Ac/kademie #6
For the sixth iteration of the Ac/kademie series the Rijksakademie is proud to present: From the Global South with Love by Tropical Tap Water.
Tropical Tap Water is a band consisting of Daniel Aguilar Ruvalcaba, Diana Cantarey, Julian Abraham “Togar” and Simnikiwe Buhlungu. They will present their work and discuss the process behind their collaboration. They will share songs and texts that they wrote together, for example their text written in relation to their role as harvester during the Majelis Akbar #2 (mega assembly) for the Lumbung network of documenta fifteen.
Furthermore, they will share their views and thoughts on communal resources of tangible and intangible assets, which they call Baskom/Waskom. Baskom is a way to embrace and practice the sharing of resources. In between their talks, presentations and conversations, Tropical Tap Water will have live jamming sessions and show videos, images and other documentations from their jamming sessions.
“Our band was planted and watered at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam in 2020. In this period, we all became new citizens of Amsterdam, coming from so-called Global South countries. Sometimes we read [very difficult] theoretical texts together, sometimes we go on train ride adventures to see art together, sometimes we don’t see one another, sometimes we meet on zoom, sometimes we jam together. As of now, we are busy writing songs for our upcoming album while thinking on how we can continue the band after the residency period finishes.
We are professional jammers: available for hire for birthday parties, weddings, exhibitions, mourning ceremonies, music festivals and other events. Our dream is to play in a conference.”
Some of the terms in this texts are explained in the glossary for documenta fifteen which is curated by Jakarta-based collective ruangrupa, co-founded by Rijksakademie alumnus Ade Darmawan.
https://documenta-fifteen.de/en/glossary/
Diana Cantarey (Mexico, 1994) is an artist and fact-ion designer that parasitises Amsterdam. Her practice weaves questions around extinction, excess and exploitation. Active member of different collective art initiatives like the production house El Colegio de la Desextinción, the De-reading Group of decolonial studies and the jamming band Tropical Tap Water. Lately she is transforming into a reptile and enjoys playing the bass. Daniel Aguilar Ruvalcaba (México, 1988). Plastic reporter. Some of his recent articles are 'patadoxes that remain unpublished about arts, culture, politics, economy and desire in México. Now lives and works in Slumil K'ajxemk'op (also known as Europe) and from there collects liquids for the Tropical Tap Water baskom.
Julian Abraham "Togar" (b. Medan, Indonesia) is an artist, musician and pseudo-scientist. His practice often focuses on the demystification and dissemination of specialist knowledge to broader communities. Often found himself sitting behind the drums, composing Beaterballen Beats for Tropical Tap Water.
Simnikiwe Buhlungu (1995) is an artist from Johannesburg, South Africa. Interested in knowledge production[s] — how it is produced, by whom and how it is disseminated — Buhlungu locates socio-historical and everyday phenomena by navigating these questions and their inexhaustible potential answers. Through this, she maps points of cognisance, i.e. how do we come to know? Lately, she has been listening to some maskandi music, thinking about apiaries and scanned publication contributions to Simunye Resource Works, a publishing house that is forever yet-to-exist.
Zoom-link
Passcode: 574850
Vimeo-link
Photos: Sean Kuhnke
http://www.seankuhnke.com/