CARNIVAL 2013 - February 6-7th - A Pedestrian View of the Circularity of Carnival Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean

Carnival 2013.

A Pedestrian View of the Circularity of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, Port of Spain, February Tuesday 7th. Flagstaff to Port of Spain and back.

We left, Flagstaff at 1pm,
Starting down, Long Circular Road, where I met a set of murals, I will have to guess this was the mural project that the Regional Corporation did through out Trinidad and Tobago, in communities. Looking at them, I remember the discussion I had with Ms. Khadijah Ameen, Chairperson/Councillor, Tunapuna Regional Corporation. When she mentioned the project, that they will have to look at how they prepare the space for such an activity.

How you prepare a space and how the work in curated, can make a substantial difference in presentation. The young people that participated in the project would have benefited further, if this was done. I'm not saying that they didn't benefits.

There was and is some really wonderful expressions in the project. Making you want to stop and look at the what our people want to say. Its there. But once again the idea of placing art in schools or the creative education model comes up once again. I was told that there will be an architect that will be hired to work in the engineering department at The University of the West Indies, UWI. Opening the avenue for a design programme or school of architecture that could come out of the engineering department. Something interesting for what the space can look like at the end of the day. Or the other story to this is the arrogance that engineers already have, they will become more arrogant and feel that they are designers, becoming architects/designers, becoming all things to the state.

We reached Queens Royal College, QRC. the streets where empty. I wasn't feeling the frenzy of carnival that was there in 2012. When we were coming the people the energy was somewhat simple. OK lets get to the Savannah, maybe things will look up.

One thing was there, Dem fellas, the security, the rope men. Adorned in their yellow, dey boots, dey gloves. This extra
The paramilitary rope group.
Gangs of them, pulling plenty yellow rope to hold back their own. This has to be the one of the most of interesting phenomenas in modern carnival. The interesting twist to this is the black body is willing to extricate themselves from other black bodies. This class relations has to do with a lack of the middle class bottom being unable to negotiate the terrain the once played and big part of. being from the fields themselves and being able to move from there the bottom of the middle class has lost its ability to wine, to speak, to vacillate between men eyes and tongues. This lost for words have left nothing short, but to place security between the bottom and community.
BLACK HESITATION

sO the walk continued to the Savannah. Seeing the family, the horde of people sits with their friends, enjoying the coconuts, their home cooked meals, young teenagers enjoying their parents organizations. there in the dust of the Savannah the regulars sat. polite to witness the carnival, full in the knowledge that they are equipped with the rum, the food, the wine, and the friends.

 AROUND BP BUILDING 

WE STOOPED

  AT A FRIEND,

FOR FOOD

 DRINK.

THE AREA WAS PACKED THE ENERGY OF THE PEOPLE

WERE PRESENT ON THE STREET.

COMMERCE WAS ALIVE HERE.

CHINEE

WAS AROUND HERE

he from Santa Cruz.

The craft area was moved the area that it was usually and moved to the front facing the strip. There was a nice avenue happening, formed on dust, this dry season will bring fort pest and tired eyes.





THE CRAFT SHOP AREA



THE AVENUE OF CRAFT SHOPS.
 

THE MEMORIAL SQUARE.

HERE WE MET UP WITH THE BANDS,

WE SAW,

WE NEGOTIATED,

THROUGH THE CROWD TO START HEADING SOUTH TO CHARLOTTE STREET.



When I saw this.
THIS WAS REPRESENTATIVE OF
ORIGINAL AESTHETICS,
FORM,
ATTITUDE.

WALKING DOWN CHARLOTTE STREET
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME
I FELT THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE,
ORIGINAL ENERGY,
ORIGINAL MASS,

ALTHOUGH THEY HAD TO TURN DOWN THERE MUSIC WHILE PASSING THE HOSPITAL.

i SAW FOR LITTLE TIME.

PEOPLE IN CARNIVAL.
NOT THE
TRIBE,
THE LEGACY,
THE HART...

 

 

HELL YARD

 

YO!

THE DRUM,
THE ENGINE ROOM,
THE RHYTHM SECTION.

WE NEED TO GET PAN BACK INTO CARNIVAL
ON THE STREET.

WE WILL HAVE TO LEGISLATE
DAT!

NEGOTIATING THE SPACE BETWEEN THE MASS AND THE VENDOR
WAS AN INTERESTING SKILL THAT IS NEEDED IN THE PEDESTRIAN.
JUMPING FROM STREET TO PAVEMENT TO STREET,
WHILE AT THE SAME TIME EATING AH BAKE AND SHARK TAKES SPECIAL TRAINING, THAT COMES FROM A DIPLOMA AT THE SCHOOL OF PEDESTRIAN ISM...

WE WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT HE DESIGN OF VENDORS THAT WILL ALLOW FOR A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF SPACE THAT WILL EXIST BETWEEN THE ROPE AND THE VENDOR.

PLUS THE CARNIVAL BAND CANT TAKE UP THE WHOLE STREET.
WHA DE F*&K WITHDAT

DE PHI PAN

DE VENDOR.
AS DESIGNERS
LET WE DESIGN SOME VENDOR
STALLS FOR DE NCC.

YO ALLISON!
LET WE GET DESIGN IN CARNIVAL.

WALKING ALONG THE STREETS,
ITS SOLITUDE WAS SWEET,
FOR A MOMENT I FELT THE TREMBLE OF MY SENSES,
THOUGHTS OF DARKNESS,
LONELINESS OF THE STREETS,  
WHERE A MAN CAN MEET HIS MAKER,
THE HISTORY OF THE STREETS,
BRINGS PRIDE,
THE HOSTILITY OF SPACE,
THAT CAN MAKE YOU CRY.

WHEN SUDDENLY A SMALL BAND OF MERRY PEOPLE,
TOTING MUSIC ON THEIR BACKS.
THEIR BELLY FULL,
THEIR JOURNEY SOLID,
AHEAD,
I LEAVE THEM AS THEY MOVE TOWARDS THE BRIDGE.
THE SAILORS LAUGH,
THEIR BOTTOM KNOW THE ROAD. 

AH LOVE DIS
THE DESIGN THAT JUMPS OUT AT YOU.

I HAVE SEEN THIS WHEEL PUSH MECHANISM THAT IS BEING USED TO HOLD UP THE FLAG.
PEOPLE ARE STILL THERE TO CARRY IT.

ONE WAS BROKEN AND DE BANNER MAN WAS CREATING HIS
OWN LITTLE DRAMA COMING UP WITH WAYS TO MOVE
THE BANNER.


THE SAILOR BAND
 FROM BELMONT.

LOVE THIS BAND,
JUST LOVE THIS BAND

LOOKING

AT THIS BAND I WENT BACK TO ART SCHOOL

WHERE I TRIED TO MOBILIZE CHILDREN TOYS IN AN INSTALLATION.

WHAT I SAW IN THE BELMONT BAND

WAS A PLAYFUL USE OF IMAGINATION ON THE EVERYDAY CONSUMER TOY OBJECT 

(U.S. PRODUCT VIA CHINA). DECONSTRUCTING THEIR POWER OF DISILLUSIONMENT, THEIR DISTORTIONS OF DREAMS.

RE-EMPOWERING THE IMAGINATION OF PEOPLE WHO MAY FEEL POWER-LESS.

 

DIS IS CARNIVAL 

 

 

 

DEY SAY HE GOING TO

RIO.

 

WELL WHAT CAN I SAY BUT GOOD BYE,

 

THE BAND LOOK SWEET.

BUT AH MAN,

 WHO WHOLE IMAGINATION ARSENAL WAS BASED, CARVED OUT OF THE BACK OF ANOTHER MAN.

CANT BE CRITICAL ABOUT THE EMPTINESS OF CARNIVAL.

 

 DEAR,

 BRIAN MC FARLAN,

SWEET WORDS,

FILLED IN WITH COLOUR,

BEAUTIFUL BODIES,

CRAFTED BY NIBBLE HANDS...

TRACED.

YOUR VOICE,

 A SIMPLE VERSION,

A MUTTERING ECHO,

CAN ONLY BE APPLAUDED IN A CITY BROKEN,

FILLED WITH MEN OF STRAW,

FEEBLE MINDED,

THEY SOON FORGET.

IN THIS COUNTRY OF OLD MEN,

ODDER MEN DECEIVE ART.  

 

SHALL WE LEAVE THIS CITY,

NAH NOT YET.

I STILL MUST BURY MY

SWORD.

 

 



THE GARBAGE PICK UP WAS SEEN AROUND DOING ITS THING.



SO WAS THE POLICE.

GREEN CORNER.
I REMEMBER HERE WAS A ROUGH SPOT.
IT MUST HAVE BEEN AROUND HERE THAT MAY HAVE STARTED THE ROPE THING.
DEM FELLAS WAS BRUTAL ON THE BOTTOM.
THERE WHERE TWO SPACES THAT HAD A REPUTATION WITH THE GANGSTA OR WILD MEN.
GREEN CORNER
AND
PRINCESS BUILDING GROUNDS (NAPA).

THINGS CHANGE?

DESIGN DREAD!

DESIGN BOY.

 

I MET MR. WITH HIS HOME MADE BOTTLE

CARRIER AND WOW!

 

THIS IS WHAT i TALKING ABOUT

THIS IS CARNIVAL!

 



HE MENTIONED THAT I GUY PAID HIM SOME MONEY TO TAKE A RIDE.

 

THIS WAS SO COOL TO SEE.

IT MADE MY DAY.

I GET HOPE FOR ME AND THE NATION WHEN I SEE THIS.

 

PEOPLE HAVE POWER.

TO BUILD,

ORGANIZE,

THEIR OWN ECONOMICS.

 

 

I HAS A CONVERSATION WITH A PERSON FROM SPAIN.

SHE MENTIONED THAT A CHILEAN FOUND THAT OUR CARNIVAL IS STILL RESERVED. THAT THE LEVEL OF LOVE MAKING AND DRUNKERDNESS WOULD BE MUCH MORE EXCESSIVE IN THEIR COUNTRY.

 

I MENTIONED THAT CARNIVAL STILL HAVE THE CARNIVAL BABIES AND IS FILLED WITH DUBIOUS BEHAVIOUR.

WE MUST ALL RECOGNIZE THAT CARNIVAL IS FILLED WITH HOMES ARE TURNED INTO TEMPORARY MASS CAMP, FROM WORK PEOPLE SLAP ON ANOTHER CAP TO HUSTLE OUTSIDE THE FETE, THE CALYPSO TENTS, TRANSPORT,

PLAY PAN, MAKE PAN, STITCH CLOTH, MIX DRINKS,

PLAY MUSIC.

DIS IS AH HUSTLE SEASON.

AH COULD STILL HEAR DE MAN TELLING HE PADDNER

 

"MAN, AH CYAH TAKE TIME FOR YOU NOW, IT GO TAKE AWAY TIME FROM MEH HUSTLE" 

 

DIS WAS IN THE PANORAMA FINALS.

 

 

ARIPITA AVE.

 

 



 

 

STERLING. THE LOST MAS MAN.

THIS WAS ONE OF THE FEW LIVE BANDS I SAW
WE HAVE TO ALSO DEAL WITH THAT.
IT JUST CANT BE ONLY
DJ'S
ON THE STREET. 

 

ARIPITA AVE.

 

 



DE INDIAN BAND
THE TING WITH DE SMALL BAND AND DEM,
IS YOU FALL OVER DEM.
LIKE YOU EH, EH!
LOOK AH ROBBER BAND,
LOOK AH INDIAN BAND,
LOOK DE BLUE DEVIL,
TAP TAP
AH MOKKO JUMBIE BAND!

 

IT WAS SIX O'CLOCK

WHEN WE REACHED

ROXY ROUND ABOUT.

SO WE SAT AND

WAITED FOR THE REST OF THE POSSE TO REACH US. 

 

WE FOUND A NICE SPOT OPPOSITE THE ONE WOODBROOK PLACE AND WE WAITED.

WHAT I FOUND WHILE WE WAITED AT THE BUS STOP.

WAS THE HARSHNESS IN DESIGN,

THE ARROGANCE OF THE CORPORATE BUSINESS IN URBAN PLANNING AND THE LACK OF INTELLIGENCE IN DESIGN.

THE BUS STOPS DESIGN.

 

WE HAVE ALL SEEN THESE DESIGN AROUND THE CITY AND IN THEY OFFER A TIME TO SIT AND CATCH ONES SELF, WAIT FOR A FRIEND, WAIT FOR SOME TRANSPORT.

BMOBILE

AND

DIGICEL

ARE THE PERPETRATORS OF THIS CRIME.



 

AS YOU SIT THERE IS A GOOD VIEW OF PEOPLE YOU'RE COMFY AND SHELTERED.

BUT THERE IS SOMETHING SINISTER THAT IS HAPPENING.

 

 

THIS SINISTER NATURE LIES IN HOW THE DESIGN IMPEDES ON THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE.

AS BELOW AS A WOMAN PASSES, WHEN OTHER PERSON TRIES TO PASS BY.

SOMEONE HAS TO STEP INTO THE STREET.

IF THIS IS GOOD CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP,

OR

GOOD DESIGN MORALITY.

IT IS HERE THAT I UNDERSTAND WHERE WE'RE.

THIS IS THE ABSENCE OF CRITICAL THINKING IN

CITIZENSHIP.

IT REFLECTS THE NATURE OF OUR POLITICS.

COMMUNITIES,

ME,

YOU.

US.

 

 

WE DAM F*&KING CARELESS

ABOUT THE WAY WE

THINK.

WE HEAD HOME
7PM
WE REACHED HOME
9PM.
TRAFFIC.
WE LEFT OVER THE
LADYYOUNG ROAD,
UP THE PRIORITY BUS ROUTE,
BOOM HOME.

POST CARNIVAL