Cebu X Roundup: Spring is the Season!

• • • • • What an interesting first quarter it’s been, needless to say! Changing times call for changing tactics, and even the creative method—which, like wine, ages and is refined over time—seeks a new mould from which to change shape to! Creativity by its very nature must retain its nebulous, shapeshifting core, able to grab anything from its environment, absorb it, and deliver something fresh and new!

For Cebu-NeXt 2011 [»], the amazing outcome of multiple projects, and the process of hardwork and dedication that brought them from zero to hero paid off very well. What a way indeed to end the first quarter! Which proves again a ‘technique’, that I conform to all my life: always have an end in mind. Sometimes it isn’t as clear, and sometime there are unplanned circumstances that arise, but “the end” can be as near as thinking one step ahead.

Do it like Dotarte; Before they surprised everyone (ourselves included) and snatched up the Best Contemporary Furniture Award [»] the SKIN and SHRUG collections were literally swatches of colour we were fooling around with in the drawing room… knowing that last year’s Dotarté was a preview [»] or a prologue for a bigger and more expansive collection. We didn’t know exactly WHAT, but sometimes, when creating, that which is created seems to be creating itself [»]!

From left to right by column: the Latté palette, the Carajillo palette, and the Snug palette.

Dotarte in carajillo palette as she was featured (above) in House Beautiful’s [»] March 2011 issue, just in time for warmer weather (Snug Furniture [»] carries this dotty dear to where Southern Comfort lies, North Carolina). For Cebu-neXt 2011, the concept germinated and evolved into SHRUG and SKIN! Both have a bit of a story to be told in terms of inspiration and concept (the latter of which I hold in high regard because it combines both creative and pragmatic understanding of a product), but before that…

An end table in FROST palette (above, left), and the two pedestals in action (above, right) at the stand!

• • • • • But the organic quality of this show would not have happened without a binding theme. Speaking from the experience of heading a furniture show myself, it often helps the creatives if a ‘theme’ or at least an agreed-upon motif is prevalent in the exhibition, because it tends to (1) challenge the individuality of participants while keeping to it; (2) help with the marketing visuals and (3) suggest a direction for the guests themselves who are looking to browse or buy.

The fair has undergone a lot of change, and the exhibitors themselves a lot of streamlining, and constantly pushing for things to be bigger and better. The theme ‘Kagikan’ was introduced [»], which is Cebuano for “origins”; celebrating notions of origins and awakenings.

I did a bit of soul searching myself and went back to past collections: What was I saying then, and how can I say it again now?  The ‘present’ is, after all, the sum total of EVERY part that composed the Past! The energy of past pieces, of past concepts, given the chance to evolve to something greater, can be surprising. So after putting ‘origins’ in the heart of our own Cebu-neXt movement, our 2011 collection began to emerge.

Our stand at mock-ups in the factory floor before we hauled it off to the exhibition space. I’ve always loved colour, and this year we became a bit more daring—with new palettes and including honeysuckle [»] into the range—but to highlight that, a black and white motif has to offset it nicely!

…and on-show! The small cloud of paper balls to the right are actually origami temari [»] or paper balls. We had a lot of fun folding these before show proper, and it was a good way to de-stress for most of the girls in the office too! The little circular badges you see are

Mugna citations for five categories including:

1. Best Contemporary Furniture (Skin collection-1st place, above);
2. Best Progressive Furniture (Pout chair-2nd place);
3. Best Innovative Use of Materials (Nimbus daybed-1st place);
4. Best Booth;
5. Best Home Accessory (Lhasa lamp).

I’ll tell a little tale about each of them in my next few posts. Check back soon, or catch the updates via my Twitter [»]

Many thanks to M. Arnado [»] for header. Photos by K. Batiquin [»]