Material Futures
Objective:
- Design a booth for the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Halls, “a facility [which] positions creative heritage and innovation as crucial cultural and economic drivers”
Project Duration: January 2026-present
Designed For: Likhang Filipino (managed by the Department of Trade and Industry’s Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions)
Role: Co-collaborator for exhibition design
Overview: A collaboration between Isla-Tek, Maison Métisse and Impluho for an education booth displayed at the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Halls in Metro Manila, Philippines. This “Material Futures” booth sparks reflection and conversation about rooting materials innovation in ecology, communities, and traditional craft.
Working across technology, ecology, and community design, we reimagine material futures in the Philippines and the region. Centering on materiality, we celebrate how fibers become stories, and how these stories weave together the past, present, and future of our country. At the core of this lies a conversation about building futures rooted in tradition and craft, exploring how craft and ecology can guide us toward innovation.
“How many hands?”: Tracing the life cycle journey of pineapple fibre garments, shedding light on the multitude of people involved throughout the entire process.
“Reimagining the future of materials”: Looking at abaca fibres as a case study for materials innovation and creating material systems in the Philippines that can support the health and well-being of communities and ecosystems.
“Weave your thoughts into our shared tapestry”: An interactive element, where visitors reflect on the question ‘How can we rethink innovation by learning from craft practices?’. They write their answer on a piece of scrap fabric and weave it on the loom themselves.