sugar vendil

Antonym (work in progress)
There’s no word for the opposite of nostalgia. Antonym attempts to construct the thing we don’t have a word for: if nostalgia is a yearning for the past, Antonym longs for forward motion and envisions the future as an escape from pain.

Nostalgia is often associated with childhood. For me, the weather can evoke childhood memories of joy, sadness, or fear. The weather would often be a factor in my state of happiness or unhappiness. A few examples: warm weather reminds me of sitting out at recess so that my skin would not tan (dark skin is undesirable in Filipino culture), being bored in my parents’ office in the summer; fall reminds me of back to school, the end of my loneliness. We often remember what the weather was like the day a traumatic event happened.

“Antonym” is an interdisciplinary performance piece that integrates music, movement, and projection design. It is scored for flute, violin, piano, and electronics. Using field recordings of New York City throughout the year, the four seasons serve as a cyclical frame and context for memory. The work will be completed in early 2020. Special thanks to Mabou Mines 2019 Resident Artist Program.

Test Site 4 (2019)
Performance piece
I. Now
II. then
III. Then

Created and performed by Sugar Vendil and Jing Yu
Music by Sugar Vendil, sampling Don't Speak by No Doubt in II. then
Sashes from Jing Yu's Fait Accompli (2012)
Video art by Jing Yu
Supported by Target Margin's Artist Residency Program

Test Site 4 was part of my creative process for a larger work that explores the opposite of nostalgia. Created during a 2-week residency at Target Margin Theater, my friend Jing Yu and I created a work that distilled the present, past, and future (in that order) in a performance piece incorporating sound, movement, and video art.

ISLANDER (work in progress) is a music and movement suite scored for various keyboards, kulintang instruments (indigenous Philippine gongs), and electronics. From the lens of a second generation Filipino American, the work examines the residue colonialism has left behind through centuries and generations, and explores the tension that exists within one’s identity. Additional electronics by Trevor Gureckis. Performed by Vendil and collaborators: pianists Melinda Faylor and Mary Prescott, and weaver Cynthia Alberto of Weaving Hand. Cage piece in this video by Heather Huey. Longer video can be found here.

Test Site 2: Study Within Sculptures (2016)
Directed and Edited by Sugar Vendil
Composed by Trevor Gureckis, Hajnal Pivnick & Sugar Vendil
Performers: Hajnal Pivnick, violin; Sugar Vendil, performer
Sculptures: Sonambient Sculptures by Harry Bertoia
Costumes by Atelier de Geste
Special thanks to Museum of Arts and Design (MAD)
Recorded at MAD's exhibition, "Atmosphere for Enjoyment: Harry Bertoia’s Environment for Sound"

We went in with a single 12-tone melody composed by Trevor and planned as we went along. I edited an hour of footage into this video, assembling clips of what we had recorded according to what made sense sonically. 

Test Site 1: In)Habit (2016)
Created in collaboration by Coco Karol and Sugar Vendil
Music: Trevor Gureckis
Choreographer: Coco Karol

A project that began with my stay at the A-Z West wagon station encampment in Joshua Tree, CA, “Test Site” is an experiment in process, revolving around the body, nature, urban life, and obligation (in this case, the piano), drawing connections as well as acknowledging the tension between these elements. I created movement in collaboration with choreographer Coco Karol and will improvise sparse notes on top of an electronic track by composer Trevor Gureckis. The video is comprised shots of the desert and city that I display from a handheld projector, which I carry with me in various parts of the performance. 

Sacred-Profane (2015), a theatrical concert featuring Sororatorio: a Cuntata, a song cycle by Vincent Calianno, music by Marina Kifferstein, Johannes Ockeghem, Sarah Kirkland Snyder, and Nina C. Young. Fashion by NOT. Performed by The Nouveau Classical Project.
Role: Director, Pianist, Producer
Premiere: April 9, 2015

Potential Energies (2014), a ballet for musicians and dancers. Music by Trevor Gureckis, Choreography by Barbie Diewald, Costumes by Atelier de Geste. Performed by The Nouveau Classical Project and TrioDance Collective.
Role: Director, Pianist, Producer
Premiere: May 29, 2014

Sweet Lost Pierrot (2012), a multimedia concert. Music by Trevor Gureckis, David Lang, and Arnold Schoenberg. Video projection and set design by Caroline Pham. Fashion by Gemma Khang, styled by Zon Chu. Performed by The Nouveau Classical Project.
Role: Director, Pianist, Producer
Premiere: December 7, 2012