[re]frame - Manila was a project that specifically aimed to assist a local collective of women embroiderers (PML) from the town of Lumban in the province of Laguna in the Philippines. The project intended to help open up new commercial opportunities and sustainable business practice for the local artisans, while staying true to their traditions, culture and heritage.

[re]frame - manila focused on the detail and intricate nature of existing traditional and cultural Filipino embroidery techniques, by framing off small sections of the work and placing them in an entirely new contemporary context. Omnium worked on the project for over a year (2008) in collaboration with the Social Action Office of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Manila.

The outcome of the [re]frame - manila project was a large wall installation (4.8 m x 11 m) comprising over 2500 individually framed embroidery pieces that is now installed as a permanent artwork in the foyer of DLS-CSB’s School of Design and Arts in Malate, Manila. The project was a large scale collaboration and provided many months ongoing employment for over 60 embroiderers and woodworkers in the province, at a time when work was scarce and difficult to attract.