For one night only, a screening of seminal 1981 Filipino film Turumba, by Kidlat Tahimik, introduced by visiting Filipino curator Merv Espina who will also serve a sampling of South East Asian food.
Turumba
Blurring the lines between documentary and fiction, Turumba is a brilliantly crafted satire of globalisation in a small Fillipino town. Made by the grandfather of the Independent Philippine Cinema, Kidlat Tahimik, in collaboration with local craftsmen and artists, Turumba portrays the community of Pakil, a small town in Laguna province about 100 kilometres from the capital Manila. Famed for the annual Turumba procession and musical tradition, the film focuses on a family who earn their living creating paper-mache icons, renowned across the Philippines, for the annual festivities. Upon receiving a commission to mass produce paper-mache figurines for the 1972 Munich Olympic games, the film traces the changes to the town as the Filipino hamlet becomes a sweat shop, observing the effects of global trade on the centuries old traditions, reflecting the broader histories of colonialism and exploitation in the Pacific.
Merv Espina & the Green Papaya Kitchen
Filipino curator Merv Espina is program director for Green Papaya Art Projects, the oldest artist-run interdisciplinary platform in the Philippines. The Green Papaya Kitchen is a model for an alternative economy built on exchange, and in this unique screening event, attendees will sample a small range of vegetarian dishes adapted by Espina from recipes gathered during his travels around Southeast Asia. The food served at the screening will be served on a first come-first served basis.
Turumba is presented as part of the Artist Week leading up to the 2016 CIRCUIT symposium Phantom Topologies. $10 door sales only
Merv Espina's visit to New Zealand is made possible by the Asia New Zealand Foundation.