UTSUROI Live Archives
by the Japan Foundation, Manila and Komunidad X
November 24 – December 19, 2020
Countless international collaborations among contemporary performing artists in Asia have been forged in the last several years. However, artists from the field of theater and dance from the Philippines and Japan have not had have the opportunity to gather and talk about their experiences, learnings and challenges that were encountered from their participation in various projects. For this reason, The Japan Foundation, Manila and Komunidad X, the anti-disciplinary collective arm of Sipat Lawin Inc. (SLI) launched a website for Contemporary Performance namely kXchange.org.
Click here to visit kXchange.org
The website features Live Archives which is an online series of interviews, panel discussions, publications and showing of performance documentations with an aim to map history and trajectories of individual and collaborative artistic practices and to rethink the future of performance and society. Under its Live Archives Program, kXchange.org presented the first series entitled UTSUROI Live Archives from November 24, 2020 to December 19, 2020. The Live Archives focuses on the Philippine-Japan collaborations and co-creations that were supported by the Japan Foundation Asia Center and the Japan Foundation, Manila.
The project has a two-point objective: 1. to provide an avenue for Filipino and Japanese contemporary artists and art enthusiasts to talk and evaluate the international collaborations that they were part of in the last five years or so; and, 2. to capture and collate the synergy of contemporary performances developed in the Philippines and Japan by providing an online platform for series of interviews, panel discussions, publication, and (limited) online viewing of past performances that were produced through collaborations.
The aforementioned objectives were achieved by implementing a 4-week long online event that is composed of three main activities: artist’s interviews, performance archive showing, and panel discussions. The first week focused on performance and artist development platform in the Philippines, which featured the Karnabal Festival and Japanese artists collaborations. The second week focused on performance and artist development platform in the Japan, which featured the Asian Performing Arts Farm (APAF) and Filipino artists participation. Week 3 focused on Network Exchanges, which featured TPAM (Performing Arts Meeting in Yokohama) and Next Generation of Young Producers & other platforms. The final week premiered the weekend panel discussions and launched the online publication.
Among thirty-six (36) Japanese and Filipino artists who participated in the project, eleven of them were featured in the Artist’s Interview: Sipat Lawin Inc., ISHIGAMI Natsuki, FUJIWARA Chikara, TAKEDA Riki, Kare Ade x Kitamari, Tuxqs Rutaquio, Issa Manalo Lopez, James Harvey Estrada, Ian Segarra x YAMAGUCHI Keiko, J-Mee Katanyag x TANOUE Yutaka, Vice Mendoza x Mycs Villoso x Rhosam Prudenciado Jr., Ness Roque, Franchesca Casauay, Guelan Luarca, Andrei Pamintuan, and Mayen Estanero x Carlo Pagunaling x Antonette Go.
Meanwhile, eleven performances were presented in the whole project duration which include: Gobyerno Project, Give Me Chocolate, Engeki Quest, “The octopus is an octopus, but it is____”, Re/Play Dance Edit, Teru-Teru!, ASIA/N/ESS/ES, Ostrich! Hayupang Die-Bow-Ken!, Furefu/Haplos, HOST, and Manila Notes.
Lastly, the online publication volume 1 featured various articles on international collaboration which include the following: “A Unique Process of International Theater Collaboration” by MATSUI Kentaro, “International Collaboration to Create Multifaceted Crystals” by KYOGOKU Tomohiko, “Situating One’s Creative Practice Amidst Various Identities and Practices by Issa Manalo Lopez, “Director’s Notes for ASIA/N/ESS/ES” by Issa Manalo Lopez, Artist Interview of FUJIWARA Chikara, and, “Teru Teru Bozu: Devising the Third World Experience for a Global Stage” by Armando “Tuxqs” T. Rutaquio, Jr.
