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Writer's pictureTeam Muni
Jul 26, 20204 min read

Ep.9: on Hope in Craft with Ceeli Martinez-Miranda and Debbie Palao

This episode is brought to you by Crafting Futures, a British Council global programme, that envisions a sustainable future through craft, collaboration and educational opportunities, supported by Design Center of the Philippines. It was produced by MUNI, hosted and written by Kar Abola, Kylie Misa and Jen Horn, edited by podwiz.com.au, with music by Diego Mapa and branding by Serious Studio. You can find the MUNI on This Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or listen directly below.

 

About this episode


How can we we make craft sustainable, equitable and empowering for the artisans who sustain our rich cultural traditions?


From episode 6 on Crafting Futures Post-COVID, with international speakers from the Making Futures Conference in Cebu, we now zoom into the Philippines with the introduction of the Crafting Futures research conducted by the MUNI team on the state of handloom weaving in the Philippines. More than that, this episode features an interview with veteran furniture designer Debbie Palao, co-founder of HoliCOW or Holistic Coalition of the Willing, a sustainable furniture and housewares company based in Cebu City, and Chevening scholar Ceeli Martinez-Miranda, Chief Operating Officer of Ananas Anam Philippines, the company behind Piñatex, a plant-based alternative to leather made with pineapple fiber.


In listening to this episode, consider asking yourself the questions below:

  1. How far into “industry” and the “assembly line” do you think we can take craft and culture?

  2. How do you see your work contributing or not contributing to this?

  3. How can we ensure that the system benefits the artisans and not just those who take it to market (be it middle men, designers or entrepreneurs)?

  4. How can we make a sustainable craft industry -- in how we work with artisans, choose materials and design processes?

  5. How can we make the industry, or more especially, the artisans or weavers, more resilient to the impacts of the COVID pandemic?

  6. What keeps you hopeful about the craft industry in the Philippines?

See our show notes and learn more about Crafting Futures, Ceeli and Debbie in the links below.


Dive deeper into this conversation by joining our live event Crafting Futures Together -- a sharing session on research and collaboration on sustainable weaving on August 8, 4-6PM, Philippine time. Limited slots are available, and registration is a must, on or before August 6, or while slots last.


Show notes


INTRODUCTION

  • [00:43] Jen Horn introduces the episode and guest co-hosts Kar Abola and Kylie Misa

  • [03:39] Kar and Kylie talk about how the approached the Crafting Futures research looking into the state of handloom weaving in the Philippines

  • [07:45] Introduction to Ceeli Martinez-Miranda + how she got into craft

  • [09:12] Introduction to Debbie Palao + how she got into craft

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

  1. [11:26] Debbie and Ceeli on the importance of human connections in craft, and preserving it as we integrate craft into industry

  2. [13:48] On how we can encourage more responsible industry players and responsible collaborations when working with crafts

  3. [15:02] Debbie on their "kalibutan" philosophy of working hand in hand with all stakeholders in their value chain

  4. [17:34] On how craft can merge with industry and how much of a commercial endeavor should be made of it

  5. [19:34] Ceeli on the importance of honoring the culture, history and tradition behind their craft

  6. [21:02] Ceeli on a rethink of brand and company values brought about by the pandemic

  7. [22:18] On getting people to appreciate craft in the context of the COVID-19 crisis and the scarcity that comes with it + beginning a new page in a better way

  8. [27:56] Debbie on having to have hope - because of people who depend on them; and hope will come from craft in this pandemic because that's what people go back to

  9. [30:06] Ceeli: "change is going to happen when somebody decide to something about anything" + the value of individual choices even when we might not feel like it does

People / organizations / initiatives mentioned


INTERVIEWEES

FOLLOW-UP EVENT

  • Crafting Futures Together: a sharing session on research and collaboration on sustainable weaving on August 8, 4-6PM, Philippine time -- Limited slots are available, and registration is a must, on or before August 6, or while slots last.

EPISODE PARTNERS

About this podcast

We started MUNI on This to deal with our personal and collective distress about the state of our planet, but more importantly, we created this to give ourselves and you guys more reasons to hope and more motivation to act. In the show, we talk about the challenges and possibilities in creating a more mindful and livable world. It was created by MUNI, a purpose-driven company that creates conversations and builds community through online content and offline events on mindful, sustainable living. You can find the MUNI on This Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also listen directly via muni.com.ph/podcast. You can also join the MUNI Community group on Facebook to reach out to our community.

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