VISUAL ARTIST / CRAFT MAKER
Kesayah Dacaimat
Joanah Kesayah Dacaimat or “Kesayah” as her friends call her, is a multi-talented artist from Baguio City. Her creative skills involve watercolor, oil painting, acrylic painting, weaving and wire art. With her various expertise in visual arts and crafts, she established her own business which she named “Kesayasayah”. She accepts weaving commission and retail of her own hand made wire art crafts. Besides her business, she also engages herself in visual art exhibits and craft fairs where she expanded her knowledge and personal networks as an artist and a small business owner. As a visual illustrator and a crafter, it’s her way on how she wants to express herself. In other ways, she applies the principles of the tradition of weaving that she learned into making her wire arts. Her versatility to learn different philosophies provides her a wide freedom on how she wants to convey her creative talents to the industry of arts and crafts while carrying the concept and practices of the cordillera culture.
Kesayah took the “Special Program for arts and sports” in high school where she wanted to take on sports but instead, she was at the top list to be qualified in the field of arts. A program where she developed her interest in visual illustrations. Her interest became more broad once she took a degree in architecture. While in the process of widening her creative knowledge at the age of twenty five, she volunteered in various craft fairs in Baguio where she met two known artisans of the city, Twinkle Ferraren introduced her the cultural importance of weaving and Pamela Lefeber, who instigated her to create wire arts. With the guidance of the two people who encouraged her to do weaving and wire arts, she taught herself until she developed her own personal concept of crafting. Since then, it was the start of her ventures of her career in weaving and creating wire accessories.
Kesayah’s Works
In making wire accessories, the materials Kesayah uses are copper and aluminum wire which she gets from the hardware store. The tools that she uses specifically in crafting wire rings are wire cutters, round nose pliers, flat pliers, ring mandrel, ring sizers and plumbers hammer. Her process of making a wire accessory starts off by working and maneuvering around a gemstone or bead. Sometimes she draws patterns based on what she learned from the tradition of weaving and incorporates those designs in her wire projects. A smart way that crafters like her mostly do is creating prototypes of her design ideas. For Wire rings, once she has decided on a design or a pattern, she starts creating them by wrapping a lower gauge wire around a ring mandrel based on a specific size. She then places a bead or gemstone and wraps the wire around it as if she was weaving before bending the wires with a plumber’s hammer. It takes fifteen minutes and above for a single wire ring project to accomplish. A couple of examples of her favorite wire accessories to make are “Evil eye” rings, nature and spider based designs as these concepts push her potential in creativity. “Evil Eyes” mostly has a glare of malevolence. It is believed that it has supernatural protective magic. It dates back as early as the upper paleolithic age. It is said that Evil Eyes are present across other religions. Her fondness of incorporating trees and mountains patterns in her bracelets that she made is a homage to her appreciation of the natural environment of Baguio. In her own opinion, a wire accessory is well made depending on the tidiness of how the wires are interlocked or warped together.
On the topic of weaving, the materials Kesayah uses are different colors of thread and yarn. She gets her supply from textile shops and the local market. The tools that she uses compared to her tools for wire accessories are practically simple, consisting of a wooden frame, nylon, shuttle, heddle, flat stick, a comb and a needle. Although, like her process in designing patterns in wire accessories, she draws a sketch of her desired design before applying it into weaving.
Kesayah tends to stray away from common designs but incorporates them with spiral and floral patterns in her own style, especially in making wire accessories. The only similarity that she shares with other artisan is her use of materials. Of course the general population’s opinion towards artists is that their creativity and productivity is affected by their mood. She is no exception but it was never a matter of concern for her because while she keeps on creating her artistry, she expresses her personal emotions.
Kesayah taught children around schools in Luzon with the guidance and sponsorship of different art organizations. Teaching the youth to be exposed to several types of artform is her way to provide opportunities and the freedom to explore being creative to the students.
Wire art and weaving may not be advisable to be as sustainable for an artisan alone but if given more platforms such as events and art/ craft fairs, the opportunity for artists like Kesayah can be beneficial for their growth in terms of broadening their knowledge for creativity and their marketing. Being a part of such fairs and exhibits is what had inspired her to begin with her artform.