Bats - Traditional Carnival 2008

Finding an identity we can call our own



They gathered at the entrance to the make-shift stage. One or two sat on the road with their wings wrapped around themselves. The event was the Traditional Mas competition in St. James, Trinidad and a number of Bats were ready to take flight to reenact the flying mammal.

Trinidad carnival it is not about the beads or feathers, elaborate head pieces or five hundred pound floats, but rather for the individual to play themselves, for one to find an identity they can call theirs. Carnival is about the reenactment of an cultural identity copied from books, television or from observations played out as a performance....I really don't know who I am, but this is what I'll like to be. Next: Jab Jab

Dem old time ting - Fancy Sailor's last dance

How come no one has come up with a sailor costume tarred with beads and plumes of feathers?

At the Traditional Mas in St.James, Trinidad, West Indies, the Carnival competition began with the tribute of two masqueraders who had died in 2007, one of whom was Gilbert Defreitas, a.k.a. Popeye on roller skates. Every year it seems, the few individuals who have kept the traditions of Old Mas alive are becoming less visible. There were four Fancy Sailors on show, yet their enthusiasm and attention to the sailor dance brought a nostalgia, if not taught to the younger sailor masqueraders, the art may perished as well.

The video begins with a tribute to Popeye at last year's event and continues with the classic Fancy Sailor dance. Above: Gilbert Defreitas a.k.a. Popeye dancing on his roller skates in 2006. Nest: Bats

St. James's Dame Lorraine

The mocking society

At the traditional carnival street competition in St. James last evening, a hefty crowd came out to support a handful of Old Mas performers. From the Midnight Robbers to the White Fruit Bats, masqueraders did their jig of speeches, dances and enactments.

The Dame Lorine is a character taken from the French aristocrat from the 18th century. The costumes are an elaborate fanfare of hats, fans and large hoop skirts decorated with glitter. The dance of the Dame Lorraine may vary to a dainty chip or to a contemporary lewd, all on the ground Jamette wine, the latter generally is awarded with a ruckus applause. The essence of the costume is the exaggeration of the bosoms and derrière to fit the physical characteristics of the Negro woman. The swaying of the hip and high position of derrière is an open invitation that wets the sexual appetite of the male observer.

The clip shows the Dame Lorraine portrayed by a family of sisters. One Dame Lorraine has called her costume, short season as she complained over the difficulty of getting fabric to cover the length of her gown. The last is a tribute to the cricketer, Brian Lara. Above: The Dame Lorraine at the traditional Mas in St. James, Trinidad and Tobago. Next, Fancy Sailors.

The road to a new city

Only we to blame for a Capital with no character


Standing on shaky grounds, St. Clair, Trinidad.

It is a trend that seems to be happening and no one really cares. One day you see an old colonial house, then the next day it has vanished leaving behind a large empty dirt plot. This is what architects proclaim as progress at the will of their clients in the name of boxed steel and glass. Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago is changing in front of our very eyes and the conservationists who should be protecting these historic buildings seem less to care as the capital is beginning to lose its Caribbean quaintness.

Oils - handmade journals

I am not a machine



These are a series of journals which were produced in late 2007. They were intended to be sold as a set at an affordable price and for artists who may like to have a body of drawings contained as one volume.

Oils
9x8ins
Saw in with cords
50 pages Bond paper acid free
Covers: original oil on canvas

A day at Panorama 2008

The preliminaries to Panorama began quietly with the judging of the small, medium and large steelbands. This is the stage to the North stand and to the track where supporters came out in their masses towards the evening. At 8pm, the medium bands were still on stage and the larger steelbands where rehearsing at the entrance of the Queen's Part Savannah which was best described as a tranquil bliss of calm.

The video on youtube explains it all.

Playing yuh self - Trinidad Carnival 1950's

The keepers of our past...



The still of the masquerader sitting on the back of a donkey during Trinidad and Tobago's carnival was filmed by an American visitor from 1956-7 according to Ray Funk. It shows the track to the Queen's Park Savannah's stage, and how masqueraders played their mas as they marched across the stage recorded with a 16mm home movie camera.

Recently, a discussion on the preservation of Trinidad carnival stressed that footage such as the sample may have been taken by members of the society who were wealthy enough to own recording devices, and there is the likelihood the spools of film may be tossed in some cardboard box gathering dust from the grandchildren of people who filmed the festival over fifty years ago. Thanks to Ray Funk, the archivist of Trinidad and Tobago's Steelband, Calypso and Carnival, he is preserving a collection by seeking out finds as with this footage.

The youtube is a commentary by Ray Funk, Allyson Hennessy and Holly Betaudier on local television.

Carnival Mannequin Moods

This showcase brings great excitement to what can be expected for Trinidad's Carnival in 2008. In its enclosure, the mannequins are to wet the appetite of the Mas buyer. Moods is the title of the Carnival band and the designers are Humphrey and Associates.

The basis of these two costumes are the bathing trunks and bikini swimwear in navy blue and lime green, respectively. The accessories for men are a large collar which is carried over the chest with three rings of blue and magenta. A waist band with a loop buckle secures the knee length pants. To the right of the garment, three loop rings hang at the side. The masquerader's headband is obscured by a large Ruby plastic stone set within a metallic star shape. This may indicate the third eye, but players are going to tilt the piece to the back of their heads so to avoid injury by not jooking out their eye. The rest of the costume is accessorised by an arm, wrist and calf bands which politely matches the manly tones.

As for the Moods women, they should be delighted by the adornments attached to the bikini swimwear. Chain beads with loops of rings. There is a neck collar and the bikini bottom has attached, particularly at the crutch, a series of rings and beads that fall about 12ins in length. It will be interesting to see how the masquerader will deal with this hanging as it looks most uncomfortable as it slaps between her legs. The head piece is adorned with the plumage of peacock feathers reassuring Mas players the reasoning behind the 500 extra dollars in cost. Petite knee bands are decorated with rings and navy blue feathers.

A public show window in St, James, Trinidad, West Indies.

Hosay - Night of Flags

This is the first night of the Hosay precessions on the streets of St. James, Trinidad and Tobago. There are three families who celebrate the Day of Muharram, Night of Flags. A procession that began at 11pm on the quiet streets and echoed the rhythms of the Tassa drummers surrounded by a small but attentive audience.

The clip on youtube shows a synopsis of the evening from the three processions. Note the energy and compassion from the drummers.

The Carnival March

She dancing as if she is a Carnival Baby

By now, Trinidadians will be exercising around the Queen's Park Savannah in preparation for the Carnival festival 2008. Mas camps will be working overtime to get those skimpy costumes made and delivered. Less feathers and beads this year and more body paint.

On these two days before the Christian observance of Ash Wednesday, white women will seek out pan men, Indian girls will hunt down white men and Port of Spain will smell of urine. In its bacchanal and aftermath, people who took a wine together will pass each other on the street straight and there will be many surprises in October for the deeds done, namely, Carnival babies.

Yet, with this photograph, this masquerader with her basic costume of an pair of shorts and a top is in a spirit of Carnival. She is in an energy that has captivated her on the streets of Port of Spain. This is not about winning or drinking or having a man at your tail, but of a brisked march that keeps the dancer going for of two days straight. From left to right, the trot makes us free the spirit and puts us in a place that with all of the hardships and political unkindness, life is wonderful in its simplicity. In her world, she is truly free.