March 29, 2010

• Memories in clothes

  Art
  

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  CEBU, Philippines - Clothes carry with it the memories of the wearer.

  This is the message that Marina Cruz imparted to her audience with her latest work, Un/fold, which is part of an exhibit at the Casa Gorordo Museum (35 Lopez Jaena St., Cebu City) called Zones of Influence.

  Un/fold could mean the unwrapping of a neatly kept dress carefully folded and placed inside grandmother’s chest, probably reeking with the smell of mothballs, partially eaten by termites, and with some discoloration due to age.

  Un/fold, however, could also mean the rediscovery of a family history that has been kept in the chest of memory, unopened and untold as the artist copes with the busy schedules of modern life.

  Perhaps, the unfolding of the exhibit have allowed the artist to visit the beautiful stories of her mother and grandmother, encouraging them to revisit fond memories long forgotten, just so the artist would be able to compile a story that will turn out to be interesting for her audience.

  Un/fold takes its audience to a journey in Cruz and her family’s life through the garments they wore over the years.

  Carefully laid out clothes were photographed and then scribbled with notes and drawings pertaining to the material used, the special occasion when the garment was worn, the creator of the dress or who gave it or where it was bought, who first owned the dress and who inherited it.

  The accounts were honest, written in a conversational tone which captures the audience’s attention, and with just the right amount of wit to make it even more interesting to follow.

  More than a hundred photographs contributed in weaving a colorful story that would take its audience inside the artist’s personal space.

  In Cruz’ stories one could feel the warmth, the happiness, the sadness – the emotions that radiate from the display. Perhaps the “ruralness” of the memories gave it the energy that is communicated to its viewers.

  Who would have thought that a carefully folded piece of dress could incite such powerful emotions on others, who do not even know its owner?

  In one of the displays, showing two small dresses of her mom, Elisa, and her twin sister, Laura, it reads:

  “c. 1959. Grade II – Teacher namin mismo si inang. (Lola Edeng). Don Miguel Elementary School, tapat ng bahay namin. ELISA’s. Plain and prints. Umbrella cut. Bumibili na lang ng pang-kombinasyon. Supot ng pagkain ng manok. LAURA’s. Tinahi ni inang. Very strict. Disciplinarian. Taught us all subjects. English (aral), Math, Araling Panlipunan, wala pang Science noon sa Elem lower years. May mga patches, malamang sinuot ni Sonia or Helen. (c. 1959. Grade II – Mother, herself was our teacher (Lola Edeng). Don Miguel Elementary School, just across our house. ELISA’s. Plain and prints. Umbrella cut. Just bought (some cloth) for combination. Bag for chicken feed. LAURA’s. Sewn by mother. Very strict. Disciplinarian. Taught us all subjects. English (study), Math, Civic Class, there was no Science class then for Elem lower years. There are patches, probably worn by Sonia or Helen.)”

  For the twins, the dresses were similar, sewn personally by their mother, the artist’s grandmother, using materials that she can easily get hold of like packaging of animal feeds or trimmings of cloths from the local seamstress. Of course there were also clothes that were brought from retail shops, most specially those for special occasions, like birthdays, graduations, or communion.

  The intricacy of Lola Edeng’s work reveals how much she loved her children, wanting them to wear the best within her means.

  Looking and reading through the different chapters of the life of Elisa and Laura, would transports the viewer to an era when public schools were at its peak, in a place with dirt roads, houses bordered by tall San Francisco plants, lawns covered in Bermuda grass, and familiar fruit trees in every house like mango ang guava.

  It is amazing how this simple display made me reminisce my own childhood, feeling the warmth of those times when the hustle and bustle of city life has not yet influenced its small sleepy neighboring towns.

  There were also clothes of other members of her family. One reads:

  “c. 1965. Gregorio’s (lolo) Amang Toto (46 years old). Special barong tagalog. Pero di siya nagbibigay ng communion (assist lang sa pari). Church assistant. Insenso. Noon talaga binata pa siya gusto nya magpari – pero di maaari dahil galing siya sa broken family. Suot nya pag mahal na araw or may ceremony na mahalaga (c. 1965. Gregorio’s (lolo) Amang Toto (46 years old). Special barong tagalog. But he does not give the communion (just assists the priest). Church assistant. Incense. Before, when he was still a bachelor, he wanted to be a priest – but he can’t because he comes from a broken family. Wears this during Lent or during important ceremonies.”

  Indeed, the journey can become personal as you read through the story of the family of Cruz. This is the beauty of Un/fold, the connection that will always remain in the memory of the audience.

  Zones of Influence is a response to the international studio residency grants of the 2008 Ateneo Art Awards winners, of which Cruz is a part of. She had her residency in Bendigo, Australia. The exhibit will run until the end of May at the Casa Gorordo Museum.
  
  Published in The FREEMAN on March 21, 2010.

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