Emily in excelsis
The late Emily Campos was as vivid as her art pieces colorful, unique, not patterned after a mold, and certainly not copied from a manual. Her works were in excelsis, or “to the highest degree.”
And she lives on in the arts and crafts she left behind, and continues to inspire — Frida Kahlo-inspired dolls, beaded bags, Christmas décor, charms, shawls.
“Her inspiration came from her travels around the world — from Tibet, Rio de Janeiro, Marrakesh, Africa, Italy, and more,” says her daughter Julie Carceller of Emily, who passed away last November.
Emily started creating her artisanal pieces in 1986 for charity, in bazaars of the Catholic Women’s Club. She always had a workshop, which turned into a massive factory employing over 300 people, including subcontractors. She set up Touch of Crafts and soon became a very successful exporter. Her secret to keeping her workers inspired, she once said in an interview, was to treat them as “family,” not “workers.”
You see, Touch of Craft has been supporting a community of artisans who create one-of-a-kind, handmade decorative crafts, art dolls, accessories, and bags. All this while Emily was a supportive corporate wife and an involved mother, not missing a beat.
Julie and her sister Jo Ann Kessler, who is taking over Touch of Craft, now known as Touch of Craft Legacy, have a kaleidoscope of memories of their Mama.
“Our Mama was a kind, generous and loving artist, larger than life. She was eternally helping people. She knew how to have fun, she had a sense of humor like you wouldn’t believe. As a mother, she always put us first, loved to travel with us, taught us great values to live by, to always be kind and respectful, be generous and always help those in need. When life throws curve balls — learn how to move on. She was always there for us, she was a very present mom and involved in all our lives — our greatest supporter. She always made us feel safe, gave us unconditional love. She was our support in school, our love life and career. She was our shoulder, our rock, our everything. She gave us everything.”
So, in honor of their Mama and her creative passion and advocacy for her young artisans whom the sisters continue to support, Emily’s girls hosted a relaunch of Touch of Craft Legacy, with Jo Ann taking over the business and Julie as “cheerleader.”
Emily’s unfathomable heart was evident not just in the love she gave her children, but in the arts and crafts she left behind, which Jo Ann is continuing. Like her Mama, Jo Ann, who once lived in Germany, is inspired by the sights and sounds and colors of travel.
During the recent Touch of Craft Legacy relaunch at the Manila Polo Club, the Turf Room was transformed into a wonderland of color, with a cornucopia of handmade products that outdid each other in creativity — from the seasonal Christmas-themed items to the various bags, Frida Khalo-inspired dolls, door stoppers, bag charms and table centerpieces. The featured collection has the classic Touch of Craft signature style with new elements and pieces added by Jo Ann herself.
“We wanted to keep the classic and the traditional designs fused with Jo Ann’s influences,” Julie told PeopleAsia. “The inspiration always comes from many factors. It may come from travel, music, food, art, ornaments or even an experience from a friend or a story. Everything has a story. There’s always something behind the product and design.”
Emily Campos’ legacy truly lives on — more than a touch of it.
For the books
Coming at the heels of his successful Panapanahon, Paraparaan exhibit is architect, furniture designer and visual artist Carlo Tanseco’s “Ex Libris,” a series that once again highlights the artist’s duality.
“This term denotes ownership of the book, usually found in the first page after the cover where the owner places his/her name as owner. But I find the literal English translation of this Latin phrase, which is ‘from books,’ the essence of this collection,” he explains.
Tanseco’s fascination with magical realism is highlighted in the form of novels that have made an impact more than once in his life. The books he has chosen to include in this show are Garcia-Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, Julius Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Secret Garden by Frances Burnett.
“I loved to read when I was younger, and these are books that I have always wanted to read again, not as a forced requirement in school, but as something to savor during my spare time. The problem is, spare time is a luxury nowadays, so I found a way to reread these books in the guise of research for this show. It’s amazing how reading these books at this stage in my life revealed so many details I did not recall and took on different meanings from my first encounter with them. The book may be the same, but I guess the reader is changing as he matures,” he shares.
On the mesmerizing geometric patterns, grids, and symmetry that have become a mark of his work, Tanseco says, “I like to solve design problems.” That’s where the discipline of the architect that he is comes to fore. Then, he impishly reveals, he would begin to “mess up” the perfect images with an unexpected detail or two — whimsical, magical, or even mysterious.
“I know it is done when it bears a faithful resemblance to my study. I stick to the original plan more often than not. Only colors may deviate.”
Carlo Tanseco’s visions of favorite classic novels will be on exhibit until June 14 at the Modeka Creative Space (Modeka Art) in Don Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City.
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