Heavy hearts

August 15, 2011

Today was a heavy heart felt day at the Mahogany mas camp. Today people cried, hugged and shared memories at the mas camp. Today people remembered the life of Mr. Mike Caribon, a well-respected and valued family member of the camp. Mike made his transition from this world last evening from a long illness. Out of pure respect and fond memories of meeting Mike on previous visits, I found this picture to represent the feeling of the day…reflections of days gone by…images of past parades, carnival events, special projects and various design assignments that the studio has created over its many years as a preeminent Carnival Design studio. Mike was the valued shopper of the camp. His valuable contribution as a securer of goods, networking of the manufacturing of specific product vendors and the locals…deliverers and maintenance of such items is an intricate part of the mas camps operation… hundreds of yards of fabric, barrels of beads and sequins, tons and rolls of foam, cases of adhesives, mountains of various sundries….all the source of the creative booty that keep the studio alive… His services, talents and pure love for the people of the camp will truly be missed. I had the wonderful pleasure of always speaking with him for moments at a time when I was last here. I remember fondly laughing and sharing a grand conversation about the upcoming United State Presidential election…..he was tickled to no end that a black man was running for office…..I could sense from his interest and attention to our conversation, that he, being an elder having seen the devastation , upheaval and ultimately sacrifices of the civil rights movement was truly moved by this revelation…..a black man as the President of the United States…… go figure…..I am sorry that I was not able to get the chance to share a welcoming hug with Mike and commensurate that conversation with the reality of “yes Virginia….there is a Santa Claus!”

work at da mas camp....

Today I cut hundreds of little metallic lame pieces that will decorate the yellow/gold headress for a section of the Berkely Band......tomorrow I am to clime a 15 foot ladder to apply sequin beaded trim onto a 'puppet structure like performance thingy"......more later.....

August 15, 2011

Oh my gosh!!!!!!
It is mid afternoon as I shake the cob webs from my "lockless" head......I am reminded of how my I miss my locks......when I travel with Conrad. We ventured to the borough of Tottenham....yes...the place where all the recent upheaval began. His good friend Franca, a local BBC employee ( I think) and his friend from the island, invited us to the a "Back in da Day" fete she is hosting. As we ride the tube to our destination......mind you I had dropped my phone and the SIM card was not working and could not call to say I was on my way, suffice to say, meeting up with conrad at the Euston train station was a bit overwhelming...but hey....how can you miss a partially bald headed black man with a keen sense of fashion and 2 feet locks extending from the nape of his head.....once we connected and chatted over a coffee, we began our nativigation to the unknown world of Tottenham.....oooohhhhhh the suspense was building.....heheheh....no really.......it was really not that deep.....we arrived at the tottenham hale station to take the connecting overhead train to a few stops to the neighbor of the party. With trusty iphone gps at the ready we stride with confidence, cause yeah know we's in da hood now!.....and clearly that was played out as we walked past our intended destination, following the music of a 'carribbean' sort all to end up at the WRONG house party......a party in full swing off the beaten path, a party with outdoor grills, music, garage doors open, fold out chairs, babies running around in diapers, gold teeth smiling Negros looking quite curious as to who da heck are we. yah know we were dressed right?....and so conspicious.......OMG.....after a few inquiries as to the where abouts of Frana, Conrad made the realization that we were NOT at the right place......spinning on our heels with a quickness and deliberate exit....we punched up outta there.......now phoning Franca to be told that we were on the block past her block....whew!!!!!!!!...that was funny!!!!!!!.....i am silly giggling about it....
So, now we are climbing the stairs to the flat hosting the Back in da Day party. We are greeting warmly, and in the only way trinis do....whin up on ya!... they swirl their bottoms/pelvic region rhythmically against you and or anything they can whenever they can as a greeting.....it is quite the scene when one becomes comfortable and receives the invitation to whin, only given by the female.... if accepted.....she proceeds to move/whin with her rear or front approaching your front pelvis region....( this can also be done back to back, front to front, front to wall, back to wall, car bumper to back....the list goes on....)-thus inviting you to join the dance......eye contact is made and a silent agreement reached....the music is intoxicating and the beat alive.....you have nothing else to do but move to the beat of the drum....while holding your drink in your hand.....you whin and smile all along knowing that although the image is sexual, it is not always intended as such....it is the trinidadian way of greeting you and making contact.....( for all those trinis reading....please correct me if I have made an error in this explaination.)

Drink is plenty, food is fantastically abundant, including the traditional fete fare of the island...corn soup and pilau complete with homemade pepper sauce....( which kicked my ass!!!!)...as the belly becomes full, the spirit high, the laughter contagious....the party is in full swing....the door opens and another wave of distinctive tongue invades the space, allowing for necks to swivel to see who has 'reached' the party......the small balcony become crowded with the cool breeze seekers looking for fag break......the music is a combination of late 70's and 80's favorites from the Caribbean and R&B.....Cameo, Dougie Fresh.......LL Cool Jay.....Stevie Wonder and a few one hit wonders just to name a few......we partied baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! till 5 o'clock in the morning......YES.......I am serious........it was absolutely grand.......to feel such inclusion and acceptance....to see that the community of Tottenham full of people just like you and me.....tryin to stay alive and party......party in the sense that we all must remember to share and live within the village....knowing that our common expression as a group will reflect who we are, comfort us when needed and provide the space for us to be!

Aug 13, 2011

August 13, 2011

I call myself being cute today- I took the bus in the wrong direction…I’m thinking…. I remember this journey…oh yeah…. that is the landmark of the old school house I found the other day…yes…. that’s the spot where I should go get a haircut…hmmmm and there is the place where the African women are speaking in that high staccato voice with reverence the make you think you are listening to a race…

Then it hits me…..I am on the other side of the road….the damn bus is going in the opposite direction of where I need to be……dammit!!!!!!!!.....and I thought I was coolio yo!!!!!....here I am now crossing the street hoping nobody recognizes that I am just going to stand opposite of the spot where I debarked…..silly rabbit….

As I finally approach my dorm, I giggle at myself and chalk it up to one more day of adventure…..that began with a overtrain ride to Brixton…..another ethnically mixed and culturally diverse ‘world’ where the look of the inhabitants remind me regular people moving through the day…they just sound different…..and boy do I mean different…..i am the one with the accent and they do not let me forget it….but I just smile and move on…..I actually have to pronounce thing twice before they understand that I really want to know where the bus stop is located….As I exit the tube station, I encounter various shops and places of commerce. ….the H & M store is on the corner….the PFC chicken joint to my right…(yes….I mean P not K.)……and the bank is to my left…..I cross the street to read the bus sign and am on going the correct direction……as I ride, I notice the beauty of the town….old buildings clearly once the resident of established gentry, roads winding in curves making you a bit dizzy as you hold onto to your coffee……and people dressed in various garb… from the middle eastern ‘salwar kameez, the Ghanaian buba, the Indian sari , the Indian male sherwani and the American demin jacket….sometimes all worn authentically as intended or mixed with an element from the English/European fashion world. The best part was seeing a little boy wearing an Addidas jacket and Nike shoes with his traditional Middle East silhouette of tunic and trousers…

I entered the mas camp of of Sunshine International Arts. The groups Artistic Director, Ray Mahabir is a close friend of Conrads and has agreed to allow me to visit and work. His main role in the company is to design, working along side culturally diverse artists to achieve high quality projects. Thematically based, his project use textiles as a base medium. One project in particular is SIA Youth Carnival Club. This project allows young people to be involved in a carnival arts education projects engaging in different culture and community groups from other parts of the United Kingdom. The focal point of Sunshine International Arts is to use art and craft based activities as teaching tool in education the community youth.

I arrive from the Northeast area of Hackeny to be greeted) by my friend Conrad, Ray and his associates working with the wire frames and sewing. I was swiftly taken to the sewing area once they realized who I was and what my research entails…..I am given a pair of scissors, a box of pins and placed in front of an old Singer sewing machine with a pile of fabric….turning the beautiful ‘silk’ like permanent pleated fabric into voluminous multicolored capes…..an easy enough task……then the next pile arrives and I constructed ‘lace’ chaps ( for lack of a better word)….the silhouette will fan out at the sides as the mas performers parade and take to the streets in this camps version of street performance ( I almost see it a a grand gesture of civil disobedience and reclaiming the streets for their own, in light of the current and daily borage of the media coverage of the past weeks upheaval.) …. I speak briefly to my colleagues of the recent events to be informed of basically the same thing that the papers hold as evidence…the looting and riots were senseless expressions of frustrated and the misguide youth…..and moment of spontaneity turned into violence……a time of being caught up in the ‘rapture’ and not realizing where you are at the moment…..a time of unbridles expressions and behavior……not caring of the consequences for the price that has already been paid is not enough…..the pound is too week to compare to the value of a voice not heard……a voice misunderstood and a voice often times too loud to actually hear…….what is heard is the timber and the dissonance….losing the meaning through the battle of a cacophony too difficult to bear…..

The mas designer is a new colleague, one that I look forward to getting to know….he is from Trinidad and from my brief discussion has worked with Peter Minshell, the carnival designer I visited in 1999 and 2000. He knows many of my colleagues from the island. I am looking forward to interviewing him to understand more of his mission……using the arts as an educational tool …..Manifesting itself in a four year project that culminates to a carnival performance…..his studio is the primary focus where the community comes to build, create and invest in the art/building of the costumes and props……a time for school age children and parents to work together in making their costumes and providing the platform for community development, aesthetic appreciation and a darn good time with soca music in the background. More on his studio later….

London august 12, 2011

8-12-11

Amongst the morning rain, I traveled the distance from Hackney central to the northwest neighborhood of Harlesden…a mixture of ethnicities coupled with the urban flare of a “hood”…. I love it…I find the mix of people, shops and eye candy intoxicating…I look at everything…. smell all and wonder…the people…they are just your average folk grooving to the beat of their drum while inviting you (not knowinginly) to partake in the party…I walk with a certain swagger that has become a dance of mine while I travel…. tortoiseshell shades on…. scarf draped deliberately around my neck and coffee cup in hand…as I punch through the hood, I feel at ease because I have been here before…I notice and remember the way…….it just came naturally……I entered the mas camp in the midst of a light drizzle shaking off the dew before I begin my hugs of familiarity with the camp workers….I greet the designer, Clary Salandy with a big hug and laugh with hugs from all the workers that remember me….the young ones have grown a few years since last I visited but they remember me and welcome me with open arms….I am at home in a sense…feeling the love and generosity of what a mas camp can be……I begin the ritual with another cup of coffee and change into a painting apron…..I am off with a brush, gold paint and a foam headdress……I relax into the moment….all the while knowing that I am just another clog in the matrix of the dynamic and every surprising creative development of the carnival art…..this years theme centers around the design of world renowned mas designer Wayne Berkely, who just recently past on June 9^th,….Clary was a dear friend and colleague of Mr. Berkeley and holds his work in high esteem. I had the opportunity to briefly meet in him while on a travel fellowship to Trinidad in 1999. Her designs for this years carnival reflect a nod to his creativity and brilliance as a designer while giving her aesthetic and work with foam and new and different relevance. She has incorporated the sense of what we have come to know as Trinidadian carnival-complete with gold beads, sequins and flair coupled with the flexibility and creative essence of her work in foam, scale and puppetry. It is a fantastic combination of old and new…familiar with the unknown and a wonderfully respectful nod to a great mass designer and friend…I am sure Mr. Berkley would approve of the designs. I am looking forward to what becomes of the whole picture, for I have only gotten a glimpse of what is to come…I am sure the results will capture the essence of Trinidad, invite conversation to continue the cultural tradition and most of all include the community to invest and become one…a so needed presence during this unnerving time in London.

London Summer 2011.

London 2011

12/08/2011 or 08/12/2011….what ever floats your boat…..

I arrive in London on Tuesday at 6.05 am their time…my body telling me it was clearly earlier…to be precise…five hours earlier…

After a 7 hour flight, full with the in-flight dining services and my trusty tube map of London, I ventured off into the chaos that awaited me…. well the chaos assumed by the news of the night before…from the US broadcasts…the aftermath of the riots and looting that began on Saturday had yet to reach me….it was not until I landed on the tube and grabbed the metro newspaper when I realized the neighborhood in which I was to live for the my month stay in London was directly situated near the neighborhood allegedly responsible for the ignition of the riots, looting and thievery that rampaged the streets of London the previous evening.

I rode in silence…. shit…I did not know anyone on the damn train anyway…. but the silence was of a different sort…a silence that speaks volumes when you are scared…a silence that penetrates the deaf and allow dogs to hear…. a silence that only you can describe…and only describe to yourself…

After much needed rest from jet lag…the trek from Heathrow airport via the tube and bus ride…I woke with a weary feeling…. what the hell was I doing here…. I ask myself that question often when I travel to unchartered lands…but this was different…I had been here before…. not in another life as you may assume…but literally have been here…celebrating my friendship with Conrad…(more on him later), making new friends while celebrating the Notting Hill Carnival and most of all learning about myself…realizing that I make a difference…. not just to those I teach but to those I encounter along the way…not to say that I am the official negro from America…not even to say that I am a designer of theatre working in the industry as a guest artist……or to say that I know anything of worth that would interest the regular person on the street…..I make a difference to me…..I am learning about me, my abilities to survive and explore….my need to search for interesting ideas, thought provoking nuances and the random silliness that prevails in all societies…….I am growing into the man that my family and kindred spirits have nurtured…..I am becoming me……just that simple……

Africa Underground at Museum of African Art

Les Twins "France" Urban Dance Showcase 2010 | New Style Hip Hop | Chore...

rain dance

I find this to be most exciting....

Art21: Transformation

Watch the full episode. See more ART:21.

Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story | Video on TED.com

Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story | Video on TED.com

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Carnival Questions 2010

RCP2010-04 CARNIVAL CONVERSATIONS from Rasconrad on Vimeo.

wining

everytime a bell rings a fairy gets its wings

I love this....all the fairies and sprites were wonderful. A great teaching and design collaboration activity. Thanks Sycamore Rouge.

CSUSB Performance at the SIFF 5 2010

A day in Bangkok.

captain's log supplemental 2

well, after a few days of frustrating communication with the thai tech people, i am finally able to use my laptop computer with the established wifi connection set up for the festival. we have been in surin for about six days, four performances, two days of presentations, 12 meals....( all prepared and provided by the university, mind you they are feeding at least 400 people three times a day). speaking meals, our breakfasts usually consists of gruel of soupy thai sticky rice soup with whatever seems to be left over from the previous meal......fruit and sometimes bread, hard boiled eggs and noodle soup. lunch is rice with various thai flavored concoctions such as curry, stew, noodles and the like. dinner is a variation of the previous meals with a fried chicken leg thrown in for a twist....fish balls have popped up a few times this week and the various vegetarian dishes for the non meat eaters. all the food is wonderful and the hospitality great. i hope you enjoy the pics that follow.

Captain's Log: Supplemental

Well, I am off to another adventure in my learning career. I have been invited to attend the Surin International Folklore Festival in Surin, Thailand. I will be presenting my research of Anne Lowe: America's First Couturier. Fellow colleagues and I will present a dance piece accompanied by students from the CSUSB theatre, dance and music department. Professor Bryan, Professor Knop and myself will accompany 9 students. Follow us as be begin this journey of international dialogue, cultural exchange and professional development.