An Approach to a Methodology in Philippine Design Culture

Abstract

Design in a specific culture is shaped by the conditions and habits of the local. This article presents the development of a critical path for a pioneer study of a social phenomenon, set in the quotidian, that encompasses aspects of Philippine design. The focus is the establishment of fundamental principle to underpin a provocation. How does the understanding of design culture contribute to Philippine design? How do the examples of the Philippine chair demonstrate the fluid notion of creative patriotism? The article assembles cross-disciplinary concepts: Alfred Geertz’s Art as a Cultural System (1976), Homi Bhabha’s The Location of Culture (1994), and Andres Bonifacio’s Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa (1896), to generate a model for theory-building. The juxtaposition sought a congruence to posit a replicable metric. The approach intends to ease the tensions of design identity and representation as consequences of cultural hybridity. The works of twentieth century craftsmen and design producers can be expansive; the formulation of standards to essay Philippine design culture attempts to model a contemporary monograph from multifarious and variegated sources. The approach to a methodology surfaces the negotiations, interactions, and accommodations between and among the domains of design, production and consumption within a spectrum of cultural encounters in the crafting of Philippine chairs.