No one writes articles about us?

Tad Ermitano's email reply on another soundartist's concern regarding the lack of articles written about the soundart scene in Manila.

"Well, it IS true that there are no writers (aside from me?) who write anything about sound art worth reading about. Although for an absolute beginner, Erwin O.* was actually not bad. That's true of almost everything to do with contemporary art here though. Nobody writes about the conceptualists with any knowledge or history, even though they stage show after show in SHOPPING MALLS!! Nobody (except Nick) wrote about the experimental films in Mowelfund. Nobody (except for Lourd?)** wrote about Publiko, Elemento, Lirio or Cathode Ray when we were doing stuff in the 90s.

(On a wider scope, we can wonder who wrote about say, the Futurists when they were active, aside from themselves.)

Tengal is different from Poklong (and Chabet?) in that he actively
resents the lack of knowledgeable art writing vis a vis the new stuff.

But that is why you have to tell your own story/curate yourself: because it's better than waiting for someone to get your story right/curate you.

Unless artists want to say that the most important thing for them to do is to wait for someone to learn how to write about them, then the most important thing for artists to learn how to do is to learn how how to write.

Jing was among the first to try to curate his and our work (maybe we can call him the godfather of Sound Abakanism? hehe)

Which is why we have to bring back manifestoes and pamphlets. We're lucky to have the net though, which gives free blog bazookas to all who would be Abakanists! hehe."

* - Erwin Oliva of www.inquirer.net recently wrote an article on the Sountrip blog about his soundart experience at Mag:net. Link: http://inquirerbloggers.net/soundtrip/2007/07/31/the-sound-of-silence/

** - Lourd de Veyra, frontman for fusion band Radioactive Sago Project and an acclaimed writer and music journalist.

TAD's blogs: http://www.cavemanifesto.blogspot.com/

AND, here's another reply from the same issue by BLUMS BORRES:

"Obviously his (the soundartist) anger is displaced. I don't take it against him.

I guess the writing problem is inherent in any "emerging" art form. All we really need are one or two writers who are dedicated and knowledgable. Get Erwin Oliva or someone into it. Let's buy him a book or two about avant garde, electronic music, and sound art.

Someone should also write an article "What the FUCK is sound art?" and "Sound Art in Manila"

:P