A Baníg is a handwoven mat usually used in East Asia and Philippines for sleeping and sitting. This type of mat is traditionally made in the Philippines. Baníg weaving is handed down from one generation to another as it is widely practiced in the country, with designs varying across the regions.

The art and beauty of banig weaving lie in the intricacy of folding over the strips of the material that will yield a wonderful design of interlace folds and entails a sequential order of steps to create geometric patterns and rhythm.

In weaving, the warp is the set of lengthwise strips that are held in tension on a frame.The strip that is inserted over-and-under the warp strips is called the weft, or filler.  Warp is the lengthwise or longitudinal strips, while weft is the crosswise strip.

Technically, it is not a textile. Depending on the region of the Philippines, the mat is made of buri, (palm), pandanus or sea grass leaves. The leaves are dried, usually dyed, and then cut into strips and woven into mats, which may be plain or intricate. The designs and motifs of banig, as well as the raw materials used in weaving, differ from one ethnolinguistic group to another.

Mat Weaving Traditions in the Philippines

Samar Tikog Mats Basey, Samar The Samar mat could indisputably claim to be the most extensively used in the country. One could find the Samar mat in the markets in Mindanao as well as in Luzon, not to mention the many islands of the Visayas. This popularity basically stems from its attractive colors as well as its highly affordable prices. The center of mat making in the province of Samar is the town of Basey, just across the San Juanico Bridge from Tacloban. The raw material is the tikog, a special reed grass which grows in swampy areas along rice fields and has solid, jointless and usually triangular stems. The Basey mat maker basically has a border design and a central motif which often is a stylized rendition of flowers such as sampaguita, gumamela, rose, or some orchid. Most of the time, the motif is always done in a contrasting color or just plain natural tikog color. The more complicated ones come in multicolored tones and correspondingly cost more. Once in a while, a mat showing the excellent likeness of a major and highly recognizable public figure, whether local or foreign, would appear. One particular practitioner in the area do this “portrait mat” – a highly specialized artistic skill which is difficult to pass on down the younger generation. The technique for creating the design on the Basey mat could be termed as embroidery since the design is inserted after the basic plain background mat has been fully woven. The design therefore is superficial to the basic mat, just an overlay of contrasting color.

Tikog Palnt

Pandan Mats Badjao and Samals Mats

The Badjao and Samal mat, design-wise, is undisputedly the most interesting tradition in the whole country. They are the most concentrated in the Tawi-Tawi province in the Sulu archipelago. Among the boat-dwelling Badjao of Sulu and the agricultural Samal of Tawi-Tawi, The most commonly used material is the pandanus plant which grows abundantly in the limestone-based island of  Tawi-Tawi. The pandanus grows wild and untended in the shores and sandy beaches. The techniques for preparing the pandan and weaving the mats are generally similar throughout Sulu.   While the mats of these two groups feature practically the same color (green, orange, red, violet blue and yellow), they differ in design and motif. The Badjao mat is characterized by vibrant colors and spontaneous geometric patterns and symbols reflecting the group's way of life such as those of crabs, wave, boats and marine life forms. On the other hand, the Samal mat's prominent patterns are stripes, multi-colored squares, zigzags and checkered patterns of white and other colors. It also sports muted colors and is comparatively soft in texture. The mat of the Tausug, also of Sulu, is similar in design to that of the Samals.      

Pandan or pandanus Plant

Buri Mats Romblon Mat

The island of Romblon has a unique tradition of mat making notable for its highly delicate lace-like edges. These mats from the buri palm are used traditionally as the liner for the wedding dance performed by the newly married couple. During the dance, the couple’s respective relatives vie with each other on who can throw more coins to the couple or pin paper money on their clothes. The dance stops as  soon as the money throwing is finished. The doily-like mats are not ordinarily used. Aside from the wedding dance it is only used when

Buri Palm Plant

Bamban Mats Iloilo

The only other notable tradition in the Visayan area is the bamban mat of Iloilo. Made from the bamban reed, this otherwise less pliable mat compensates by having a natural slightly glossy finish. Always done in its natural color, the bamban mat is still extensively used throughout rural Iloilo.

Bamban reed Plant

What is Principles of Art/Design? The Principles of Design refer to the organization of a work of art. Each principle interprets how an artist uses the Elements of Art, composition and design to express their feelings and ideas. By studying these, your own work will become more sophisticated as you will begin to apply this new at each one.

Principles of Art/Design - the means by which the artist organize and integrate the visual elements into unified arrangements. The rules by which an artist organizes the Elements of Art to create a work of art. Design – any arrangement of lines, forms, textures, and colors. It involves the problem of choosing these forms and colors and then arranging them. A good design shows an orderly arrangement of the materials and, in addition, creates beauty in the finished productSelecting and arranging have two aims – order and beauty.

Rhythm as Principle of Design

Rhythm – is the principle of art concerned with the repeating element to make a work seem active or to suggest vibration. To create rhythm, an artist will repeat not just elements but also the same exact objects over and over. When this is done, a pattern is formed.

Rhythm created in works of art with the Repetition of similar elements of art.

Types of Rhythm1. Regular Rhythm – the usual repetition of elements.

Ex. AB-AB-AB-AB

2. Alternating Rhythm - involves repetition of two or more motifs which alternate with one another to produce a regular sequence in the work of art.

Ex. ABA-CDC-ABA-EFE-ABA-CDC-ABA-EFE

3. Progressive Rhythm – progression occurs when there is gradual increase or decrease in the size, number, color, or some other quality of the elements repeated.

Ex. AB-AABB-AAABBB-AAAABBBB