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Feels Like Heaven at Fairy Garden

Live Performance at Nordlys x P-noise Festival 2019 (Vol. 2 Manila)

 

"Bwakeva" is the gibberish name of my other character who sings karaoke hits, but in an extremely edgy manner. She has a partner named Bwakigo. Both characters embody a kind of duality with contrasting traits. Bwakeva represents the extroverted, outrageous, and sexually bold, while Bwakigo represents the introverted, low-key, and non-sexual. This piece is a collaboration with painter/musician Maan de Loyola and is dubbed as a performance of magical escapism. It combines the forces of magic ritual and entertainment and draws inspiration from Philippine mythology and religious fanaticism.

Our collaboration began during my vacation stay in Maan's family house in Bulacan. We filmed the first few experiments of our performance in their forest-like garden, which is believed to be inhabited by supernatural/nature spirits, similar to beautiful fairies and elves according to her aunties. We spent most of our time in that garden because of the unique energy we felt there, and later named it "Fairy Garden."

This piece was performed at Nordly's x P-noise Festival Vol.2 Manila in a basketball court, chosen for its suggestive masculinity. We aimed to evoke power through our own version of a magic ritual, incorporating colorful DIY costumes and props, energetic dance moves, music from selected foreign-Filipino pop songs from the 80s and 90s, speaking lines from the 1976 film "Minsa'y Isang Gamo-Gamo" (Once a Moth), singing gibberish chants, performing bizarre actions, and symbolically sacrificing a chicken in the ritual (although it was not allowed to be shown due to potential risks and misinterpretation if recorded and shared on social media).

In the latter segment, all spectators were given white candles and encouraged to join the procession, while Bwakeva and Bwakigo continued performing and led them to the next venue of the festival's event. For us, this performance is a form of healing and a true magic ritual where we send wishes and prayers to the cosmos.

This piece is dedicated solely to the late Gene de Loyola, Maan's father, who was a well-known painter in the Philippines. He tragically lost his life in 2018 when he was brutally shot by a gunman.