07.26.07 kulturnatib

Welcome to the club

The performance art troupe in Cebu is a fairly small one. It numbers from anywhere between two hands full to a couple of fingers. Although this easily balloons to more than many times that during the annual MindWorks of the UP Cebu Fine Arts Program.

When this event started almost three decades ago, this was a purely voluntary happening initiated by the students with the support of some faculty members. When erstwhile students became the majority of the faculty of the program, this event became some sort of centerpiece for the program. The other being, and continues to be, the Jose Joya Annual Awards and Competition.

Soon, participation in this event became compulsory for third and fourth year students of the program. This saw the popularization of the MindWorks far and beyond the cliqueish corners of the Fine Arts Program to even other campuses.

This even saw the event becoming a revenue earning one, with the collection of entrance fees. Not surprisingly, this aspect of the event gets less talk time between the organizers, their advisers and whomever is interested – for whatever imaginable reason – since, here, revenues and expenses always tend to be the proverbial dog chasing after its own tail; A situation not uncommon with the arts here.

Nevertheless, this event continues, still with fees though no longer compulsory – or, maybe, not as widely or strictly -- for the students, in a bid to return to the original intent and spirit of its founding.

It used to be that this was the only opportunity for performance art in the city. But, since late last year, performance art has had a surge of expression and exposure here.

Since that time there has been almost a dozen performance art events. Some of these have been spontaneous, almost spur of the moment performances – guerilla performance has been a term used with these – with only a handful of people in the audience. Yet, many of these have been well organized, well publicized events attended by scores of people. Some are steadfast supporters of the arts while others are fairly new to this art form and willing to go along for the ride.

Others still, are not content with just being simply passengers, or worse, being bukongs, literally hangers-on for a fare-less jeepney ride. They want to try the driver's seat. Either solo, or, for now, with co-pilots.

So, the next performance event at the Tapas Lounge will feature two of these. This will have taken place last night. It must be mentioned parenthetically that Stephan Senz of Tapas Lounge has been one reason for this surge of performance art. The others are Turtle's Nest Book Cafe, the Outpost Restaurant and Bite Magazine. These are businesses. For sure there are the countless individuals who have opened their hearts and mind to performance art. How else can one say this?

Yes, there are two new initiates to performance art in Cebu. Not having obtained their express permission for their identities to be disclosed, they shall remain nameless. Suffice it to say that one is a famous drummer – a demigod of the drums, very highly regarded among local musicians -- and the other works in well known resort in Mactan.

Different as their trajectories are, their target is the same: being able to be a part of an artistic expression that is fairly fresh, compellingly challenging and positively pioneering.

I don't know exactly what their parts are. Although, for the drummer, since he is helping me with my performance art piece called, “Human Security Art,” I know it is a pivotal one. Also a friend from way back, I am confident that his training in jazz music with its roots in spontaneity and improvisation will stand him well.

As for the resort girl, I can only say that her long friendship with the other performance artists involved in the event, with their own solo and group performance pieces, will also be her one sure hand on the steering wheel. Her other hand will be her curiosity and her willingness to embrace the fact that in medieval times the performance artist was the king's favorite subject: the Royal Fool.