Words and Images Design Center of the Philippines (Révélations 2025)
Editing Gabrielle de la Cruz
Filipino designers have landed in Paris! Eight renowned creators are participating in Révélations 2025, the international biennial for fine craft and contemporary creation. The event opened on May 21 at the recently restored Nave of the Grand Palais, expecting a total of approximately 37,000 visitors until its closing on May 25.
Organized by Ateliers d’Art de France, Révélations 2025 will gather over 500 of the world’s most exceptional designers and craftspeople from 29 countries, presenting diverse and unique works in fields such as ceramics, glass, textiles, wood, and metal. This seventh edition shines a spotlight on the signature and backbone of the biennial called “Le Banquet”, a curated international exhibition where new expressions and fresh looks of a hundred bold pieces from 12 participating countries and organizations are presented.
Italy takes center stage as the Country of Honor, alongside Quebec, the Nation of Honor from the previous edition, and South Korea. Visitors are invited to discover unseen pieces from countries new to the biennial, including Greece, Georgia, Ireland, Brazil, Ibero-America (Cuba, Columbia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru), and Overseas Territories (Polynesia and French Carribean).
Supported by the Design Center of the Philippines, the Philippines joins fellow Southeast Asian countries Malaysia (supported by Society Atelier Sarawak) and Bangladesh (supported by the Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation) in the debutants spotlight.
“Our participation at Révélations 2025 aligns with our strategic priority of promoting Philippine design locally and globally with a deep narrative rooted in craft traditions and know-how,” said DTI-Design Center Executive Director Rita Matute. “We approach this with a very conscious intention and attention towards excellence, particularly the pursuit of craft and design excellence. Banquet of the Philippines is “not simply meant to let the global audience recognize and acknowledge Philippine fine crafts and creators, but also to show Philippine artisan-designers a new way of engaging with a global market and a new way of creating.”
The Banquet of the Philippines is under the banner “dans l’espirit de l’asrtisan- créateur (In the spirit of the artisan-designer),” focusing on the interconnection of nature, culture, and contemporary design. The exhibition was curated by Milo Naval, also among the featured designers, and was approved by Le Banquet curator Romain Juilha.
Naval’s piece, Untitled, uses seashells and abaca in its rawest form, with materials supplied by Shelmed Cottage Treasures. The designer shared that the piece reflects his journey with Abaca and how it is deeply tied to his roots. “Coming from the Bicol region, the world’s largest producer of Abaca, I developed a profound connection to this remarkable fiber, immersing myself in its textures, strengths, and subtle nuances.”
“Abaca is more than just a medium. It carries with it stories of heritage, strength, and transformation,” Naval added. “Through this piece, I allow Abaca to speak for itself, inviting viewers to experience its understated power and enduring versatility from a contemporary lens.”
Among the collaborations in the exhibit is Hilaw, Layâ (Unripe, Withered) by Leeroy New and Christina Gaston, who worked with the women weavers of Sitio Melancholy, Cadiz, Negros Occiental. Their sculptural piece, made of cogon grass, abaca, wax thread, and bamboo beads, is inspired by the cycle of life.
“This piece explores the balance between growth and natural degradation… The contrast in colors shows the push and pull between growth and decay; a reflection of how nature constantly evolves, and how people who live off the land understand that both are necessary parts of life,” New and Gaston noted. “Each crafted piece reflects the distinct story and technique of its maker, creating a direct connection between viewer and artisan. It shows that every thread is the result of real experience, shaped by individual hands and the lives behind them.”
Highlighting materials such as mother-of-pearl and shells, Neil Felipp employed 3D printing in creating Constellations, a three-piece sculpture with whimsical patterns. “The concept of the sculpture is from an experience of an unreciprocated love,” Felipp revealed. “There was a moment where I fell in with someone and reimagined them into a constellation, a group of stars that can only be admired from afar. Imagine if his constellation would suddenly be beside mine. There’d be a universe that we can call ours.”
Constellations was also made through a traditional craft of Cebu called shell inlay. The three shells in the piece are namely white mother-of-pearl, yellow mother-of-pearl, and white Cabebe shell. Brass sheets were also added.
Another Abaca piece in the Philippine banquet is Heart of Abaca by Maricris and Jaime Brias. Their piece honors the T’boli tradition of T’nalak weaving, working with T’boli artisans in their livelihood center in layering T’nalak strips and abaca dipped in banana pulp into a form that grows upward like a flower.
The designers share that the layers of the piece represent different stages of the weaving process. “The outermost layer, made of raw abaca dipped in pulp, symbolizes material preparation. The middle layer, with thin T’nalak strips, reflects the transformation of fibers through the meticulous ikat dyeing and weaving technique. The innermost layer, featuring broader patterned T’nalak strips, signifies the culmination of tradition and artistry. Rising in a dynamic form, the piece mirrors nature’s organic growth, symbolizing continuity and cultural evolution.”
French-Filipino artist Olivia d’Aboville, whose works range from textile jewelry, to sculptures, to lighting designs, and installation art, also joins the exhibition. Her piece, Raffia flowers, is made with handwoven raffia polyester textiles by Cebu Interlace. They were pleated and knotted to create circular conic shapes resembling flowers.
“I wanted to create larger than life imaginary flowers,” she said. “To contrast with the softness of the fabric, I collaborated with Industria Edition for metal works, who manufactured the base and stems.”
Jude Tiotuico collaborated with fellow designer d’Aboville for his piece, Kaleidoscope. Materials were supplied by Rurungan sa Tubod Foundation, forming a sculpture of hammered steel and shibori-dyed silk. It captures papillons in motion, flowing together in indigo hues between light and shadow—a reflection of magic and strength of community in the flow of life.
“Each papillon was carefully hand-hammered and sheared to imbue paperlike lightness in the steel. Filipino natural silk envelopes the flow in touches of indigo dyed with the shibori tie-dying technique,” he shared. “The elements of the piece converge to form a harmonic ‘kaleidoscope’ of indigo hues. Light reflects off the steel forms while permeating the silk, inviting viewers of the piece to experience the indigo dance between light and shadow–a contemplation on the magic and strength of community in the flow of life.”
“Weaving together the rhythms of nature’s design and the ancestral know-how of craft traditions, the showcase sparks a dynamic interplay between creator and creation,” Naval’s curator’s note read. “In this liminal space where nature, memory, and vision converge, the Banquet of the Philippines challenges conventional understanding of craft, sparking curiosity about new trajectories and inviting viewers to explore craft beyond expression, but as a tool for reinterpreting and expanding traditions in contemporary contexts.” •
