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The Silya project features a
collection of chairs (
silya
is the Filipino
word for “chair”) contributed by the
country’s top designers. The plan? To
auction them all off in an effort to raise
the seed capital for the GKonomics
Trade School. The school will work
towards training beneficiaries to
become world-class master craftsmen
and revive dying Filipino design
traditions. Most importantly, it will
provide a way out of poverty for those
whom Gawad Kalinga set out to help.
In the long term, it’s a win-win
situation for everyone involved: GK
beneficiaries are able to get top-notch
training that will teach them a trade
and provide a source of income, and
designers will be able to draw from a
pool of talented craftsmen with skills
that complement their designs. It’s the
very model of a self-perpetuating cycle
of good that every social enterprise
wants to start.
It certainly helps that the chairs
up for auction are all masterpieces.
The chairs are
made by craftsmen
with skills that
complement the
designs
PHOTOS
PATRICK SEGOVIA
Making
a designer chair
requires great
attention to detail
