art in all its forms
6/29/10
Draconian Switch 12!
6/3/10
Rapso reunion at Club Ibiza
FROM THE ORGANISERS:
WATERSHED: THE KISKADEE ERA OF MUSIC REVISITED AT CLUB IBIZA
On Mon 7th June 2010 the public is invited to WATERSHED- a celebration of the sounds from the Kiskadee era at Club Ibiza, Tragerete Road from 9- 11.30pm. Performing will be Omari' Kindred' Ashby, Rubadiri 'Chantwell' Victor, with Ozy ‘Homefront’ Majiq & others capping off a Rapsomen reunion from the 90s. The group will be taking a ride down memory lane remembering that period from 1991- 1995 which was a mini-Golden Age in T&T culture where young music, fashion & creativity blossomed & changed the course of T&T's history. The night is a celebration of live music, Dj-ing, dancing & memory.
Live music will be played with unplugged sets by Omari Ashby formerly one half of pioneer Rapso group Kindred. Omari has a new band called Soul Quarters which also features Shannon Bailey, son of the Grand Wizard himself- the Mighty Shadow. Kindred was at one time the biggest group in Trinidad and Tobago, ruling the roost with hits like ‘This Trini Could Flow’, ‘Dance’, ‘Can U Tek it, ‘Blow Way’ and ‘Freedom Jam’. They were pioneers of an indigenous Rapso sound that did not try to imitate Jamaican Dancehall, American Hip Hop or any other foreign source. It was a declaration of faith in ‘Self’ that started a renaissance in original music by young Trinidad and Tobago throughout the 90s.
Ozy Majiq formerly of Homefront was also part of that revolution with the great Rapso ballad ‘Give Yourself a Chance’ and the monster hit ‘Rollin’ which revolutionized Soca and music for the road. Both Kindred and Homefront were part of the historic investment in local culture by businessman Robert Amar which saw the creation of Caribbean Sound Basin (CSB)- one of the 3 greatest recording studios in the world. CSB was also the place where Puff Daddy recorded most of Notorious BIG’s biggest hits. Amar’s creation of the Kiskadee Karavan made local youth music bigger than foreign imports. For 3 years the biggest hits in T&T were local, with tens of thousands of young people mid-year filling up stadiums to here all-local music outside of Carnival.
Rubadiri Victor’s band Chantwell also contributed to this mini-Renaissance with his bands massive hit and video ‘Clear de Way’ which was produced independent of the Kiskadee Karavan. Chantwell’s success outside of Amar inspired many musicians to have faith in independent productions. All 3 Rapso musicians and bandleaders for the WATERSHED event have remained committed to original Trinbago music with an indigenous sound and have continued writing dozens of songs. The public is now invited to hear some of this new material alongside re-interpretations of the classics.
The evening will also be one of Memory- whereby the crew will be reminiscing about that seminal period in T&T culture. They will talk about a time when local youths were wearing local design labels like The Cloth and First Chapter Adam which were valued more than foreign labels. They will talk about ‘Party Time’. It was a period of youth blossoming that hopefully this country will see again.
The night will be capped off by the brilliant DJ stylings of Ozy with his Flying Galvanise DJ label which spins the most eclectic and danceable grooves being played in T&T at present. The WATERSHED session is about dancing and enjoying yourself. Come one and come all: Monday 7th June 2010, Club Ibiza, Tragerete Road- obliquely opposite the Oval going west 9pm until 11.30. Admission is only $40. CDs, magazines, t-shirts and memorabilia on sale!!! Call 797-0949 for more details.
Upon these houses I have slept
Detail from Upon these houses I have slept, Liquid paper, ink and acrylic on paper.
"WHAT the hell is that?" my sister asks. "It looks like a map." Perhaps. She was talking about a painting I just started on a whim today. I was thinking about a conversation I had recently about the nature of art and what makes art 'Art', and decided to just stop thinking, start drinking and then paint something to test the idea that anybody, at any moment, can create something which expresses one of the, arguably, fundamental functions of art: to foster self-expression; reveal, reflect and create emotion.
Who knows what this expresses, but I'm pleased to think I did something creative today after a long spell of nothing but work, work, work.
As a side note, dear PLEASURE readers, I should announce that I shall be, over the coming weeks, embarking on something of a tour of the US and hope to keep a diary of my time there, here, in this space. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, perhaps you guys can help me figure out what this latest doodling is all about :)
Oh and for fun, here is what my nephew, Luke, 6, did while I was doodling:
6/1/10
Heino Schmid, maker of exquisite collages and more, talks @ Alice Yard
From I Spend My Time Humming (2009)
The amazing Bahamian artist Heino Schmid is in Trinidad. READ more below.
FROM THE ORGANISERS:
Alice Yard is currently hosting its second Commonwealth artist-in-residence: Heino Schmid from the Bahamas. He is a 2009 recipient of the Commonwealth Foundation’s Commonwealth Connections international arts residency, and has chosen to use his award grant to visit and work in Trinidad.
On Friday 4 June, 2010, at 7.30 pm, Schmid will give an informal talk at Alice Yard about his previous work and his interest in Trinidad. This is an opportunity for artists and others to meet him and learn about the contemporary art scene in the Bahamas. All are invited.
About the artist:
Heino Schmid was born in 1976 in Nassau, the Bahamas. In addition to his own practice, he is adjunct lecturer for the School of Communication and Creative Arts at the College of the Bahamas; curator of the Central Bank of the Bahamas Art Gallery; and exhibitions director of Popopstudios Centre for the Visual Arts, a non-profit artists’ co-op where he also holds a studio. Schmid will be living and working at Alice Yard until September. For further information, visit his website: www.heinoschmid.com.
VISIT the Alice Yard website here.
