patterns and motifs I reference in this work all hold deep meaning for the people from which they come from and are shared here in tribute to their principles and beliefs.
Read more in “Living tapestry weaves together culture, history and community”
Many, many thanks to Nina Lee Aquino for the opportunity.