Applications for Ibagiw fest contests extended

BAGUIO CITY -- A call for participation has been extended for the November festival.

The Ibagiw festival contests have been extended for applications extended to accommodate inquiries and submissions coming from different parts of the Cordilleras.

Competitions in Crafts and Folk Art: Backstrap Weaving, Basketry, Carving will be accepting submission  until Oct. 25 for the events as well as “Re-imagining Baguio” a call for artists to express their impressions on and aspirations for the city through an exhibit featuring installation art pieces and murals and a short-film competition.

Deadline for submission of proposals for the short film competition will be accepted until November 8 while prizes in each category are pegged as follows: 1st Prize - P50,000, 1st Runner-up - P30,000 2nd Runner-up - P20,000.

The Ibagiw festival hosts competitions in crafts and folk art highlighting this year’s staging of the Baguio Creative City Festival aiming to encourage innovations in four major categories: Back-strap Weaving, Basketry, Woodcarving and Metalcraft and at the same time inspire a new breed of designers and artisans.

Led by HABI: The Philippine Textile Council, the weaving competition will have contestants creating tapestries using traditional back-strap looms.

In the metal craft category, local smiths will be creating wearable jewelry using metals of their choice.
For woodcarving and basketry categories, the participants will be required to use bamboo as the main raw material, an effort of the festival to advocate the use of more sustainable and environment-friendly materials in the production of crafts.

The Ibagiw is now spearheaded by the Baguio Arts and Creative Council (BACCI) and festival creative director Karlo Altomonte in its quest to partner with artists from November 16th to 24th.

The competitions aim to encourage innovations in the city’s major crafts and folk art traditions, and inspire a new generation of craftsmen & women and folk artists in the following categories:

For back-strap textile weaving - Tapestry with dimensions of at least 14” in width and 3 yds. In length. Introducing other materials to enhance the entries is allowed as enhancements, but the weave shall remain the dominant component of the tapestry.

For basketry - A bag or storage basket inspired by any of the traditional Cordilleran designs such as the pasiking, sangi, inabnutan, kayabang, etc. with dimensions of at least 8” (width) x 8 (height) x 3” (thickness), or for circular designs, a dimeter of at least 8” with a height of at least 8”. Introducing other materials to enhance the entries is allowed, but the main raw material for this category, bamboo, must be dominant in the finished product.

For woodcarving - A decorative piece that must be at least 24” in height. Introducing other materials to enhance the entries is allowed in this category, but the required main raw material is bamboo which remain the dominant material of the entry.

For metalcraft - Entries must be a set consisting of any three (3) of the following pieces: Neckwear (necklace), Wrist-wear (bracelet), Ring, Headwear (tiara, etc.), Earrings, Nose Ring. Introducing other materials to enhance the entries is allowed such as precious stones, gems, and the like but metal should be the most dominant material.

The competitions are open to artists/designers and artisans of Baguio and the rest of the Cordilleras and participants may enter as an individual or a collaborative effort of two or more individuals

For auditions, interested participants are required to audition by; submitting a concept paper for their proposed entry that includes a description and sketch of their proposed design (audition form may be downloaded here) via email at ibagiw.festival@gmail.com or in person at the Festival Secretariat, 2nd Floor, Cordillera Crafts & Productivity Center, Upper Session Road, Baguio City;

A total of eight entries shall be chosen as finalists for each of the categories. Each of the 8 finalists in the different categories shall be awarded an honorarium of P5,000.00, except for those in the Metalcraft category who will be receiving P8,000.00.

While the eight finalists shall be provided Back-strap loom, assorted threads [for textile weaving], a knife, metal skinning plate, and primary raw material (bamboo) [for basketry], 6 assorted chisels, 1 rubber mallet, 1 small ax [for woodcarving] but for metalcraft participants to provide their own respective materials and tools

Participants shall be given 7 days from Nov. 11 to 17 to complete their entries on-site and under supervision of the competitions committee-designated supervisor. Participants are not allowed to take their respective pieces outside of the competition site.

Details of mechanics and guidelines for both the competitions and Re-imagining Baguio is available at www.ibagiw.com.