AGIMAT PROJECT - ART DATABASE LAUNCHING

Shameless plugging. Hehe, but I'm really curious as to how this would succeed in this extremely, disparate, marginalized art scene. It seems like a very ambitious project, but at least some initiatives like this one have started taking importance on archiving art. In terms of it's efficiency and practicality, that is something we'll all have to see. Check out their site-launch tomorrow.

Taken from their site:

Finally, we have a website that we could truly call our own.

The Agimat Project is a website that aspires to promote Filipino Artists, Philippine Art and Culture by building a large database, profile, on-line resource material of Filipino artists information. A brain child project of Anino Design, the website has been existing for three years now. It started as a site for independent artists. However, this year, it will venture into the dream of being a true artists database on line - catering to both mainstream and independent artists, dead or alive, known or unknown.

On July 31, Thursday, 7pm at Access Point Bar, Scout Borromeo, Q.C., let us welcome Agimat as the Filipino artists' talisman towards a promising future of Philippine Art and Culture.

Artists are encouraged to submit in their profile, photos, sample works for the site. You can also promote your events, art and let the world know of your artistry. We will be putting up a section during the launch where you can submit your profile and have your pictures taken. Volunteer photographers will be doing a photo shoot for artists who want to have their pictures taken for their profile.

The site is free for every Filipino artist to maximize and embrace as his/her own. Check out the site at www.agimat.net

Let us celebrate this milestone in Philippine Art and Culture on July 31 and enjoy the night of performances from Juan Pablo Dream, Zelle, Matilda, Electromomma, Sopiz, Duster, Jeepney Joyride, Miko Pepito, Datu's Tribe, Stonefree, and Radioactive Sago Project. Admission is free!

Join other artists such as actor-comedian Gabe Mercado, Tado, Romancing Venus poet Kooky Tuason, comics genius Gerry Alanguilan, writer Pablo Gomez, musician Bayang Barrios, visual artist Eghai Roxas, film maker Ato Bautista, Tribu director, Jim Libiran, multimedia artist Tengal, theatre and film actor Archi Adamos, and many more who have pledged their support for the project.

The project is supported by DAKILA - Philippine Collective for Modern Philippines, Flippyknows, Romancing Venus, Project Headshots Clinic, We will Doodle, Sunshine Productions, the Quezon City Jaycees, Blue Note Sound System and Suspended Animation.

For more info, you may e-mail info@agimat.net or dakila.philippines@yahoo.com

This event is also a fund raising project for the benefit of our well loved colleague, Susan Fernandez battle with the Big C. We welcome any donations during the launch.

Barthes on the Semiology of Love

The lover is the natural semiologist in the pure state! He spends his time reading signs -- he does nothing else: signs of happiness, signs of unhappiness. On the face of the other, in his behavior. He is truly a prey to signs.

So the proverb is a lie: love is not blind...

Love is not blind. On the contrary, it has an unbelievable power to decipher things, which is related to the paranoid element in every lover. You know, a lover combines bits of neurosis and psychosis : he's tormented and crazed. He sees clearly -- but the result is often the same as if he were blind.

Why?

Because he doesn't know where or how to make signs stop. He deciphers perfectly, but he's unable to arrive at a definite interpretation, and he's swept away by a perpetual circus, where he'll never find peace.

Roland Barthes, Playboy, Sept. 1977 (interview conducted by Philippe Roger)
Photo by Toni Blay

I, Tengal, 23 on 23

How many times in your whole life can you celebrate your birthday with the same number as your age, and as your date of birth? Only once.
Instead of having yet-again yearly lavish, extravagant celebrations of debauchery and drunken revelry; I opted to mark this day instead as a public and personal promise and as a constructive goal for the next 23 months. Last October 9, 2005, I made a list of albums, and promised myself the goal and ambition of creating and producing 20 albums until 2009. However, for the past 3 years, thru varied evolutions on interests, opening opportunities/possibilities, work/school, traveling, tumultuous emotional and personal experiences, and various pathetic reasons to be dormant etc, has kept me 13 albums short. So, I decided to add 3 more albums (so it becomes 23), extended my deadline, and most importantly, to commemorate this “special day and number” also to finish what my former background as a composer and musician had set forth to accomplish.

Therefore, I, Tengal, 23 years of age on the 23^rd of July 2008, will complete 23 albums after 23 months. The new deadline is set on June 23, 2010. The albums will be released gradually or sporadically, and will be compiled and re-released simultaneously on July 23, 2010.

Here is the list of the 23 albums (which includes those I have completed, will do, and those currently in production).

(Subtitle, info) / [genre]

Completed:

1. Tengal - Drones for the Bored (Mga hugong para sa buryong) - (a series of drones for synthesizer, tape and prepared electric fan and mixer) [electro-acoustic, sound art, ambient, minimalist]

2. Tengal - Cinema for the Ear I (Idol: Bida/Kontrabida; 3 days of darkness OST) [soundtracks/film music]

3. Tengal/Conscript/Pow Martinez – feet conjoined hands [noise, improv, electro-acoustic]*

4. Tengal/Pow Martinez/Inconnu ictu: Live improvisation performance: S.A.B.A.W. Fiesta Volume 1: “This space for rent; the most obscure gig in 2005” [noise, electro-acoustic improv, electronic]*

5. V.A. – S.A.B.A.W. Anthology of Electronic, Noise, and Experimental Music 2006 [compilation]

6. EAT TAE – The way of attainment of genius or godhead as the development of the human brain... (EP) [genre-blender, murder jazz, musique concrete, avant rock, plunderphonics]

7. Tengal/Goh Lee Kwang/Arvie Bartolome – (untitled) [free improv, lowercase, sound poetry]*

* currently unreleased


Remaining:

8. Tengal – (untitled) [miniature musique concrete, lowercase, minimal, glitch]

9. Tengal – Livevil [live, compilation]

10. Tengal – Cinema for the Ear II [soundtracks/film music]

11. Tengal – (untitled; 2nd album for Sequential Boredom Series) [sound art, electro-acoustic, lowercase, onkyo, glitch, compositional avant garde]

12. Tengal – (untitled; final album for Sequential Boredom Series) [field recordings, musique concrete, electro-acoustic, sound art]

13. Tengal – Regurgitating Rabbits [vocal, electronic, verbo-psycho poetry]

14. Tengal – POP MONSTER [plunderphonics, avant pop, lowercase, glitch]

15. Tengal/Arvie – (untitled) [electronica, post-rock, nu-gaze, glitch]

16. EAT TAE – PanRadio (DadadeathtranslatesPOP) [interactive radio play, murder jazz, musique concrete, plunderphonics, field recording, genre-blender music]

17. Happy Sauna [electrogrindcore, noisecore, gabba, idm]

18. V.A. – (untitled) [hiphop]

19. Tengal/Ria Munoz – (untitled) [electronica, lowercase]

20. Tengal/Elemento – (untitled) [noise, E-A improv]

21. Pinku! – Pinku! [jpop, miniature music]

22. Nipples – Crucifucked [miniature music, free noise, free jazz]

23. EAT TAE – Covers [unoriginal music, musique concrete, genre-blender music, plunderphonic]

Updated Final List of Participants for Cellsbutton Media Art Fest

Click Here.


Participants :

Miha Horvat (Slovenia)
Olivier Schulbaum (Germany)
Franck Ancel (France)
Pavel Sedlak (Czech Republic)
Emma Ota (UK/Japan)
Simon Laroche (Canada)
Deanna Herst (Netherlands)
Leila Abuhilal (UK)
Jan Torpus (Switzerland)
Mo Selle (Singapore)
Rene T A Lysloff (USA)
Craig Walsh (Australia)
Rob van Kranenburg (Netherlands)
No.E (USA)
Tengal (Philippines)
Shaun Gladwell (Australia)
Muid Latif (Malaysia)
Denis Jaromil Rojo (Netherlands/Italy)
Colette TRON (France)
Adam Sharples (UK)
Nancy Mauro-Flude (Australia)
Jerneja Rebernak (Slovenia)
Joe Addington (France)

Akbar (Bandung)
Taufik Obet (Jakarta)
Cokky Turnip (Medan)
Venzha (Yogyakarta)
Pradhono Rakhmono Aji (Yogyakarta)
Irene Agrivina (Yogyakarta)
Erin Citra (Batam)
Irine Stephanie (Bandung)
Julian Abraham (Yogyakarta)
Hendra Brawijaya (Bali)
Budi Adi Nugroho (Bandung)
Andreas Siagian (Yogyakarta)
Adhari Donora (Pekanbaru)
Marcello Vishnoe (Yogyakarta)
Gentur Galih / Vietnam (Yogyakarta)
Aldy Rento / unkl347 (Bandung)
Durga (Jakarta / USA)
Benny Wicaksono (Surabaya)
Bambang Rahmantyo (Semarang)
JackD2 (Yogyakarta)
ZeTH (Yogyakarta)
Prof. Jaka Widada (Yogyakarta)
Prof. Irfan Dwidja Prijambodo (Yogyakarta)
Daniel Hiu (Pontianak)
Politeknik Caltex Riau (Pekanbaru)
SMP 5 robot community (Yogyakarta)

Web / Recent works / Screening / Interview :

Usman Haque (UK)
Alex Bradley (UK)
ZTOHOVEN (Czech Republic)
BLENDID (Netherlands)
GENERATOR (Czech Republic)
Dirty Handz (France)
Laurie Rowan (UK)
Simon Laroche (Canada)
Rastasoft GNU/LINUX (Netherlands / Italy)
IAMAS (Japan)
Art Sensitive (France)
Stanley Ruiz (Philippines/USA)
Branko Andric (Austria)

DJ’s :

Fat London (France)
Billy / Embassy (Yogyakarta)
Sonny / Apple Stereo (Surabaya)
Wza / Stereowerk (Yogyakarta)
Rizal / Chronicle Therapy (Jakarta)
Sonny / Energyroom (Yogyakarta)
Adit Smoke / the projector (Surabaya)
Wattu / Chronicle Therapy (Batam)
Jojo / Manifesto (Solo)
Nouva / Manifesto (Solo)
Yance / Chronicle Therapy (Batam)
Reza / Manifesto (Solo)
Yudha / Manifesto (Yogyakarta)
Louvi / Energyroom (Yogyakarta)
Navis / Energyroom (Yogyakarta)
Adhit / Energyroom (Yogyakarta)

MC’s :

Erno / Energyroom (Yogyakarta)
Electrocore (Yogyakarta)
Mr. X (No-where)
XBO (Yogyakarta)

Live PA :

Electrocore (Yogyakarta)
Uncle 303 (Jakarta)
Terror Incognita (Semarang)
Criminal Cat (Surabaya)
Natural Airwave (Bandung)
KreziKultur (Yogyakarta)
Hengki Strawberry (Yogyakarta)
GODMODE (Yogyakarta)
Hello Good Boy (Yogyakarta)
Dubyouth (Yogyakarta)
Midijunkie (Yogyakarta)
Apple stereo (Surabaya)
Monotron Prostitute (Semarang)
MR-T (Surabaya)
Elang Eby/Polyester Embassy (Bandung)

VJ’s :

Translatic Lab (Solo)
Chrome-nymph (Bali)
Public space (Surabaya)
Vjnumberone (Yogyakarta)
alami_loopdown (Bandung)
The departure (Yogyakarta)
TribeMotion (Surabaya)
Mo Selle (Singapore)
LosTSisKa visual journey (Solo)
Pinxhoes (Bandung)
The dun’s visual (Yogyakarta)
The Herbal’s (Surabaya)
Video HACK (Surabaya)

Getting High with Life

Anu nga ba ang buhay? isang ilusyon,

isang anino, isang kasinungalingan,
at ang malaking biyaya'y maliliit pa rin,
dahil ang buhay ay isa lamang pangarap,
at ang mga pangarap ay pangarap lamang.

¿Qué es la vida? Una ilusión,
una sombra, una ficción,
y el mayor bien es pequeño:
que toda la vida es sueño,
y los sueños, sueños son.

Pedro Calderon de la Barca, La Vida es Sueño
[Verses found inside a public LRT train along Taft avenue, MNL.]

Photos by Jake Salvador

Leng Tch'e

Leng Tch'e

Plastechnology

This is a poster for a media art show /exhibit / talk at the University of De La Salle, in Dasmariñas Cavite, by the Cavite-based circuit bender collective, E.X.I.S.T.

This was obviously a poster done by that (crazy) circuit-bender artist, Erick Calilan, who also curated the event. I could only guess that he obtained this illegal photo from graphic designer Abet Esguerra, who took this private picture of us when we were conducting a film workshop at Nanyang Technological Institute in Singapore last August 2006, where this photo was taken.

FYI: the picture includes me (right), filmmaker Khavn dela Cruz (left), and Mascot Brocka, an actor for this feature film we were shooting in Singapore (center), (who is also played by that crazy Abet Esguerra, who is by no chance related to former child star, Aiza Seguerra.)

When: July 21 to Aug 23.
Where: CEAT Bldg. Exhibit Hall, De La Salle University - Dasmariñas Cavite.
Opening on july 21 10am / artist's talk on july 23, u-break 12 noon - 2:30pm

Independent film using music from the SABAW Anthology of Noise, Electronic, and Experimental Music 2006

Last year, director Khavn dela Cruz asked me if he could use the music from the anthology I compiled and produced two years ago for a feature film he was doing. This is the result.

VARIOUS ARTISTS
"S.A.B.A.W. — An Anthology of Noise, Electronic and Experimental Music"
Of all the compilations and tributes put out this year, this collection
of local fringe music from as far back as the Eighties is the probably the
only one that can actually be considered a landmark. None of the artists are
household names and – as far we know – none of them have had any videos
shown on any music channel. You won’t hear any of them on the radio
either.
But the artists featured on the album, such as EAT TAE, The Children of
the Cathode Ray, Foodshelter&Clothing and Arvie Bartolome to name but a
few, are making the true, anti-Bagong Lipunan, anti-EDSA "Manila Sound." Mostly
foregoing harmony, melody or conventional song structure, this isn’t
the sound of the future. This is now.*

*Written by writer-critic, Erwin Romulo, in a newspaper article, Wha-cha gonna do when there ain’t no jazz: The best music of 2006 in Philippine Star. Full article here.

Overdosed Nightmare

July 19 (sat) – 9pm

Tanghalang Batute (Studio Theater), CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines)

“Overdosed Nightmare” is Kidlat Tahimik’s “Perfumed Nightmare” without the perfume, a pure nightmare set in wounded Manila, a close-up view of all that gangrene and pus. A gang of rat-munching, homophobic bums kill the night clumsily. Jesus H. Christ gets crucified for the nth time in Dagger Island. A greaseman, the image model for Poverty, bums around the Edsa Revolution anniversary which ousts another corrupt president, Estrada the actor. And Tony D., the shrewd short-fused citizen of the Philippine ghetto, sets his sights on foreign classmate Steve Banners, a pompous self-righteous dude with delusions of America's grandeur at the expense of Third World inequity.

Running time: 80min

CAST AND CREW

MARVIN AGUSTIN as Tony De Instituto
BON REYES as Tony Gooseman
BUCCINO DE OCAMPO as Tony Greaseman
DAVE KAHN as Steve Banners

Directed, Written, & Produced by KHAVN
Based on NORMAN WILWAYCO’s Institute Of Poets
Edited by LAWRENCE S. ANG (with Genghis Jimenez)
Cinematography by ALBERT BANZON, ALMA DELA PENA, KHAVN
Additional Footage by RAUL FUNILAS
Music by DELAKRUS, TENGAL, ARVIE BARTOLOME, ASCARIS, AUTOCEREMONY, BLEND:ER, BLUMS BORRES, CHILDREN OF CATHODE RAY, CONSCRIPT, EAT TAE, ELEMENTO, FOODSHELTER&CLOTHING, INCONNU ICTU, INSOMNIA, NASAL POLICE, POW MARTINEZ, TERESA BARROZO*

*Italicized c/o SABAW; taken from the album SABAW ANTHOLOGY OF NOISE, ELECTRONIC, AND EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC 2006

The Confluence of Freedom

"A man sets himself the task of drawing the world. As the years pass, he fills the empty space with images of provinces and kingdoms, mountains, bays, ships, islands, fish, houses, instruments, stars, horses and people. Just before he dies, he discovers that the patient labyrinth of lines traces the image of his own face."

Jorge Luis Borges, El Hacedor (Dreamtigers), from the epilogue.

Location preview

Location hunt stills for a new feature film I'm currently working on.
Cinema One Originals
Salida Productions

"se va a empezar"

[photos by Ruelo Lozendo]