Never say what you don’t mean Alice Yard Friday 6 November, 2009, at 7.30 pm

The Proyecto Capital installation opens to the public at Alice Yard …… Audience members can participate by taking the found coins away. All are invited – Alice Yard

An artist caught collecting a cent from a drain, Trinidad, West Indies in a project called, “Proyecto Capital” is a collaboration of three artists,  Alejandro Mina, Mar Molano and Michelle Isava

Source:  Proyecto Capital

Este proyecto parte de la observaciòn. En los recorridos hechos caminando por la ciudad de Puerto España es posible encontrar una gran cantidad de monedas en el suelo, aparentemente insignificantes para la mirada local, pero para la mirada forànea resulta llamativo en comparacion con la ciudad de Bogota y otras ciudades. La idea es recolectar las monedas de la calle y registrar el proceso para luego hacer una instalaciòn que pretende despertar reflexiones frente a este gesto de arrojar y recoger para luego reinsertarlas en la sociedad cambiando el valor capital por el valor simbòlico.

Michelle Isava writes:

“We have collected 500 5-cent coins, 987 25-cent coins, 498 10-cent coins, 7 50-cent coins (although they are no longer in use)…. This installation seeks to give value to what is not valued here in Trinidad. To foreign eyes, coins on the streets are an absurd enigma that represents the extravagance and wealth of Trinidad and Tobago.”

Soon after their The Proyecto Capital slide presentation at Alice Yard on Friday 6th November 2009, Alice Yard announced that guests were free to participate by taking away the found money all gathered in pile located in the centre of the gallery floor.  A man then walked to the installation, stooped down and preceded to collect the coins with a hand brush and dust scoop all the money in his bag. The Colombian artists began to panicked as they saw all their efforts being taken away. Only a  Cent was left behind  as a reminder to never  give away your money so freely for the work you have done to earn it. He then offered the money to the audience by allowing them to take a hand full from his bag. Some did, others did declined and then he left Alice Yard with total  sum of money estimated to be $300.00.

Miss Cassava, yeh eh see meh coming?

Me ain’t know why dem artise does do per-formance in middle of de road counting coins dem does find in nasty canal, deep pothole and drain. I does hope dem does wash dem finger and toe nail after. I big art installation and me scan d money already. Dem talk, dem show pict-ture, den dem clap. Talk over is show now to see. I see dis Cassava bleed inside she, when dem say TAKE DE MONEY IS FREE, is blight who say it and I obey he and full meh bag quick wit dust pan and brush. No pict-ture please.

Den all fight break out wit Alice Yard man who steups. Dem all looking like ass when realize is early. I say I offer dem de money and some take hand full and is right because de rest LEGALLY is mine. I take meh time, watch de woman bicycle at Brooklyn bar den is straight to Cassava Cassava and I ask she to put meh bag content in ah black plastic and plop it dead centre on she child bed like is show in de Alice Yard box. When Cassava reach she home, she bawl out, ” Oh Mami,” but is when she see de note and all de coins, is steups and laugh at de same time. If she open she el Espanol mout, is prison I sending she. Is lessen I teach dem whatless fools to give way prize so quick.

Christo hits Queen’s Royal College

The Queen’s Royal Collage wrapped with a large pinstripe canopy, Port of Spain, Trinindad

It may not be up for long, but the Queen’s Royal College is being fumigated. In exchange, it is a beautifully wrapped gift expressing Public Art similar from the works done from artists such as Christo. Sip your coconut water, eat your roti, appreciate the joggers that pass by the Queen’s Park Savannah, and enjoy a work of art at the Queen’s Park Savannah.

Buccoo Reef in Zurich

A peddler’s screen saver

Next to Lake Zurich, Switzerland, an artist executes a pavement painting using pastels in the hope that his effort may fill the empty cans that surround it

Zurich has its history as a banking capital, the region as I recall had narrow streets and hills. It also had a problem with drugs and addicts. In some restaurants, the washrooms are fitted with a blue light so that an addict cannot find his or her vein. Nevertheless, the Swiss are very sophisticated people whose decorum for proper etiquette may be expressed by a sample. In restaurants, your pet may be allowed to join you at the table.

The street artist sits at the edge of his chalk coral reef rendition

Monika Nicoletti has photographed a street artist who has a longing for the Caribbean sea and of the Buccoo Reef in Tobago. His pastel drawings is full of aquatic life swimming with coral fans, reef sharks and parrot fish. Yet, his pavement painting is a copy of a computer screen saver. Monika’s observation of the man is described in the following excerpts;

I was watching him for a long time. The painting looked like an illusion and from a certain angle, it was almost colourless. And from straight above, looked like a three dimensional mirage, and so real. When I asked him if I may take a picture, he proudly stopped painting and placed himself in a dignified position. Hours of work just to be washed away by the next rainfall, until his next street art in another city.

Monika Nicoletti is the author of a website called Pan-Jumbie. She archives any event related to the Steelpan in Zurich, Switzerland and around the world.

The Brian Lara Promenade Memorial

A model of the Brian Lara Promenade Memorial to the good, bad or indifferent. The subject, Andy James is etched on glass, a young man known as Canada and nicked name saltfish by many women from his district…..hmm. Source: Newsday newpaper

The ghostly image you see is an impression of one of the many people killed in Trinidad by some form of violence in 2008. As a statement to the deep concerns that we all share in Trinidad and Tobago, and for the senseless scourge of crime, the bookman and Adele offer this memorial to Trinidad and Tobago. The project culminated at the Brian Lara Promenade consists of a series of etched plates comprising of an epitaph with the names of the victims. Each plate is numbered. So far the murder figure since the year 2000 has reached over 2000 people. The memorial may be a place for reflection, memory and forgiveness.

The memorializing may lift the heavy burden which this country feels. The influx of crime is due by a general consensus by the introduction of American cable and the deportation of expiates from north America.

Older women to her neighbour; If I hear pow, pow, pow, I eh pulling meh curtaining to peep, I hitting the floor.

High Art in a low art state

A burnt out warehouse in Sea lots, Port of Spain as Red Black and White (depending on the changing sky), Trinidad West Indies

Both Adele and the bookman have conceptualized a public installation using an existing structure which is to be wrapped with red cord or rope. The proposed site is a burned out warehouse where only the steel rafters are still intact. The task would be to wrap the structure completely. The upper installation would be complemented by a reflective pool that extended the length of the structure.The piece could set Trinidad into the world of contemporary art if only a vision towards these sorts of projects exists.

thebookmann headers 1

I am not forgotten – a play on the male youth.

These two partitions are from four panels which were illustrations used as the backdrop for a theatrical play, I am not forgotten at the Central Auditorium in Port of Spain earlier this year. No much is known about the artist who was commissioned to do the set, but as one of the organizers says, he was capable of expressing the emotions that affect young men in Trinidad and Tobago. I am not forgotten was a venue used to voiced their concerns in theater at a time of their uncertain future. The fairly large airbrush paintings shows the passion which the artist executed the facial expressions of a man in the state of Joy, anger, sadness and contentment.

Laughter and grief as part of thebookmann header

The Great Sphinx at Beetham

For those tens of thousands of commuters who use the Beetham highway, a royal sculpture derived from Egypt is displayed off to the side at Beetham. This is a modern and smaller version of the Great Sphinx which is a lion with the face of a man. (Androsphinx) Scholars believe that the face of the Great Sphinx may be that of pharaoh Khafra. But here, on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, West Indies, the sculptor’s work is faceless, yet there is a large amount of pride with the mounted Sphinx. A bed of lilies are placed to the front of it.