Some old StudioFilmClub posters

Posters by Peter Doig for films screened at studiofilmclub. Posters were eventually published in a book, STUDIOFILMCLUB, published in Cologne. This week studiofilmclub, based at the Fernandes Industrial Centre, Laventille, screens Chris Rock's Good Hair. WATCH trailer below.

Indian Mas at Carnegie Free Library, San Fernando

Trinidadian Peter Chin Poon, born in Coffee Street, San Fernando, and now resident in Canada, playing Indian mas in a design by Lionel Jagessar sometime in the 1980s. Photo courtesy Jagessar.

FROM THE ORGANISERS:

A museum exhibit featuring the traditions of local Indian Mas, including the Fancy, Warrahoon, Red and Black Indian mas will be launched on Wednesday at the Carnegie Free Library, San Fernando and will then be open to the general public until April 10.

The exhibit is the project of Jaime Bagoo, Carnival Studies student at the Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA), University of the West Indies. She has chosen to archive an aspect of our carnival history in the form of a community museum dedicated to one of our traditional mas stalwarts-Indian Mas.


“This project is about the transference of community cultural heritage," she notes. There will be a focus on Indian Mas in San Fernando, more specifically Lionel and Rosemarie Jagessar’s band.

Amidst concerns over the lack of a space for the Carnival arts, this exhibition aims to be a prototype that can be used for other heritage themed exhibits such as the Blue Devils in Paramin and Sailor Mas in Belmont. It will serve to demonstrate what a fully established museum of this nature could look like in terms of its structure, the other benefits that can be derived from such an institution, and will gather the initial artefacts to be used. It is hoped that the end product will be a museum dedicated to all the forms of Indian mas found in Trinidad that will also serve as a cultural space to help foster greater community and national pride.

This exhibition will continue until April 10, 2010 to facilitate the viewing of some treasured aspects of our culture, by school children and the general public. To view the exhibition school children and other members of the general public can visit the Carnegie Free Library, Harris Promenade, San Fernando Monday to Friday 8:30-6:00 pm and Saturdays 8:30-4:00 pm. For further information call 678-5579. 

And we're back!

You can find Marlon Darbeau's complete image interview here.

For the past week, PLEASURE has posted, one day at a time, a series of images produced by Trinidadian design artist Marlon Darbeau. 

Darbeau, whose work has been featured on this blog, had been asked to do the 14th interview in our artist interview series This/discourse/has/no/start(middle)nd. For the interview series, artists are asked to respond to a set questionnaire that includes the questions WHO? WHAT? WHEN? and WHERE? 

Darbeau opted to produce an image in answer to each of these. And we opted to post the images one day at a time to allow the images to stand individually, yes, but to also accumulate gradually; to let readers literally get a better picture of Marlon over time, in the way that people come to know each other bit by bit, day by day. All through the simple medium of a blog.

The result is an image interview that is playful but also stands on its own as a series of graphics. They have been accumulated at a blog we've created called Darbeau at PLEASURE. You can find that blog here. And check out the last image in the series, called 'ASK THE QUESTION YOU WANTED ANSWERED', here.

For the last week PLEASURE blog also adopted a different format to accommodate the project, hopefully to create a sense of a shared online space; an interplay of persons and ideas. Today we return to our 'normal' layout.

Many thanks to Marlon for his images. It has been an exciting week!

Andre

PLEASURE blogger

ASK THE QUESTION YOU WANTED ANSWERED:

See larger image here.

SOMETHING DEEP ABOUT ART:

See larger image here.

W H E R E ?

See larger image here.

W H E N ?

See larger image here.

W H A T ?

See larger image here.

W H O ?

See larger image here.

For six days, Marlon Darbeau took over PLEASURE

Marlon Darbeau at Alice Yard. Photo courtesy INDIgroove

We asked Trinidadian design artist Marlon Darbeau to do the 14th interview for our interview series This/discourse/has/no/start(middle)nd.

Darbeau, like all our interviewees, was asked to respond to a set questionnaire including the questions: WHO? WHAT? WHEN+WHERE? WHY?

In response he opted to produce a series of images. These will now be posted at this blog, one day at a time, right up until Palm Sunday.

All of the images will also be collected and displayed in a much larger space which you can find here. 


"I share ideas with people, they either verbally respond or play with something I make and then I think about what they said or did... I go oooooooooor there it is, that's what I've been looking for," Darbeau says on his blog. "My ideas come from people. "Because what I make is for them anyway."


FIND out more about Darbeau here.

Some masks at L.V.L.A.

Intriguing stuff at LVLA. CHECK here.

Rodell Warner's website

In addition to being a fan of Rodell Warner's blogs did I ever mention that I also check out his cool website? The site (click here) always features an introductory image (like the one above) which changes on each visit. Nice. 

Dave Williams on NAPA

Renowned local dancer: ‘NAPA an ornate twig’
By Andre Bagoo Newsday Friday, March 19 2010


ACCLAIMED dancer Dave Williams, who performed at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), Port-of-Spain last year, yesterday described aspects of the design of NAPA as “dangerous” for dancers as he criticised the building as being “nothing more than a very ornate twig.”

In a statement on defects of the building, Williams, a renowned choreographer, also revealed new details of defects in the building which has been criticised by the Artists Coalition of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT) in a report.

“If you are going to build a landmark performing arts facility that not only looks as good as any other on the planet but also functions better and plays the part it is supposed to play on the local and international artscape as the newest space of its kind in artdom, then the NAPA is indeed nothing more than a very ornate twig,” Williams said in an e-mail to Newsday.

Williams danced at the opening ceremony of the NAPA last November, which was put on by designer Brian Mac Farlane. Memorably, his body was covered in a golden sheath as he danced a version of his work in progress Scan at the very start of Mac Farlane’s show.

But in a detailed statement, Williams revealed that the NAPA stage has featured “dangerous gaps in (its) flooring panels.”

“The NAPA stage consists of segments that can move independently, to allow for the movement of sets and cast on and off stage to create spectacular scenes and transitions. When they move and change, the gaps between the moving segments become hazardous as they are of varying and unpredictable sizes, from almost seamless to the size that a big toe can be snapped in,” he notes.

He also reveals that there was no dance mat inside the building noting that, “A dance mat is a very specialised floor covering or mat that works to support the cushioning and spring that a dance floor should afford dancer.”

Additionally, the rehearsal spaces and studios are built with concrete floors, he lamented.

“Dancers need sprung floors that absorb and cushion the shock of dancers moving on it and which also work like mini trampolines to assist in jumps and lifts. Floors are generally built to specific standards using wood,” he notes. “The stage floor is not sprung. The stage floor should, like all other dance floors, allow for the same cushioning and support mentioned before.”

“There are face-to-face mirrors in studios. Many of the studios are equipped with mirrors on walls that face each other. This produces an infinite regress effect that gives multiple images of the subject going into infinity. Very distracting and it does not allow the dancer/artist to see him/herself properly. But is very easy to correct, by removing one panel of mirrors.”

Williams also agreed with other criticisms of the building as noted by the ACTT in its dossier noting that the orchestra pit is too deep; the “lighting board is analogue”; and that the loading doors to the theatre are “too small. And they’re glass.” 

READ MORE here

***BLOGGED LIVE: The 2010 Oscars

Hey guys, it's been a long week. But tonight I'm looking forward to having some fun blogging the Oscars live.

In case you don't know what the Oscars are, click here. If you haven't heard as yet, Avatar and The Hurt Locker are going to win everything. So here we go! (Click 'Refresh' on your browser for updates).

***

9.15pm (Trinidad and Tobago time): There should be about one hour of pre-show stuff on the red carpet. I must say, of all the films nominated for Best Picture (there are ten this year) my favorite was Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds. I think Up In the Air  is the most overrated film of the year.

9.30pm: Things just started with Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Houser?) He's singing in a black, sparkling, sequin suit. Steve Martin and Alex Baldwin are our hosts. They were just lowered onto the stage. I'm feeling bored. Been working too much, as usual. Time for some tea...No wait can't miss the first two awards--the supporting actor categories. Then again I think it's clear who's gonna win. Wait, is this supposed to be funny? Anyhow, quick run for tea. Brb.

Oh they just showed us Sandra Bullock...she looked like she was really forcing laughter. Wait Steve Martin just said something funny, in relation to the film Precious (the depressing one with the evil black mother). Martin said, "I loved Precious because for me it's the one film that lived up to the video game,"

Hmm things have improved. Lots of laughs. Martin just pointed out that The Hurt Locker''s director Katherine Bigelow used to be married to Avatar's James Cameron. Martin said Bigelow, on being nominated, sent Cameron a gift basket. Baldwin added, "with a timer". Martin: "Cameron replied by sending her a Toyota". Hilarious!

9.44pm: Best Supporting Actor nominees: Matt Damon (for his sexy rugby legs in Invictus, and despite the South African accent) Woody Harrelson (for his bald head in The Messenger), Christopher Plummer (for that beard in The Last Station), Stanley Tucci (for the creepy haircut he had in The Lovely Bones), and Christophe Waltz (for turning in the most fucking hottest performance in years in Inglourious Basterds). Waltz wins!

Waltz said, "Quentin, with his unorthodox method took this ship..." something something "there's no way I can ever thank you enough!" (Cue get off stage music...) Blah not a good acceptance speech.
 
9.52pm: Why is George Clooney looking so vex? Oh Up  just won best animated feature.  I liked it. But I also LOVED Mr Fox and His Friends.

10.00pm: "Our next two presenters are so young they don't know who we are," Steve Martin just said, introducing Miley Cyrus and Amanda Seyfried. LMAO.

10.16pm: Boring categories. Writing and stuff. Wait The Hurt Locker  just won best original screenplay. Ahh a touching tribute to John Hughes. Hmm why is the audio bad? It does not seem to originate from TV 6...

10.54pm: WOA. Big gap people. Some hilarious stuff, especially for the best make-up award, which went to Avatar. No wait, that whole movie was CGI. Oh it went to Star Trek. Precious won an award for adapted screenplay. The screenwriter had a very, very dreary acceptance speech. I heard it from the kitchen. REALLY bad.

10.56pm: I'm guessing Monique is going to win Best Supporting Actress. She wins, says, "I would like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics..." She then rattles off a list, thanking Oprah and her husband. "Baby, you were so right, God bless us all". Monique had, going into the awards, said she was not preparing a speech. That speech was prepared, and surprisingly lackluster considering that her performance was really a star going into tonight.

11.07pm: OK big downer. Avatar just won best Art Direction. A really geeky looking guy came up and with teary eyes said "thirteen years ago my doctors told me that I was not going to survive" ??? He didn't say what. Survive a snow storm? Golly it was depressing. Wait what is Sandy Powell, winning costume designer for Young Victoria, wearing? She dedicates her Oscar (her third) to costume designers for normal films (as opposed to period films and muicals). "This is for you, but tonight I'm gonna take this home," she says.

11.30pm: More boring stuff. The Hurt Locker picked up some more awards. Looks like Gingy in the comments section is right when she warns of a Hurt Locker  sweep. I liked Hurt Locker it was a competent action film. The performances were what you would expect: Hollywood's idea of the sensitive, yet manly, soldier. Ahem. It was ok. But otherwise I wasn't amazed.

11.49pm: Dancers dancing to the scores of the film nominated for Best Score. Interesting. Yawn. What a pleasant suprise, Up won for Best Score. I think Up  was actually one of the best films nominated this year. After Inglourious Basterds  I think it's the film I'd most like to see win Best Picture. Cool that it beat  Avatar too.

12.02am: Monday 8, Feb, 2009: Gingy in the comments below just pointed out that the Academy appears to have forgotten to include Farah Fawcett in its tribute of those who died in 2009. Really bad. Apparently Roger Ebert and Jane Fonda are already Twittering about it. This is going to snowball into a nasty controversy that Oscar will not be able to live down. See more here.

12.07pm: TYLER PERRY: Alec Baldwin just walked up to me and said, "Man I loved you in The Blind Side"!

Perry announces another win to The Hurt Locker. Is anybody in the comments below doing a tally of wins thus far? Locker seems to be dominating...

12.15pm: My favorite category. Best Foreign Language Film. Without a doubt it was Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon (closely followed by A Prophet). WHAT? The Secret in Their Eyes --from Argentina--wins. Am aghast. Apparently, the film is sentimental. I think Rogert Ebert predicted this. Ha Ha one of the film-makers just thanked "The Academy for not considering Na'avi (the language invented for Avatar) a foreign language". Then he gets flustered and is chased off stage. One of the more enjoyable speeches tonight thus far though. Sad, but true.

12.26pm: Best Actor. Jeff Bridges hasn't won as yet but he's tearing up from Michelle Pfeiffer's tribute to him. George Clooney is nominated. Why? The other nominees are worthy, especially Morgan Freeman. Colin Farrel on Jeremy Renner and a bed they shared on a trip to Mexico: "before any rumours start it was just spooning!" The Oscar goes to Jeff Bridges.

Jeff says, "Oh! Thank you Academy members! Mom and Dad, yea look! Thank you mom and dad for turning me on to such a groovy profession". Then a tribute to his mom and dad who "loved showbiz so much". "I feel like an extension of them," he says, touchingly. He praises the amazing Maggie Gyllenhall. Best speech of the night: relaxed, sincere and charismatic. There's George Clooney again looking like he wants to cuss somebody. Really George, make an effort, it's the Oscars!

12.41pm: "Every British Prime Minister should end up in a relationship with a wonderful queen," Martin Sheen says, delivering a tribute to Best Actress nominee Helen Mirren. It is clear that Carey Mulligan deserves to win this award. Sandra Bullock is expected to win. Gabare Sidibe also deserves to win. She cries as Oprah delivers a tribute to her. This tribute procedure is annoying. It's a little too solemn.

OMG is Sean Penn drunk? He really really messed up his speech. Anyhow Sandra Bullock wins. She goes up to Meryl as though she's about to hug her then blanks her! "Did I really earn this or did I just wear y'all down?" To Sidibe "Gabby I love you so much." To Mulligan, "Carey your grace and intelligence is so overwhelming, it's sickening." And she adds, "Meryl you're such a good kisser." Best Best Actress acceptance speech IN YEARS!!!!

12.52pm: Barbara Streisand presents the directing award. WHAT IS SHE WEARING? Katherine Bigelow wins. She is--shockingly--only the first woman to ever win this award. She deserves it; the other directors in this category were so-so. "There's no way really to describe it; it's a moment of a lifetime," she says.

12.58pm: Tom Hanks presents Best Picture. Again (he's done it a few times before). The Hurt Locker wins. The total tally for the night is six wins, surely the most for the night. Steve Martin on closing, "Ladies and Gentlemen the show was so long that Avatar now takes place in the past!" A wrap, folks. Let's do this again soon.

Interview with performance poet Navy

"They call me NAVY, took the name that they gave me, turned it back to front..."

READ full interview published in this/discourse/has/no/start(middle)nd here.

this/discourse/has no/start(middle)nd

WHO?

They call me NAVY, took the name that they gave me, turned it back to front.


WHAT?

A lyricist by all definitions of the word, who strongly dislikes being labeled anything otherwise.


WHEN + WHERE?

I was born on May 18, 1987.  I First hit the stage at my school's Soca Competition, where I placed 1st place with a song called "First Place". Recorded one song with friends then started writing and performing poetry. I have been doing that for the past 4 years in Trinidad at all the major spots... and in New York, getting my feet wet in the Poetry scene there while studying and working. I am now back home in Trinidad getting reacquainted with what's left of the scene here. Working on making my return to the studio soon!

Locally, in addition to being a steady act on the poetry circuit, I performed on two separate occasions on CNMG's television series, '52 Nights' (2006). During a stint in NY, I had the opportunity to be featured at two venues; 'Work As Renaissance' in Harlem and Urban Voices Heard's: 'Write Out Loud' in the Bronx. I was also given a spotlight in my farewell performance at Urban Juke Joint in the city. Unfortunately I had to leave NY at the time when all these things were happening for me. I take it as a timely intervention for me to work on something different. All of my projects are still works in progress on which anyone can be updated via my blog and my facebook fan page. I'm also on Twitter @theycallmenavy. Add me, follow me...just don't label me.


WHY?

To say something (else)! Artists take their power for granted. I think we could put our work to greater use... or at least be creative!


PLEASE SAY SOMETHING DEEP ABOUT ART:

To be artistic is to be yourself... we are all artistic in one way or another. However, society's constraints dissuade us from being ourselves and we lose our artistic freedom. Don't be a robot!

THIS IS THE QUESTION I WANTED TO ASK:

What do you think of the local art scene? I think we have VERY far to go. In almost every country art is at the bottom of the spectrum in terms of education, and that translates into the society. That doesn't mean that their art is lost, because the people even in small groups foster art amongst themselves. We have a culture of bandwagonism in T&T that suppresses art in general. We like what we see on tv and hear on the radio. We have so much talent that ends up going to waste because there are not be enough forums, or because it is just overlooked. We the people have the power to make things happen!

***

BTW WE SHOULD ADD: 


This is what Navy, born Yvan Mendoza , looks like:

Navy

CHECK Navy's blog here. And his Facebook PAGE here. This/discourse/has/no/start(middle)nd is an interview series featuring the responses of Trinidad artists to a set questionnaire. FIND out more and see the full list of interviewees here.

Boundaries

"I’d noticed the amount of constructed boundaries in my day-to-day life in Trinidad, but the coming of Carnival had marked an increase in the literal boundaries as well, even while people themselves were preparing to wear less clothing, and therefore don fewer boundaries. Walls were being constructed around banks and businesses, bars were coming down over store fronts, roads were blocked off, and yellow tape was posted to prevent entrance in anticipation of Carnival"--- FROM the Trinity at Alice Yard blog.

Rockstone & Bootheel 03

Detail from Blood Soaked Skies by Khalil Deane.

The third edition of the e-zine for the 'Rockstone & Bootheel' exhibition in Conneticut, United States, featuring the work of several Trinidadian artists, is now out. This issue features the work of artists: Akuzuru, Khalil Deane, Simone Leigh, Jaime Lee Loy, Christina Leslie, Dave McKenzie, Maxine Walters, Nari Ward and Jay Will

Rockstone & Bootheel curated by Kristina Newman-Scott and Yona Backer, includes works of 39 artists from the West Indies and the diaspora, focusing on artists from the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago. FIND out more here.

Cool stuff in Town 3

The Dream of a Thousand Shipwrecks #33 of 144 (2009), by Patricia Kaersenhout

The latest issue of the literary/visual arts journal Town, featuring Mahadai Das, Patricia Kaersenhout, Dhiradj Ramsamoedj and  Marcel Pinas, is now out. FIND it here.