My masters project explored the impact of storytelling and myth on cross cultural communication. How the sharing of myths can create further understanding of a culture and how visual forms of communication (costume) are effectively used.
The specific focus was on the Filipino myth of the Manananggal. A witch like monster whose legend has been altered over time to echo the view on Filipino woman through history. The myth revolves around witch monsters who split themselves in half during the night and go hunting. The original version of the myth depicted an animalistic human focused on hunting and little else. It was a story told to be wary of things at night harming the family home.
When the Spanish colonised the Philippines, the priests specifically wanted to target the influential woman in society. They used the myth of the Manananggal to degrade and create mistrust of the women around them. The myth was changed to make the monster more explicitly female. Using more of the female sex and cunning in hunting. They also added wings to the myth to create connotations to the devil in Christianity (which they were implementing). The myth started to become more of a warning against specific women and was used as a tool to change women’s role in society.
For the costume I created three distinct stages. The initial traditional Manananggal made from moulded leather introduced the character. The monster is then revealed as the colonised version. Made from a similar technique, but with hand painted chiffon to create a more visceral yet feminine image. This version has a pair of wings which fold over into the colonised traditional shawl to trap the traditional Filipino woman in Spanish influence.
This project involved a large amount of valid and important research. The research had to be specific and thorough to share the story in a valid and appropriate manner. I explored many areas of Filipino history and storytelling, letting the research grow and dictate its direction as I went. I researched multiple versions of the myth of the Manananggal, the history of the Philippines around the story, the history of women in and storytelling as a medium in the Philippines. This research created a picture of what messages to be shared and helped to grow a visual language for the piece.
