When Reality Parodies Art

Mamaguy : To deceive through false pretence

Town and Country Public Art

There are relaxed building codes in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and wooden dwelling spring up all over the island. Here are the a few guide lines.

1. Find an unused parcel of land
2. Salvaged sheets from wooden boxes that bring in used car engines or Japanese cars.
3. Use a template of a rectangle and triangle on top of it.
4. A marker to draw the windows.
5. Buy some Rum invite a couple of partners for a house building party
6. Assemble sides with eight nails, attach the piece of galvanize you’ve pinched from the construction site next door. Place four bricks to host the structure.

Artists have constructed replicas of dwellings as in the image above, from the roughest edges to the finest veneer, and presented it as art. How does one conceptualise these enclosures, and in the sphere of the Art World, why is this one special? View it at the Tate Modern


Or otherwise see it off Diego Martin, Trinidad

This dwelling was under construction for what was thought to be housing for the Ministry of Works staff. Yet, on a daily routine, the people who work there seem to enjoy liming, drinking or playing cards and all round the clock. - thebookmann