Tanda – Southeast Asian Disco: The Aesthetics of Optimism Under Oppression – Francine Almeda

Southeast Asian music throughout the early to late 1970’s emerged from a tumultuous era – martial law gripped the Philippines, the Vietnam War was underway, the genocide of the Khmer Rouge occurred, the anti-communist purge under Suharto in Indonesia was still fresh, and Myanmar’s ongoing political and cultural isolation was at its height. And yet, throughout this time, Southeast Asia was producing a new genre of music which voiced a funky, melodic style that seemed to yearn for another place and time. The dissonance of this music and its contemporary political era is of deep interest and significance.

How can record covers act as visual artifacts that speak to the optimism of this time? What role did music play in escapism under oppression? How are aesthetics adopted and then adapted? Through studying Manila Sounds, specifically,  (the music that emerged from the Philippines) I aim to contextualize this as it is linked to the rippling effects of colonialism and American influences.

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Join us in a Tanda session to share conversations, resources, and knowledge.

Zoom registration link: https://tinyurl.com/2fbxzpe4

Tanda is a cohort program that aids individuals with their research and practice through self-directed and collective learning. It is a program providing time and space to gather, share, think and exchange conversations, resources, and knowledge on participants’ chosen topics and practices.

Sessions are virtual, free and open to the public.
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For more information on the Tanda program, please visit chuquimarca.com/tanda

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Francine Almeda (she/her) is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist, writer, and independent curator with a focus on spatial design, community building, and art as a care-taking tool. She is currently the manager at Heaven Gallery and founder and director of Jude Gallery, in Pilsen, a space that supports emerging BIPOC artists and community center programming. Francine is deeply committed to sustaining the artist-run culture of Chicago and hosts experimental collaborative/healing workshops, music, and artist resource-sharing discussions. She holds a BFA in Philosophy with a concentration in Art and is a 2021 recipient of the New Futures Prize in partnership with The Other Art Fair. ⁠

Chuquimarca is an art library project tasked to gather and share resources related to Native, Caribbean, and Latin American art histories and contemporary art. Chuquimarca is based in Chicago.

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