My formative years in the Philippines were spent growing up in my mother’s beauty salon, surrounded by the vibrant language known as Swardspeak, spoken by my mother’s friends and confidants. Swardspeak is a queer argot that emerged in the 1970s, blending local languages with elements from foreign languages such as English, Spanish, and Japanese. This type of lavender language or anti-language reflects the nation’s colonial history and is continuously evolving as a form of resistance, helping to connect speakers within the queer community.
I am intertwining this language of resistance with anting-anting, talismanic vests traditionally used in the Philippines for spiritual protection. These vests, often worn as amulet undershirts or tattooed onto the skin, typically combine Christian symbols with pre-colonial sigils and are frequently accompanied by playful uses of pig Latin and regional languages.
This linguistic rebellion and enchanted armor are expressed through backstrap weaving, a technique in which the loom is attached to my back, allowing my body to control and embody the tension of the warp. Part of the yarn I use, both handspun and machine-spun, is dyed with goldenrod, a flowering plant common to the very regions that inspire Swardspeak. Images are printed onto the warp, paying homage to ikat weaving, which employs a resist dyeing technique still practiced in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. The text revealed in the textile is created using a "pick-up" weaving technique. The goldenrod dye is mixed with other colors derived from sappanwood, indigo, onion skins, avocado, annatto, and iron water. These weavings twist and turn, resembling a language that intertwines with other languages—those that are inherited, borrowed, and imposed—spitting colorful tongues of defiance.