Doors at 6:30 pm – Performance at 7:00 pm
RSVP for FREE at The Polygon Gallery
Walk between realms where the supernatural and physical bodies come together in an evening showcase of light, sound, movement and poetry. “Multong Bakla: A Silent Presence of Beauty” is a divine communal summoning of queer Filipina/o/x spirits, exploring the enigmatic connections across seas and starlight.
Multong Bakla is a ghostly haunting that includes trans-pacific other-worldly projected performances by artists based in the Philippines combined with live performances by artists based in Canada. The performance was coordinated by Zeus Bascon (PH) and Jordan Baylon (CAN) and inspired by two community-building artist workshops.
Philippines-based Artists: Manikween (performer), 1haida (performer), Zeus Bascon (performer, costume designer, choreographer), Althea Pagdagdagan (vocals), Gabe Tiano (music)
Canada-based Performers: Jordan Baylon (poetry), Eris Fitz-James (comedy), Jose Macasinag (live-projection), Joshua Ongcol (dance)
Maraming salamat to our workshop kapwa: Keith Boniol, Alicia Buates-McKenzie, Fiona Cardino, Lanice Chep, Mark Conanan, Ethan Dailo, Lawrence Manuel, Tet Millare, Pette Shabu, Tiffany Thomas, Olive Villanueva
About the Artists
Photo: Beau Gomez
Zeus Bascon (b. 1987 | Laguna, Philippines) stresses on translations, transformation and transmutation. He indulges in introspection as part of an exercise of becoming, finding links between the supernatural and the real in forming truths, while exploring representations of these narratives through image-making, participations and the performative. Zeus’ practice of determining the current state of being (coming from a sense of a place) is being realized through Cultivating a Garden, a life-long endeavor to develop a local creative ecology. Since 2006 he has built his art career through active participation in exhibitions. In 2018, Bascon became a recipient of the Thirteen Artists Award, granted by the Cultural Centre of the Philippines. He has participated in residency programs such as Fictive Communities Asia: Koganecho Bazaar 2014 in Yokohama, Japan and Craft Taitung Creator Exchange Program 2019 in Taitung, Taiwan. In 2021, during a pandemic, he became part of Emerging Islands’ first local residency program in San Juan, La Union; and as one of the artists supported by M:ST (Mountain Standard Time) 10 Performative Art Biennial global artist exchange program. Read More: linktree Photo: Beau Gomez
Jordan Baylon (they/she/he) is a second generation PilipinX artist, critic and community worker imagining justice and abundance for equity-deserving peoples within the spaces of all our relations: personal, communal and societal. As an artist, Jordan’s work gnaws at the intersection of queer identity, race, colonialism, food, ritual and the deep dark places that represent our possibilities for pleasure and liberation. The subject position of this work explores queer and racialized identities as liminal spaces: both and neither; between, across and through; both inside and outside; and both literal and imagined. Jordan is also proud to serve as General Director of Chromatic Theatre.
Jose Macasinag is a media artist based in Calgary Alberta (Mohkínstsis/Treaty 7 land), who is passionate about exploring the intersections of computer technology and the Anthropocene environments. With a deep commitment to creating art that is impactful, Jose draws on their creative coding background to build immersive experiences that engage viewers on a visceral level.