Tambayan: Archiving Community Memory of Sound (TACMOS Philippines 2025)

Tambayan: Archiving Community Memory of Sound (TACMOS Philippines 2025) is a participatory sound archiving and community research project presented at Casa San Miguel, San Antonio, Zambales, Philippines, 25 July – 5 August 2025. Curated by Dayang Yraola (University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts) in partnership with Dr. Mark Peter Wright, Director of Creative Research in Sound Arts Practice (CRiSAP), London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, the project combined a flash residency with the development of the first community sound archive for San Antonio. The research had two objectives: to work with local community groups in relation to sound, memory and place; and to develop and deliver the first sound archive for the local community. The Filipino term tambayan — meaning to gather in a place — inspired a daily methodology of sitting with locals in the church, market, fish port, beach, school and town hall. Conversations moved between individual and collective sonic memories, addressing climate, politics, livelihoods and well-being. CRiSAP members Mark Peter Wright, Emerita Prof. Cathy Lane, and PhD researchers Miriam Elgon and Cannach MacBride joined 17 international artists from the Philippines, UK, Hong Kong (Cédric Maridet / HKBU) and Australia (Philip Samartzis / RMIT Melbourne), alongside the San Antonio community. Listening workshops were delivered to primary and high school students and teachers; class resources and modules were handed over as tangible educational impact. The exhibition component was hosted by Casa San Miguel (December 2025) and presented as part of Zambulat 3: Abot-Tanaw (December 2025 – 14 February 2026), reviewed in the Philippine Daily Inquirer (January 2026). A London research phase is planned for 2026. The project is supported by the Philippines National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the British Council, and the LCC International Office, University of the Arts London.