A Fabric's Story: A Conversation with Trixie Tierra

By Evita Miraflor

Today, we celebrate Earth Day, drawing attention to the urgent need to combat pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss — a reality fueled, in part, by excessive consumerism.

We had a conversation with multi-disciplinary creative Trixie Tierra, discussing how she breathes new life into fabrics from her family's pile of old clothes and how she utilizes her excess resources.

A Part of Her Story

Trixie's early interest in craft-making began with making magazine page bags with her cousins. As time passed by, this interest transformed into a diverse range of crafts and pursuits, including hand stitching and ceramics. For Trixie, it is important that she creates pieces that are in-demand while also considering the materials that are accessible for her.

Photo by Dean Sesbreño

During the pandemic, she focused her attention on the things that are really valuable to her. In their family, clothes lived many lives. What started as their going-out outfits eventually became comfy home clothes before finally being repurposed as cleaning cloths. Their closet reflected this history, holding a collection passed down through generations of women: mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and aunts. In 2021, she started Tahi Tahi Lang to maximize the lifespan of fabrics from her family's household, hoping they wouldn't be discarded simply because they were torn or had holes. It was originally a platform for her artworks, but evolved into a space for communal art. By sharing her body of work to her friends, she also shares a piece of herself to them.

Photo by Dean Sesbreño

“Dun nabubuhay yung art, pag nababahagi mo na s’ya sa mga tao na malapit sa’yo at [sa mga taong] sumusuporta sa mga nililikha mo.”

Meanwhile, her array of ceramic necklaces is made from her unused clays when she was taking up ceramics class in UPCFA Ceramics Studio.

“I gravitated towards things that has history or yung may mga kwento – dun nanggagaling mismo yung essence ng artwork.”

Her work's narrative emerged naturally as she translated past experiences into present-day expressions.

Influence Of Being A Filipino in Her Creative Journey

During Trixie's college years, she realized the potential of various materials and expressions to reveal realities often overlooked due to misinformation and media oversaturation. Her Filipino identity, with its inherent resilience, inspires her to honor our ancestors' sacrifices.

“[Art] makes us realize and feel things na hindi natin mare-realize kung hindi s’ya expressed with emotions na rooted talaga sa experience mo as an artist.”

You're struck by her art because it's so intimate. It is grounded in her own experiences rather than some wild hypothesis. She understands what it's like to experience hardship and loss, but she also possesses a strong sense of perseverance and inner strength that have enabled her to persevere and even flourish. You can sense that authenticity, which is what gives her art its potency.

“I think yung overarching theme of everything is healing kasi sobrang powerful ng art for me, especially if nashe-share mo s’ya sa iba. For me binubuhay n’ya lagi yung mga akala mong wala nang pag-asa.”

The Role of the Creative Scene in Fostering Community and Social Change in the Philippines

Creatives across disciplines have unique creative processes. Trixie begins with in-depth research and intentional community dialogue before developing a solution through creative design or art. She emphasizes the importance of being relational for creatives.

“Yung strength ng creative scene is translating on ground realities ng mga communities natin, especially those coming from marginalized communities, like women and indigenous people.”

This, in her view, refutes the concept of the artist as separate from society, as creative works impact and reshape our reality. It is our daily choice, as creatives, to engage with and challenge societal issues.

“Hindi ka makakagawa ng sining na mag-isa. Walang bagay na ginagawa na mag-isa. Palagi kang affected by people, by your environment, by the materials you have, by your [relationships].”

Her Vision for the Future of Filipino Art

Trixie observed a return to our roots, driven by a rejection of individualism and colonial ideas that promote universal applicability. She expressed relief at our inward focus and the reclamation of what colonists sought to erase. She also expressed happiness that we're no longer afraid of potential lack of support, or that the work might be too deep or too Filipino.

“Nakakatuwa na all of ages, all genders, I don’t know if you could call it a movement, pero may pagbalik din sa kultura natin. Hindi lang pagbalik, kundi pag-reimagine [rin]. Not necessarily na purist, na parang pre-colonial culture, pero may recognition na ganito tayo iniwan nung nag-colonize sa’tin at ganito ngayon yung gusto nating kultura para sa’tin. Yung kultura na malayo sa kontrol nila.”