MAG:NET 2008 PROGRAMMING TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON Mag:net Gallery is soon announcing it's programming for the year 2008. Artists interested to show may still submit proposal in text (09172091824), hard copy (with Lyn at Mag:net Katipunan) or email (magnetgalleries@gmail.com). Deadline is end of the month. With its main gallery operating at 335 AGCOR Bldg, Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City, Mag:net Gallery also runs and manages its other alternative spaces namely: CR Gallery, The Poet's Alcove and The Backroom, all in Mag:net Katipunan and The Wall at Mag:net Bonifacio High Street.
LENA COBANGBANG's "ALL THIS USELESS BEAUTY" TO OPEN It is hard to imagine the current Manila art scene without Lena Cobangbang. Artist, writer and former The Late Isabel's lead singer, Lena opens her latest exhibition at Mag:net Gallery in Katipunan this Tuesday, 11 September. Show runs till the 25th. The opening coincides with the holding of a Sonic Youth Night (Free Admission- Compli food and drinks downstairs, full pay bar upstairs) with performances by Lena's friends Sam and Pow, Inconnoictu, Kaloy Olavides, Bea and Diego, Blast Ople, Nocturnal We among others. Titled "All This Useless Beauty", the exhibition are mostly objects, supposed stances of beautified objects, appalling, at the same time ruined by disruption of details all over them…Read more> http://www.magnet.com.ph/exhibition/katip/2007/09-11.htm
GUITAR GENIUS IN ACOUSTIC HOUR Mag:net Café Katipunan is happy to announce Noli Aurillo 's Friday performances (7,21 and 28 September) during its Acoustic Hour slot (7PM, free Admission, no-smoking). Described by many musicians as the guitarist's guitarist, Noli plays the guitar "like there are 3 people playing at the same time, you can't get enough of him". "We expect a musician's crowd on early Friday evenings this month at the café", said Wake up Your Seatmate bassist, Pat Peralta who's responsible for bringing Noli to perform at the cafe. Mag:net's Acoustic Hour is held at 7PM and features for the month of September the following: Tuesdays-Cha, Wednesdays-Jaycie and Honey, Thursdays- Blush, Saturdays- Toto Sorioso and Fridays- Noli Aurillo. Download performances calendar> http://www.magnet.com.ph/schedules/2007-09-Gig.JPG
MIKAEL CO AT THE POETS' ALCOVE Mikael de Lara Co, 2007 Palanca Awards First Prize Winner for Poetry is now the featured poet at the Poets' Alcove at Mag:net Katipunan. Mikael is taking up his M.A. in Panitikang Filipino at the Ateneo and has earned accolades for his work in both English and Tagalog languages. Mikael now joins a list of distinguished poets featured in the past in the alcove the likes of Gemino Abad, Vim Nadera, Joel Toledo, Angelo Suarez, Rayvi Sunico, Cesare Syjuco and Alfred Yuson among others.
CINEKATIPUNAN: SCREENING AGAINST ALL ODDS After almost a year that Cinekatipunan has been in existence, a rumor is going around that Mag:net Café which is its home from 5-7PM, Mondays to Saturdays, has been raided. Raided by whom and why could not be answered each time a recipient of the rumor is asked. Or is it a possibility this is a premonition or maybe a warning that there could actually be a raid soon.
It was in early November last year, 4 days after Cinekatipunan opened when agents from the MTRCB paid Mag:net Katipunan a visit (is that a raid?) and threatened to stop the screening unless the establishment could produce a permit. Taken by surprise, organizers didn't know how to react. Filmmaker Kiri Dalena, project director of Cinekatipunan, explained lengthily to the agents the vision of the project and why they should be allowed to screen. The agents allowed the screening to proceed but only for the night and summoned the people behind the project to appear at the office of MTRCB within 3 days. Organizers agreed to come to MTRCB the next day. It was a top-level concern. No less than the chairman and some members of the board were there to meet Cinekatipunan organizers. It turned out MTRCB didn't have an issue with Cinekatipunan's objective to give venue and support to Philippine indie filmmaking and filmmakers. It's issue was Mag:net's practice then of charging gate entrance of 50 pesos which is not permited by law. Even if clarified that the 50 pesos (which is far too low compared to the 120 pesos we pay the movie house in the malls excluding parking fees) would go to the featured filmmaker(s) is still considered against the law. After deliberating, the board told organizers Cinekatipunan could continue provided it's free admission. A sympathetic and encouraging board member suggested a pass on the hat could be allowed which eventually has been adopted by Mag:net and which has also been welcomed by the filmmakers. And so the screening went on and after almost a year in operation Cinekatipunan has screened hundreds of films mostly if not all are independent films and has resulted in the involvement and participation of numerous independent filmmakers from here and abroad. Many times full packed and at times empty, the café has become a movie house daily except Sundays from 5-7PM occasionally extending beyond to accommodate talks and Q&As with the featured filmmakers. There is a joke, the waiters and personnel of Mag:net have already become film critics.
Cinekatipunan will soon be one-year old but it is threatened again for closure this time not by MTRCB but by some unseen forces whose motivation is unknown and is difficult to establish. It actually started when we received an angry anonymous call conveying to our staff that if by the end of August we didn't stop screening "ipapasara nila ang Mag:net Café". And then comes the rumor that it has actually happened. Could it be because Cinekatipunan has programmed one of its screening days to show advocacy films some of which are quiet political and incriminating? Or could it be because it allows screening of some films censored or banned somewhere else? Or could the reason be because Cinekatipunan has recently preceded its daily programming with Jonas Burgos 30-second ad clips and has committed to run them till Jonas is found and till the government can address and do something to put a stop to the increasing cases of disappearances and summary killings of journalists and activists? These are just speculations on the part of the organizers and volunteers who absorb most of the recent unnecessary pressures. To Cinekatipunan's detractors we say, you can raid us anytime but for as long as independent films are created by artists and activists we are committed to provide the needed venue Mondays to Saturdays all year round from 5-7PM, free admission. Our reason, our waiters might leave us.
Download Cinekatipunan September calendar>
http://www.magnet.com.ph/schedules/2007-09-Cine.JPG
Cinekatipunan synopses for the week>
http://www.magnet.com.ph/exhibition/cine/2007/09-03.htm
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