Tabuk City harnesses digital technology to preserve traditional weaving

Tabuk City Weaving Contest
Tabuk City Weaving Contest

Tabuk City is turning to digital technology to revitalise its traditional weaving heritage through the “Tabuk Weave Design and Pattern Competition.”

The initiative encourages local designers to use contemporary digital tools to create weaving patterns that reflect the city’s cultural motifs.

Participants, either individuals or groups, were invited to submit digital weaving designs incorporating a dominant colour palette inspired by Tabuk City’s official seal and patterns drawn from local cultural traditions.

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Ten designs were shortlisted by the judging panel and subsequently translated into woven prototypes by local artisans.

“The ten shortlisted designs were woven by our local weavers over one month. We made adjustments where necessary to ensure the designs were practical for weaving while maintaining the original vision,” organiser Reamcy Adong told the Philippine Information Agency.

Tabuk to adopt winning design

The winning design will be officially adopted as Tabuk City’s weave pattern, subject to minor revisions.

The first-place winner will receive PHP50,000 (around EUR721), while the remaining participants will each receive PHP5,000 (around EUR72) as consolation prizes.

By integrating digital tools with handwoven techniques, the competition highlights the potential of technology to preserve and adapt traditional arts.

It also offers local artisans new opportunities to innovate while ensuring Tabuk City’s weaving traditions remain vibrant and relevant for future generations.

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By Andre Alfonso R. Gutierrez

Andre Alfonso R. Gutierrez graduated with a BA in Creative Writing in Filipino and is currently pursuing an MA in Asian Studies with a focus on Northeast Asia (Japan) at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

He is one of the recipients of the 2024 National Youth Achievement Award in Literary Arts, awarded by the National Committee on Literary Arts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCLA-NCCA).

His works have been recognized in several prestigious awards, including Talaang Ginto: Makata ng Taon 2024 by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, Life UPdates 2022 by Likhaan: UP Institute of Creative Writing, and Sahaya: Timpalak Pampanitikan 2021.

Andre’s poems have been published in Liwayway Magazine, Dx Machina 4, and the UP Sentro ng Wikang Filipino, among others.

He has also been a fellow in various literary workshops, including the 4th Saling Panitik, 2nd Cavite Young Writers Workshop, 7th Angono National Writers Workshop, and Palihang LIRA.

Andre is one of the founders of Gadgad Press, an independent literary publication based in Manila.

In addition to his creative work, his research, “Poetry, Policy, and Promotion: A Case Study of the Japan Airlines Foundation’s 1990 World Children’s Haiku Contest as a Tool for Cultural Exchange,” won 2nd Prize in the Graduate Category of the 7th Japanese Studies Research Development Competition, co-presented by the UP Asian Center and the Japan Foundation Manila.

You can read more of his works at www.andrergutierrez.com.

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