Never utter the word crime to me, never asked me for help, I resign from it all

A.T. Day 5

August 28, 2009

I was touched by your work. You described accurately how so many of us feel about T&T!Although I have been living overseas for 20 years, I am still saddened by the continuing rise in crime. I’ve asked myself many times, how bad does it have to get before it starts getting better? The truth is, nothing will change until we do something about it. You’ve made a positive step. Continue raising awareness !-  Tracey Drayton-Gomes

Can eight years of commitment to the topic of violence in boys as they grow to adulthood, culminating in the show Police an’Tief really change a nation?

I have asked this question about the power and purpose of Art.

I can now say,

definitively,

YES.

However one other thing is needed to make this statement true.

It is the reliance we place on each other.

We must make the effort to make these changes happen,they need not be elaborate, they can be as simple as looking someone in the eyes when talking to them. Then we will see through participation and genuine effort to change for the better that once started,simple acts will improve our well-being and that of those around us, leaving no need for shows like this… Adele Todd All Rights Reserved 2009

A documentary by Richard Bolai and Adele Todd

An artist project produced by Adele Todd and overseen by Richard Bolai. She is an embroider who spent five days in a place called the House to combat crime in her country. Since then from the 23rd of August, 2009, reports on homicide has dipped and in one place called Diego Martin, the daily bombardment of police, ambulance sirens and night helicopter surveillance have ceased. Let the flowers bloom once again

A detail of a handkerchief of which each of the thirty two were dabbed with either  perfume, cologne or baby power. This was to give a sence of memory and to remind the viewer that this was a person.

October 2rd, 2009

Today I got a call from RealArtWays telling me that they got a call from FexEx had held the box for security reason asking them to explain what exactly is ‘inside’ my embroidery.

I had to ask twice what was meant by the question? Did they think that perhaps I had infused the threads with some sort of drug?

The ingredient to my work is as follows-: Handkerchief linen, embroidery thread.

RealArtWays is one of the nation’s leading contemporary arts organizations is based in America.

A.T. Day 4

August 27, 2009

Tonight, walking into the space, I was struck not only by the silence and the stillness, but the continued power of the pieces.

I got right to work. I had a great deal to do.

The work that started it all was laid at my knees, and I contemplated where it had taken me.

I cleansed the space with candles that burnt down quickly.

when I was leaving, I was made aware of a commossion on the street ajacent to “The House’, some

plain clothes policemen where speaking to a man whom they suspected to be a…tief…

A.T. Day 3

August 26, 2009

Alone

As part of the invitation guests were asked to provide two small snacks. This was a small token in appreciation and as a sharing of communal offering.

A.T. Day 2

August 26, 2009

This morning I arrived and got the proof that I saught. Someone had indeed been in ‘The House’. It did not take any length of time to conclude what was going on. The gardeners had cut the lawn and they were about. I made them aware of who I was and what I was doing. But they declined to come in and look at the work.

Later however, one of the gentlemen wanted to know whether there was some sort of sermon being spoken and he asked to join. My guests opened the billowing curtains that separated him from us and we invited him to join. But again, he was skittish about coming in. Eventually he did pop his head in and tentatively look around and sprint back out again.

After my guests left, I heard him talking with other staff about a court case he had been involved in. I felt that indeed what was on the walls had permeated outside.

Some of the comments today had to do with the fact that at first the work may be something that might make you laugh. You may think them quaint, until you look again and you take in the details. The works theme creeps up on you.

A.T.Day 1

August 25, 2009

The day after the opening of the show, I observed that the gate was open. Someone had gotten into the room and trampled on one of my pieces. The footprint was evident on the front of the embroidery. The irony was that it was the image of the pomp and ceremony that the police engage in for Independence day, (August 31st.)

This set me back for a moment as I looked around the quiet space and my eyes alighted on the guest book. The night before as I was leaving I placed the pen inside the book. Today the book lay flat, sans pen? Did someone decide that it was not necessary? Did the ‘owner’ come for ‘their’ pen?

The day was quiet and I worked on two pieces in silver that I intend for a show in London. A friend called to find out about the hours…10:30 to 3:30 until Friday. We were interrupted by a loud blaring on her side, the sound of loud speakers egging on the government of the day and an odd plaintive wailing of dogs as though sensing death. What an eerie moment

Later in the afternoon things picked up. One lady was very taken by what she was looking at and she said to me, what a sacrifice to take this energy on. It cannot be easy to sacrifice this way to show us these things.Did you work this small, make such small stitches to say that crime is to become smaller and smaller?

I found the comment unexpected and remembered my show in 2000, Hit! A visual documentation on domestic violence. Such an atmosphere seems to encourage tyes of introspection that go beyond the parroted exclamations that the newspaper headlines encourage. Somehow the gallery space makes one more mindful.

A documentary by Richard Bolai and Adele Todd

Alister’s house was located in Barataria, Trinidad West Indies. Thieves broke in (Young Boys) and they were caught by the police, she was not home. That day, the police said not to touch anything. Every draw was open, clothes and other possessions were scattered about. The next morning her house was torched and burnt to the ground. She was a pinnacle resident from the community for 60 years

A Great Day in Trinidad and Tobago’s History – A.T.

August 23, 2009

Congrats on a courageous undertaking – Janine Mendes-Franco Global Voices

Today I ended a chapter in my work from many perspectives. Ended is a large body of embroidery on violence in Trinidad and Tobago. Certainly it is not the last of making these pieces that I have focused on for a decade. Yet, ended is the requirements taken to research this topic.

The space chosen for this departure was the University of the West Indies. A space called ‘The House’, on Warner Street. An old colonial bungalow, practically forgotten. Used for classes, but bereft of care.

The show continues to the 28th of August, 2009.
Titled Police an’ Tief, I look at crime in Trinidad and Tobago from four perspectives.
The police,
The criminal,
The judiciary and
The victims.
The colour choices for each grouping:
grey,
brown,
yellow
and
white.

Walking into “The House’ was a sight to behold, alot of work needed to be done to get it in shape. In some ways the house was a testament to the state of Trinidad today. On the one hand, the past stared me in the face in the guise of the old abstract patterned curtains, dusty with wear.
Many made promises, empty from the start. No one really wants to touch this topic. They will talk, and tell you how brave, how talented, how important. But they stay away from this issue.

Nonetheless,this is a tribute to all of those who stay, the photographers in our society who take the thankless, sad pictures of our fellow men felled in service, the crying victims, the arrogant perpetrators…

The POWER OF THREAD is the point of my works.

Remember Duty – Adele Todd

August 22, 2009

Never expect people, who represent Titles to do something other than to benefit themselves

Adele Todd working out the details over the installation of her work.

Preparing the day before the opening, Baby power dashed to remind oneself of dignity

Works being installed in the corridor, the House, University of the West Indies, Trinidad.

Win Lose or Draw

A Nation decides on her future

It may not have come from to place of the heart, but it brought a sense of debate at a moment in Trinidad and Tobago’s history. On the wall of the old racing paddock at the Queen Park Savannah, a graffiti artist has painted quite crudely a four letter word with significant meaning to citizens of any country who have constitutional right too.

Nationale Plakat kunst

Only fools repeat fools

“I, having been elected a Member of Parliament do swear by … (solemnly affirm) that I will bear true faith and allegiance to Trinidad and Tobago, I will uphold the Constitution and the law, and will conscientiously and impartially discharge the responsibilities to the people ofTrinidad and Tobago upon which I am about to enter.”

The stencil of the man with his hand raised is the Prime Minster of Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago, a democratic and Independent state will send its citizens to vote in general elections, November, 2007.

The graffiti artist responsible for this work has included the swastika from Sanskrit which is an equilateral cross with its arms that form at right angle. The symbol was part of the Flag of the National Socialist German Workers Party from 1920-1945. Top; a stenciled image of a politician on a wall in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Below; Detail of the work. This and other types of graffiti are popping up around Port of Spain in the efforts to encourage people to think before electing for electing sake.

The Republic for which we stand

Whereas the People of Trinidad and Tobago - August 1, 1976

A wedding in Port of Spain

1. have affirmed that the Nation of Trinidad and Tobago is founded upon principles that acknowledge the supremacy of God, faith in fundamental human rights and freedoms, the position of the family in a society of free men and free institutions, the dignity of the human person and the equal and inalienable rights with which all members of the human family are endowed by their creator;

Windshield wipers boys in Woodbrook

2. respect the principles of social justice and therefore believe that the operation of the economic system should result in the material resources of the community being so distributed as to subserve the common good, that there should be adequate means of livelihood for all, that labour should not be exploited or forced by economic necessity to operate in inhumane conditions but that there should be opportunity for advancement on the basis of recognition of merit, ability and integrity;

A tyre worker in Princess Town

3. have asserted their belief in a democratic society in which all persons may, to the extent of their capacity, play some part in the institutions of the national life and thus develop and maintain due respect for lawfully constituted authority;


A man with a glass vial at Green Corner, Port of Spain

4. recognize that men and institutions remain free only when freedom is founded upon respect for moral and spiritual values and the rule of law;

Dancing on carnival Tuesday

5. desire that their Constitution should enshrine the above-mentioned principles and beliefs and make provision for ensuring the protection in Trinidad and Tobago of fundamental human rights and freedoms.

The constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (Preamble)

National Treasure – Carlisle Chang

 

What our flag may have been – “Some of dem wanted Sugarcane, Coco pods, Hibiscus, Humming bird……some of them wanted fourteen colours on the flag”.

See his interview regarding the design of Trinidad and Tobago’s national Flag on youtube

Trinidad and Tobago became an independent nation forty-five years ago this last month. In the supplements put out by various newspapers there was information about the flag, coat of arms and other symbols of our independence. The creator of the previously mentioned was credited as the “Government Art Officer” or some such title. That would have been the late Carlisle Chang. Chang had been part of the early Art Society movement with Amy Leong Pang, Hugh Stollmeyer and Sybil Atteck though he was their junior. From an early age, his fascination with the art world was ably encouraged by his mother and his older sister Beryl and he was to distinguish himself receiving art scholarships to study in Britain and Italy.

Despite his brilliance, he returned home to live the life of the artist. Chang was a profound influence on many people, author included but the value of his contribution to our very Trinidadianess cannot be discounted. Though a noted painter who generally sold work off his easel, he gave up the brush in 1967 to explore public works of art in the form of large sculptures. In 1958, he designed the Coat of Arms for the West Indian Federation. This at a time when Caribbean personalities abounded, Norman Manley, Eric Williams, Grantley Adams, it is instructive to observe that the honour did not go to Edna Manley, herself a noted artist but to Chang. He went on to design the TnT Coat of Arms, itself a painstaking experience with meticulous research in heraldry and symbols. Always a scrupulous researcher and even more so when it came to his work, his design is not only correct in terms of heraldic protocol it is reflective of the time and his own sense of nationality.Incidentally, he was also a member of the committee that was responsible for the flag and insignia, though he never said publicly, he was the driving force of the committee and it is probably Carlisle that we have to thank for our beautiful red, black and white.

Chang was also to sculpt some of the most influential works of public art in Trinidad and Tobago, his murals, “The Inherent Nobility of Man”, “Conquerabia” and a host of others at the Central Bank, City Hall and Textel. He pioneered the use of fiberglass as a sculpture material and left behind a legacy that has never been matched. Through his long life, he received many awards and was recognized in several areas but Chang’s greatest contribution to Trinidad and Tobago was his independence work and the support that he gave to several generations of artists. For this alone his name should be mentioned in the textbooks. – Natasha

Retro Series – Eric Williams Decrees

“There can be no Mother India for those whose ancestors come from India…There can be no Mother Africa for those of African origin…there is no Mother England and no dual loyalties….there can be no Mother China even if one could agrees to which China is the Mother; and there can be no Mother of Syria or no Mother of Lebanon. A nation, like an individual can have only one Mother. the only Mother we recognize is Mother Trinidad and Tobago and Mother cannot discriminate between her children.”

From the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Eric Williams, and his vision for a young nation 10 years after its independence. – thebookmann

Love Note T&T

In meh wallet

Money to all people has significance. For those who have and to the others who need, it’s really a method of bartering for the efforts toiled in work. Many individuals spend their entire lives confined by it and others exploit the use of it. To some, money has more value than a human life and people have been killed for it. Nations such as Trinidad and Tobago were born from it. The latter as an exchange in human commodities in trade.

But when the heart needs to part and find its way in poetry, what more to give
your lover a few lines of prose written with a runny Bic pen, and on a paper as fine as legal tender. Then, from hand to hand, pocket to pocket, brassiere to brassiere, bank to bank and ash to ash, your love note will finally complete its journey. The following inscription on a filthy one dollar note:

As we go on

We remember,

All the time we spent together,

As our lives change

Come whatever,

I will always remember you,

love and Hurt,

Always

This specimen is a legal tender note of Trinidad and Tobago. The value of the ink printed on the linen paper is 15.8 cents (copper) to the US dollar. This is the current rate of international exchange on the money market, but not too far in the future, the T&T dollar will show its worth.

Adele’s comment;

I have been collecting money with graffiti on it for several years. For the show that I did with Lisa Brice called Paradise, I was actually able to find a dollar bill before the show that had the words escape written in it on the horizon line of the scene on the back of the bill. I have come across a woman expounding the risks of casual sexual contact and its repercussions, both pregnancy and AIDS risk. I have come across bills with numberings in the corner that clearly came from shops who needed to know how many hundreds, twenties and what not that day. I came across the bill stated above, sloppy, sentimental ‘love tender.’ They all have their stories to tell, and they speak of a nation where currency is a paper that represents as much about emotion as consumption.

Other notable inscriptions

1.One bread

2. Soft candle

3. Lotto

4. Power milk (small)

5. Chicken foot ( 2 packs)

6. Tea biscuit

7. Pack of cheese

I have not found a defaced bill in a long time, but many years ago I did come across a bill that had stayed too long in circulation and separated neatly into two pieces of paper. I did the delicate surgery myself with the intention of using it for a future show on nationalism. So I too have been caught up in the meaning of our pretty money. As I removed the thin strip that looks like pencil down the middle, I felt as though I were performing an autopsy. It was a sacred thing somehow to handle our money that way, and II got rather sentimental as I thought of our independence and pride in seeing Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago and not the face of the Queen. -Adele