A Community of Practice
Borrowing from sociologist Etienne Wegner, I presented in this section groups that have mutual engagement, joint enterprise, and shared repertoire. These according to Wegner are the basics in forming so called community of practice. It is a community with clearer understanding that what brings them together is what they do. Group members are found attending to projects of other groups, as co-organisers, featured artists, content providers, or technical support. What keeps them together is a symbiosis that is developed over a long period of association, that is built on trust and reputation.
Kamuning Public Radio (KPR) (2016) and Ruthless Sound Collective (Ruthless) (2011) are performance platform conceived by practitioners from earlier different affiliations. KPR, hosted by Green Papaya Arts Project, became a staple event for local artists and foreign artists who are passing-by Manila. Ruthless, hosted by Today X Future, serves as hub for practitioners who are more inclined towards DIY circuitry and experimentations.
Musiko Imbento (2013) a collective which started from a series of performances that feature self-made music instruments, and now hosts a Facebook page that serves as information center for different sound events.
WSK (2008) is the longest running media art festival in the country initiated by practitioners. The existence of this festival for a decade was propelled by do-it-yourself approach to organising and conducting events; with a little help from institutions, mostly on the avenue of funding. Within the decade, WSK had already become the annual event where sound and sounding works—old, new, revival, innovations, are presented along with other forms of media art. And just like KPR, WSK served as portal for local and foreign practitioners.