Sheena Rose's Town

What is Town about and how did it get its name?

“Town” is an animation that is about a female figure depicted by myself who decides to go to Bridgetown. She is surrounded by some silhouettes and in them are words, outlining personal problems, thoughts and issues we face in our daily lives. The more I look into the culture of Bridgetown and the behaviour of some Barbadians it could also be said that the words could even represent some forms of gossip. In the end of the animation, I turn into a silhouette to show that I am just like anyone else.

The animation gets it name from when we Barbadians shorten the original name of “Bridgetown”. In Barbados, when we are asking a question pertaining to Bridgetown for example “Where are you going?” to a friend or any person, they would usually answer “I am going to Town.” So I thought it was interesting to just call the animation “Town.”

How did you decide on animation as a medium?

It all started when I was at Barbados Community College. I was studying Contemporary African Art and I studied William Kentridge. I loved his charcoal and the erasing technique. So I wanted to try out animation. I had this idea of treating each frame of the animation as an art piece; each frame is hand drawn and painted. I added newspaper clippings, comic strips, transfers; anything that would make the composition more interesting. I taught myself animation and I am still learning the media

What has the response been like and where have you shown/ exhibited the work?

I have been receiving great responses from many persons such as artists, curators, critics, gallery owners and viewers. Many people told me that the work is an inspiration and it causes them to realise that each person is equal in terms of their own personal problems. I believe they are impressed with how the animation is very playful but still carries a serious message.

“Town” was first shown in the Black Diaspora Symposium Visual Arts early in the year 2009. It was organised by David A. Bailey and the National Art Gallery Committee. It was shown in public in a Pharmacy show window in Bridgetown and it was interesting to see that the animation was actually sited in Bridgetown itself making it almost seem to be part of the surroundings.

After the symposium, Christopher Cozier and Sean Leonard invited me to show “Town” in Alice Yard, Trinidad. It’s a small place that is not a traditional art space but an area where artists, performers, writers and musicians come together to show and discuss art. Most recently, Real Art Ways, in Hartford Connecticut. Now that was really exciting for me because that was my first time participating in anything in the States. I discovered that the exhibition ‘Rockstone & Bootheel” was exhibiting international Caribbean artists, so

this was a very big deal for me.

You spoke about treating the drawings that you use in the animation as independent art works. Tell us some more about that works in terms of exhibiting and selling.

I want persons to see the animations as an art piece; just the same way you look at a painting but in this instance it is moving. In terms of selling the animation that’s a Yes. I would create it as DVDs and I am planning to sell the frame or stills of the animation. Again as I mentioned before each frame is hand drawn and, therefore, they are drawings.

You are now recruiting participants for your new work via Facebook; What will this new work be about and how will you be using these persons?

I used myself in “Town” but I am working on some animations with the same concept so I need more people. I am talking about persons’ problems so therefore I would need other people going through Bridgetown such as young, old, male, female, etc. However, these other animations wouldn’t be exactly like the original. I know these others would be very difficult but I am looking forward to the challenge.

Who are your favourite contemporary artists and how do you want to develop your work?

My favourite contemporary artists are William Kentridge, Robert Rauschenberg, Kara Walker, Christopher Cozier and Ewan Atkinson.

I really like William Kentridge’s work because, to be honest, I wasn’t interested in animations but it’s the way how he treats his animation. The charcoal drawings are fantastic.

I am working on a solo show exhibiting it in Barbados Community College’s gallery for 2010. I am planning to submit the animations in more exhibitions, residencies and film festivals. I am really happy how the process is going so far in term of ideas for the animations and of course the responses from persons. This motivate me to work harder, and exhibiting more of “Town”

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Annalee Davis: ON THE MAP

Annalee Davis, experienced visual artist, activist, designer tells us about a recent project, ON THE MAP, a documentary video project. For artists who are interested in venturing into making documentaries and some activist projects, Davis sets an example.

What is 'On the Map' about and what does it seek to achieve?

ON THE MAP is a thirty minute video project airing intimate discussions with undocumented Caribbean migrants who speak of life between the cracks. More specifically, it looks at the movement of people from Guyana to Barbados, revealing gaps between the official stand on Caribbean integration & the experience of unskilled Caribbean migrants, within the context of the CSME (The CARICOM Single Market & Economy).

The goals of ON THE MAP are:

1.To give a voice to the numerous voiceless and tell a contemporary story of intra-Caribbean migration.

2. To sensitise the public and policy makers to key social issues.

3. To contribute to conflict resolution at the community level while promoting tolerance, understanding & respectful coexistence.

4. To foster policy debates and political attention to the development of sound socio-economic policies under the integrative sheme.

5. To use my voice as a visual artist as a legitimate language to back chat to the state and engage in debate.

How did you transition into making documentaries from your earlier work ( paintings, drawings etc.) and do you see the documentaries as a part of your fine art practice or are they two different realms?

On the Map evolved naturally out of work I had done in relation to notions of home, longing and belonging. The region's attempt at becoming an integrated space is ultimately a question about Caribbean people claiming the archipelago, hundreds of years later, as home. The fact that we 'otherise' some Caribbeans as less then legitimate, is questionable. It seemed that the most effective way to speak to the migrant experience in the way I wanted, was through video....the project determined the transition into this new media...new for me. I am not sure that the On the Map exists in a different realm to the rest of my work...I see it more as a progression through ideas which are being developed thoroughly.

How do you finance and actualize your projects and is this something that the Barbadian Government participates in?

I received a government seed grant to assist with some of the pre-production and production costs of the project. A lot of it is self financed. I was producer, director, script writer and gopher! I worked with Omar Estrada, a Cuban artist who was the cinematographer and editor. I also worked with two other Cubans - David Alvarez, the director of an orchestra in Cuba and a musician, who came to Barbados to compose the music for the project and Henry Garcia did the animation for the video. It was a small team - underpaid, and over worked. The Barbados government has expressed interest in supporting projects which fit into the state's agenda to earn foreign exchange and grow Barbados' economy....not necessarily to develop the contemporary visual arts as a stated focus.

Your blog is quite socially activist and politically involved, how does this act as a medium for your documentary and fine art work?

The blog has helped to increase awareness about the issues while providing a broader platform to participate in the national and regional debate. It functions as a constant back up to the project, keeping it current by archiving issues related to intra-Caribbean migration. It is one of my projects which has received the widest attention, outside of the art community, resulting in my participation as a writer in the regional press and on panels on radio programmes. I like the fact that the medium which generated the public's interest in my perspective on this issue, is the visual arts.

Is there a particular atmosphere as it relates to the art in Barbados that fuels your work?

Although there are a number of artists who are producing intelligent work throughout the region; as an insular island, Barbados does not enjoy the attendant supportive institutional framework needed to develop the visual arts in the way, for example, you might see in the Spanish Caribbean. I am committed to this part of the world where I continue to live and work, with all of its frustrations, and at the same time, am developing relationships regionally and internationally to build opportunities for the work to be seen.

What kind of projects and collaborations are you open to across the region?

On the Map has evolved into Project 45....a suite of 45 projects that continues to examine the anxieties surrounding the free movement of people, while questioning the parameters that define who belongs and who doesn't. I recently worked with a videographer, someone who relocated to Barbados last year and who produces video documentary. Together, we recorded an interview with a Vincentian woman who wanted to tell her story of being harassed on the local bus by Police and Immigration authorities. (The state has recently taken to spot checking travelers' documentation to prove their legal status to live, work and reside in Barbados.) I am interested in collaborating in this kind of way, with individuals on projects that expand this discussion. In addition, I am collaborating with Canadian based, Barbadian visual artist, Joscelyn Gardner to launch a web-based project to facilitate critical discourse and opportunities for all kinds of interactions among artists and writers.

To find out more about Annalee Davis and these projects please check: http://creole-chant.blogspot.com/ and www.annaleedavis.com

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