Envoy (I) How It All Began

Audio: Ang Duhol ng Walang Hanggan (The Eternal Sea Snake), 2019. https://cargocollective.com/alfredmarasigan

Ang Duhol ng Walang Hanggan (Audio)

HARUROT (Acceleration) – Alfred Marasigan
Curated by Arianna Mercado

“What do they mean by transportation crisis? I just see traffic.” (Salvador Panelo, Philippine Presidential Spokesman, October 2019)

Frustrated by having been stuck in traffic in Manila for 6 hours, Angeline Tham conceptualized Angkas, a motorcycle taxi service in 2015. This service involves commuters riding pillion behind drivers, providing a quick way to steer through standstill traffic. Dubbed as one of the world’s “most gridlocked cities,” Manila’s congested highways and impractical public transportation system has left many commuters discouraged and disillusioned with daily routines, leading others to look into alternative modes of transport. As of December 2019, it was reported that Angkas only has three months left to operate and will cease to be licensed beginning March 2020.

HARUROT (Acceleration) is an exploration of the ways we navigate through physical and digital gridlocks. For his first solo exhibition in London, Alfred Marasigan will be livestreaming a routine 2-hour Angkas commute from his home to a club. The livestreamed video will be accompanied by a DJ on site in Enclave Lab. At the end of the exhibition, Marasigan will hold a “spin class” set to the music played during the dance party. HARUROT (Acceleration) seeks to look into the subtext of the motorcycle, navigate sexuality and queer road rage by overriding negative feelings associated with traffic through enacting a space to dance and celebrate.

HARUROT (Acceleration) (Audio)

https://cargocollective.com/alfredmarasigan