9:02: Will be liveblogging Gelo Suarez' poetics presentation, which starts at 9:30. Ligo muna ako. Ayos ang breakfast, mehn-- itlog na pula't kamatis, espadang daing, garlic tapa, sinangag. Balik ako, mehn, bubuhay lang ng dugo. Ligo. 'Sak.
9:25: Sitting in between Rio Alma and Chingbee Cruz. Everyone gearing for Gelo's presentation, which reads in the manuscript (in full) as:
Some Things I've Sworn Not to Do in Poetry, for the Next Few Years or So, in Alphabetical Order
Aim for emotive resonance.
End the poem w/ lyrical flourish
Express myself.
Find my voice.
Make up a believable, cohesive persona.
Provide an insight into the Human Condition.
9:31: Chingbee Cruz introducing Suarez now. Says pertinent questions include "What kind of poetry is this a response to, and why this response."
9:42: Shit ang dami nang nangyari. Gelo now talking about genesis of this view of his-- Gertrude Stein's "Five words" poem. Also said, earlier, "At the heart of what I do is defamiliarization." Now showing various slides and video clips showing works that show how message loops into form. And also, "form as medium."
9:44: Suarez: A page poet is one that makes maximum use of the page as form.
UPDATE: Gelo's poetics presentation done. Ngayon lang ako nakaconnect sa internet ulit, fuck. Anyway: Some interesting points by Gelo: "What I'm trying to do, some call "conceptual art."
It's also art that talks about what art is, na nakapaloob ang message du'n sa form.
Nagsimula [itong gawin ng mga pioneers nito] as response to the commodification of art; as resistance to the market.
Forces of production are also put into the fore.
One of the main concerns: laruin ang tension between the concrete and abstract.
"It's about substance. It's about form."
Internet still choppy. Ricardo de Ungria moderating Suarez workshop discussion now.
10:44: de Ungria calls this kind of art as "literalism," concerned with the very materiality of art. Cites Dadaists and Surrealists as progenitors. Asks Suarez, "Bakit hindi mo sila binanggit?"
10:46: Suarez answers, "Marami pa akong gusto sanang banggitin." Cites facebook comment: "Don't commit suicide by saying that what you're doing is new." Cites particular Dadaist influences. Hindi ko ma-spell, e, tanungin na lang n'yo siya. Cites Situationists din.
10:48: Vlad Gonzales comment/ question: "Kitang-kita ko na matalas ang pulitika dito sa pinoproyekto mo. Medyo nagtataka ako na at some points, may nararamdaman akong denial sa pulitika. Parang tinatago. Tanong, to rephraase: Anong klaseng pulitika ba 'yung hinaharap mo dito?" Also cites presence of Filipino tradition re: this form.
10:51: "Gusto kong isipin na kahit hindi ko i-call attention, napapansin. Mas gustong i-imply na lang. Wala akong illusion na magpatigil ng tangke gamit 'yung akda. Kung gusto kong mag-organize ng movement, mag-oorganize ako ng movement, hindi ako tutula." Malumanay ang pagkakasabi niya, ha, walang away. Cites George Oppen. "Puwede kang maglabas ng sentimiento sa tula, pero wala du'n ang laban." Cites micro-politics, "Sa araw-araw na pamumuhay, may ganyang nagaganap na struggle with power structures... Siguro puwedeng sabihin na 'yung mismong form ang pinopoliticize."
10:58: Suarez asked about his performances in English. "Meron, sa Dissonant Umbrellas," Rio Alma butts in. Gelo cites hybridity and bilinguality: "Nasa iisang spektrum lang ang English at Filipino." Binanggit pa ako, re: 'yung hirit ko kahapon na non-issue na sa akin 'yun.
11:03: Batacan states feeling of discomfort re: conceptual art, plays in form as resistance to intellectual lethargy. But, she asks, "Don't audiences already know that?" States, "To me it comes across as a kind of false humility... Isn't it actually operating from a position of let me jar/jog/ shock you into thinking?" Cites tyranny of giving everything, re: tyranny of giving nothing..." Medyo malabo hehehe. But Gelo gets it. Ichi is easily the most soft-spoken person in this workshop, whatever she says, parang pinapakain ka niya ng lugaw at inaalagaan habang sinasabi 'yun.
11:07: Suarez says, "Sa akin, sa akin mas kupal 'yung pupunta ka sa isang lugar na may assumption na alam mo kung ano ang maiintindihan o hindi ng audience..." Putcha masyadong mabilis ang pangyayari, ang daming ideas na lumilipad dito. Medyo nahihirapan akong sundan. I guess he's saying na hindi niya concern 'yung tyrannies na 'yun; articulation siya, and that's it.
11:10: Gonzales cites tension between the implied and explicit politics. And also states that, yes, sometimes there is a need to tell people that a performance is a performance. "Ang nagagawa ng teksto na aware sa merits at flaws nu'ng form, hinahayaan niya 'yung nagpepresent at ang audience na mag-respond informed ng kung-anong background ang meron siya." Cites street art groups from UP. Paghaya, kung baga, sa kung paanong magrerespond ang audience mo. At marami pang iba.
11:20: Suarez cites elders as rebels in their own time-- particularly Rio Alma and Ricky de Ungria. Growth is in evolution of work. Light moment, hirit kami ng "kissss" dahil katabi si Sir Ricky.
11:23 Interesting point: de Ungria: Maraming na-etsa-puwera na aesthetics dati, sa generation nila. Stiff, rigid ang nangibabaw na aesthetics. Natutuwa siya na may lumilitaw ngayon na handang mag-ingay. Asks Gelo: "Bakit mo sinasabing kailangan ito ng panahon?"
11:25: Suarez: "Parang ang kapal ng mukha nu'ng sinabi kong kailangan ito ng panahon." Rio Alma rebutts: "Kailangang maniwala ka du'n." Gelo's point: Lyric ang dominant mode. Kailangan kong lumugar against it kung gusto kong panindigan ang poetics ko. Cites protest poetry as example: 'Yung gustong sabihin protest, pero 'yung form, nasa dominant mode pa rin. Gusto kong lumagpas sa ganu'n.
11:32 Suarez cites discomfort and ambivalence re: nomination of Dissonant Umbrellas for National Book Award for design. On one hand, astig, napansin ang materiality nung libro. On the other, tangina, design lang 'yun? Parang bad trip na tiningnan siya bilang poetry book lang, tapos 'yung visual aspect, nakita ng iba bilang palamuti lang. Cites idea of intermedia as another driving force behind his work.
11:40 Discussion on visuality and minimalism re: Gelo's work-in-progress. Interesting suggestion by Roland Tolentino: baka may paraan para gawing performance din 'yung pag-approach ng reader du'n sa form niya as book.
11:47: Discussion on "Criticism is Hard Work" performance sa CCP dati. Hardcore 'yun. Importance of deliberateness in moving towards margins. "I still believe in systems." Cites aporia and inner conflict of artists. Aporia, now google that, hehehe.
11:52: Chingbee Cruz lauds inextricability of form and content in Suarez' work. "Maganda 'yung idea na kunwari, even boredom can be a site for statement." Poses question: "Is it really possible to put these kinds of poems in a book?" in relation to static-ness of page. "The very physical page may not necessarily be the venue for this work."
11:55: Suarez: "Hindi ko sigurado kung dapat ko siyang hayaan bilang ephemeral na text (performance,) kasi gusto ko rin 'yung tension na mismong 'yung pag-transcribe, may micro-politics din siya."
11:57 Suarez re: his poetics paper: "Gusto ko 'yung irony na, talaga bang nagagawa ko ito?" Funny moment: says, "I've always been a fan of overreading."
11:59: Rio Alma: "May espasyo ka ba para sa failure? Kunwari sa performance, at walang reaksyon, nakakaramdam ka bang, sablay?"
12:00 Suarez: "'Yun din ang nagtutulang sa akin na gumawa ng iba, 'yung ideya na pumalpak ako."
12:00 Rio Alma: "Ibig sabihin may framework for analysis ka."
12:01 Suarez: "Natatakot ako na baka pag nahanap ko 'yun, iwan ko na itong proyektong ito."
12:02: Putangina tama na ang haba na nakakahilo na. Lunch, mehn. Labels: angelo suarez, liveblogging, poetics, up national writers workshop 2009 |
