I AM ORANGE: Tell Me What You Want Behind the Seen

11 Jul 2016, Mon 12:08 D: Hi Junio, I will be there from 15 to 28! 12:45J: Ok David, just let me know. And I have important need totell to u personally. D: What happened? Is everything ok there? And your body feels ok now? I will bring a small gift for Jacob as long as I couldn’t be there for his b’day. 13:27J: Ok thank you David. D: How is the shop? 13:10J: There is no costumer like the other day because of thetyphoon. D: We had a huge one last week. Do you still go Malate often recently? 18:28J: Not everyday. Because of not so many tourist. And allmy friend tourist not coming in Manila. I think because oftyphoon. 18:47 D: This season is not good for tourism. It rains all the time....J: Yes David. p. 201

14 Jul 2016, Thu 8:01J: David don’t forget to bring the last time u gave it to me.Shredded pork and pineapple cake. hehehehehe..... 9:52 D: Oh! No problem!J: Rhev really love pineapple cake. Thx David. 18:50J: Hello David. Are u here in Philippines? 20:50 D: Not yet…. Tmr night!J: I see. Ok just let me know when u are here. D: Sure. 20:55J: Because I need to talk to u personally David. D: Ok.... What happened?p. 202

15 July 2016 22 July 2016 p. 20317 Jul - David visits Junio and films his interview inside an empty store19 Jul - Junio asks David for help to restart the shop. David wants toconfirm the filming schedule for the last sequence22 Jul - Last message between Junio and David

Final Act p. 204

16 Jul 2016, Sat 8:54J: Good morning David. Are u here in Phillipines? 10:18 D: Hey, good morning. I just wake up. 10:23 D: Huge rain last night. What’s your plan today? 10:47J: I plan to fetch u and bring u in our house. It depends to yourschedule time David. Are u free today David? D: Yes, free. Let’s go there and I can see your new house. 10:59J: Yes David, you are in the art gallery? D: Yes. Maybe I can go later, but I need to come back in the evening. 11:36J: It ok I will fetch around 6pm? D: I have a meeting in the evening. What’s your plan in the afternoon? Your families at home?J: Or I will fetch u in the afternoon. Yes David my family is inour home. 11:41 D: That will be better! Need to be back at 5pm.J: Ok David. 12:08 D: Junio wait, it’s too hot outside. I just take a taxi to there. What’s your address? p. 205

12:41J: David, this is our address. Ponce street santulan malabon D: Thanks. 12:50J: If you see a tea pop shop on the right side, house my is nearthere at tea pop. 13:04J: Are u an taxi now David? D: Not yet but later. I am still having lunch and reply some emails. Let you know when I am on taxi. 13:05J: David I will go Malate later. First I need to meet my boss.After I meet I will go to art gallery. What do u think? Around 3to 4pm David. Is it ok? 13:13 D: I can’t go to your house that time, caz I have a meeting at 5pm. You go to meet your boss first! Lets see later! 13:20J: Ok thanks David!p. 206

17 Jul 2016, Sun 9:24J: David, where are u now? 9:35 D: I am calling a taxi to your place.J: Ok David take care. Just let me know if u are in taxi. D: Ok. 9:49 D: On my way.J: Ok David take care. 16:20J: David, are u arrived safely art gallery? D: Yes, don’t know why I am super tired after the shooting. Just had some sleep.J: David my boss wants to lend his cellphone galaxy S7 edgewaterproof. 18:57 D: Haha... then you will can get money? p. 207

David visits Junio’s newplace and sees that the shopis empty. He asks Junio oncamera about what hap-pened, and he explains thathe had to use the shop moneyfor medical bills when he gotsick. He hopes David cangive financial support again.p. 208

p. 209

19 Jul 2016, Tue 10:38J: Good afternoon David. Can u help me? As of now I have2,000 peso and I need 4,000 peso more to start again our shopDavid. 13:09 D: Good afternoon, Junio. I need to think about it! Please do your best to find the way to restart the shop. Don’t forget to finish the signboard too.J: Yes David I’m the one to finish the shop David.D: Ok, I will think about it for sure. When will you be free for shooting this week? I wanna shoot some part of you riding motorcycle and introducing the places in Malate. 13:18J: How about this. First buy stock for our shop then. After buystock in the evening will shoot in Malate the same day. Thenafter shoot in Malate will go to shop to shoot again with manystock. What do u think David? 13:25 D: It sounds like a good plan. I think we need to share the 6,000 peso for starting the second chance of the shop, 3,000 from you and 3,000 I can support. Where is the place we can buy stock? What time you wanna do it? We can go there shoot something then come back to Malate, and back to see the shop with stock again. 13:33J: David, It’s very difficult to me to raise 3,000. The 2,000 Ihave today is only I borrowed to my boss. And as of now it’sp. 210

difficult to me to find 1,000 David. I hope u understand me.And as soon as possible to buy stocks David. If help me 4,000can start buy stocks David. 13:40J: David, what do u think? 13:45 D: I understand. SO when can you finish the signboard?J: I ask my friend I think 2 to 3 days David. I go now to artgallery to get money from u? D: I need to shoot the footage that you are buying stocks because it’s important part of the second chance. When are you going? 15:25J: How about this? I go to Malate today and get the moneyfrom u. Then I go to my wife to ask buy stocks for the shopand I comeback to Malate by evening tonight to shoot. AfterMalate shoot. We go to shop. What do u think David? I plan todo it today David. 17:01J: Sorry I’m low battery. D: Just let me know your schedule of building the shop.J: David I will go to art gallery around 6:30 pm to get themoney from u. 17:15 D: Maybe you come to the gallery and we have a talk and plan about it first. p. 211

22 Jul 2016, Fri 19:09J:p. 212

9:19J: l’m thinking how about we do it again buying stocks? BtwI think not good climate to shoot tonight. Can we settle onMonday David? 19:28 D: The weather is good here now. l think the rain will stop, the photog- rapher is on the way, we can’t change the day. And Monday we will do a whole day shooting, in Joara, and need to talk to them later. So I really need you tonight. 20:20J: As of now David no rice to be sell because the budget is tooshort. And also if we think to buy rice I’m thinking we can doit again. But as I told u I don’t have budget. 20:25 D: How is signboard? Will you be able to finish it on Sunday then we can shoot? Just need to finish everything on that day.J: No problem. 21:02J: David are u angry? D: Junio I am not angry, but feel sad and hurt as a friend. I hope you understand. Because we had a clear agreement already and it’s disappointing that you did not do your part/help. p. 213

David needs to shoot thelast part of the film. Dueto the weather conditionsin Malaboon, Junio didn’tshow up to help David.Despite the hiccups, Davidand the crew finish filmingthe sequence in Joara andthe fashion photoshoot forthe other marketing boys.p. 214

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p. 216

p. 217

David left Manila on July 24,2016. By then, the shop stillhad not been completed, thesignboard had not been in-stalled, and the store permitremains a mystery.p. 218

Most Used Wordsfrom the Text Exchangei 634 me 146j 632 your 143to 576 a 143the 550 of 136d 545 im 131david 527 that 128you 456 do 127and 452 we 123u 376 yes 116in 264 not 114ok 244 junio 113is 238 because 111are 223 go 105can 197 but 105my 196 see 99for 180 there 97it 179 shop 96will 173 about 94good 169 have 94now 156 know 93how 152 need 92 p. 219

so 89 our 55if 89 back 54l 87 really 53take 87 place 53i’m 84 his 50just 83 very 49money 82 help 48when 80 house 47here 79 family 47on 77 problem 46think 75 like 44no 71 this 44time 70 already 43he 70 some 42malate 65 nice 41be 64 plan 41get 62 its 40also 62 hi 40thank 62 today 39busy 61 at 39care 61 hello 39let 59 bank 39later 58 maybe 39with 57 much 38from 57 hope 38sorry 57 talk 38what 57 or 38p. 220

tomorrow 38 she 29message 38 ask 29friend 38 soon 28first 38 want 28too 38 as 28gallery 37 day 28where 37 home 28meet 37 rice 27did 36 chesca 27one 35 store 27start 35 happy 27always 34 come 27thanks 34 only 26morning 33 tmr 26wait 33 new 26am 33 fine 26business 33 pay 25give 32 after 25before 32 him 25why 31 other 25right 30 owner 24told 30 her 24way 30 many 24yet 29 going 24finish 29 yesterday 24all 29 around 23tonight 29 photo 23 p. 221

send 23 find 18check 23 permit 18again 23 up 18cool 22 sure 17better 22 friends 17shoot 22 answer 17manila 21 rental 17name 21 son 17last 21 contact 17thats 21 then 16understand 21 shooting 16coming 20 days 16everything 20 buy 16afternoon 20 evening 16yeah 20 haha 16transfer 20 build 16still 20 sounds 16by 20 super 15us 19 had 15brother 19 tell 15arrived 19 until 15was 19 thinking 15make 19 bring 15work 19interview 19hospital 18free 18 Note: Results are from wordcounter.comp. 222

AFTERWORD:THROUGH ORANGE-TINTED GLASSESI selected some of the most-used wordsfrom the previous list and grouped them intorelated themes. Under each category, I drewfrom various online sources to provide a com-mentary and lend some context on the Filipinosociocultural situation that David and Junio’sdigital correspondence was steeped in. Thefollowing paragraphs do not necessarily reflectmy personal opinion, but the selections are initself an editorial/curatorial statement and offersitself as one of the many filters through whichthe reader can make sense of what transpired,as a way of conclusion, even it it’s not all thatpeachy. Because at the end of the day—tell me,isn’t some sort of closure really just what most ofus want? p. 223

FRIEND (57 TIMES)Everyone is your friend in the Philippines, soyou better get used to hearing this.1 “My friend”translated directly from English is “kaibigan(friend) ko (of mine).” One of the Filipino col-loquial equivalents of the kinship term “kaibiganko” is “pare ko” (pare = friend, ko = mine).“Pare” is a shortened form of “kumpare” fromthe Spanish term “compadre” (female version:Comadre / Kumare / Mare) traditionally used byparties involved in a christening or marriage riteunder the compadrazgo system. Nowadays it isused to address an equal, whether a close friendor a total stranger, in a friendly way.2For Malate’s marketing boys, addressingpotential customers as “friend” was a marketingstrategy to call their attention and, in a way,immediately establish a sense of kinship.1 https://www.dontforgettomove.com/11-unique-things-filipinos-say-to-foreigners/2 http://beingfilipinoonwrongsideoftown.blogspot.com/2014/06/filipino-terms-of-endearment-and.htmlp. 224

JAPANESE FRIEND (13 OUT OF 57 TIMES)The Japanese Embassy in the Philippines isabout 4 km away from Malate and is situated inthe same city of Manila.Data from the Philippine Overseas EmploymentAdministration indicate that there were 12,815deployed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) inJapan in 2014. Meanwhile, there are 17,702Japanese nationals residing in the Philippines.3Last year, there were around 584,000 Japanesetourists who visited the Philippines, ranking them4th among the top 5 nationalities to visit thePhilippines during that year.4Japan occupied the Philippines during WorldWar II, 1942 to 1945, but has since become thecountry’s top source of official developmentassistance and leading trading partner.53 https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/120183-fast-facts-philippines-japan-relations4 https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/02/01/phs-foreign-arrivals-reach-all-time-high-in-2017-dot/5 https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/120183-fast-facts-philippines-japan-relations p. 225

MONEY (83 TIMES) + PAY/MENT (41 TIMES) +BORROW (20 TIMES)One of the notable Filipino attitudes towardmoney is that we simply don’t plan our personalfinances. It is also rare that you will meet peoplewho have their own retirement plan. Most of usspend our hard earned money spontaneously.This is the reason why most of us don’t havesavings or life or non-life insurance. Anothernotable Filipino attitude is our inability to say‘no.’ When someone borrows money from us,we find it hard to refuse because we don’t wantto offend that person.6Most of the households in such communitiestry to accommodate every guest, to the point ofspending money beyond their means, which inturn puts them in debt. In most cases, they feelit’s better to fall into debt than miss hosting anextravagant celebration or be embarrassed forfailing to be a generous host.7Unlike other Asians, Filipinos have traditionallynot been very good savers. Whenever someoneloans money from you and says “ilista mo nalang sa tubig” (just list it down on water), itmeans that the person asking for the loan hasno intentions of paying you simply because... itwas listed on water and there’s no way for youto refer back to that “list”.8 This usually happenswhen the loaner and lender have a close friend-ship or are related by blood.Why do Filipinos save so little, compared to theirSoutheast Asian neighbors? A tempting answerp. 226

would be that most Filipinos are too poor tosave. There are claims that Filipinos who do save(that is, those with higher incomes) have savingrates even exceeding that of Singaporeans. Butgiven wider income disparity in our society, withthe wide majority of Filipino households earn-ing barely enough to support their basic needs,overall savings come out lower. Wider povertyand inequity could be the culprit, then.96 http://www.manilatimes.net/filipino-attitudes-toward-money-need-changed/308827/7 ibid.8 http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Philippines/sub5_6g/entry-3914.html9 http://opinion.inquirer.net/100154/filipinos-bad-savers#ixzz5Mv9Nc45g p. 227

NEED (94 TIMES) / HELP (56 TIMES)Compadrazgo, meaning godparenthood orsponsorship, dates back at least to the introduc-tion of Christianity in the Philippines and perhapsearlier. It is a primary method of extending thegroup from which one can expect help in theway of favors, such as jobs, loans, or just simplegifts on special occasions. But in asking a friendto become godparent to a child, a Filipino is alsoasking that person to become a closer friend.Thus it is common to ask acquaintances who areof higher economic or social status than oneselfto be sponsors.10In seventeenth-century Manila, the Catholic cus-toms of compadrazgo were used by Spanish, in-digenous, and Chinese alike to create networksof mutual aid and obligation. The trend was tochoose godparents from a “superior social stra-tum, for the participants in the relationship wereunder some moral obligation to aid each other.”In addition to compadrazgo, the Chinese utilizedcredit to secure their persons and livelihoods.The Chinese extended credit to all sectors ofsociety in Manila with an eye toward obligatingdebtors to protect them.1110 http://countrystudies.us/philippines/41.html11 Kueh, Joshua. “Adaptive Strategies of Parian Chinese Fictive Kinship and Creditin Seventeenth-Century Manila” Philippine Studies: Historical & Ethnographic View-points. Vol. 61, No. 3, Archaeology of Meanings (sept 2013), pp. 362-384. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42634767p. 228

TAKE CARE (54 TIMES) / FAMILY (47 TIMES)Family ties are very strong in the Philippines andtraditionally greater emphasis has been put onthe family than individuals. Families have tradi-tionally been bound together by loyalty, respectand affection. Family members are expected tofollow rules set by the head of the householdrather than pursuing their own individual agenda.Extended families often live together, and oftenone child is expected to live with the parents.Kinship structure motivates the Filipino’sbehavior. An outsider is viewed as fair gameand a different set of values is applied to dealwith such persons or groups. For example, it isexpected that a tourist will be charged more thanothers, but once the ‘tourist’ has been identi-fied as a guest or friend of someone within thegroup, the tourist gets a fair price because he isno longer seen as a passing outsider.12Friendship often is placed equally with bloodrelationships as the most central of Filipinorelationships. Certainly ties among those withinone’s group of friends are an important factor inthe development of personal alliance systems.Here, as in other categories, a willingness to helpone another provides the primary rationale forthe relationship.1312 http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Philippines/sub5_6c/entry-3874.html13 http://countrystudies.us/philippines/41.html p. 229

PROMISE (10 TIMES)Filipinos often communicate indirectly in order toprevent a loss of face and evoking embarrass-ment and shame on either side of an exchange.They tend to avoid interrupting others and aremore attentive to posture, expression and toneof voice to draw meaning. Speech is often am-biguous and Filipinos may speak in the passivevoice rather than the active to avoid being per-ceived as speaking harshly. To find the underly-ing meaning, it is common to check for clarifica-tion several times.Filipinos will often be eager to know you andmay ask many questions about your family andpersonal life. Sometimes this can come acrossas direct and overly personal, but it is not intend-ed that way; in fact, they will expect you to dothe same to them. They may expect you to grantprivileges for them on the basis of your friend-ship and vice versa, which usually entails favoursfor their family. Try to be flexible in receiving andextending these favours as they will help yougenerously in return.In order to deepen a relationship, be as talkativeand personable as possible.1414 https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/filipino-culturep. 230







Published on the Occasion ofScreening and Lecture PerformanceYU CHENG-TA, TELL ME WHAT YOU WANTCentre Pompidou, Paris13 September 2018Editors: Franchesca Casauay, Yu Cheng-TaTexts: Franchesca Casauay, Yu Cheng-TaBook Design: Yu Cheng-TaProofreading: Cullen PitneySpecial Thanks to:1335MABINI, Lorena Rose BaliñaTaipei Contemporary Art Center, Sian HuangSupported by:Centre Culturel de Taïwan à ParisMinistry of Culture, TaiwanPrinted in Taipei© 2018, Yu Cheng-Ta. All rights reserved.Copyrights of the photos are reserved for the artist;of texts for the authors