Anisah Wood’s Residency – Week 3 Blog Post

July 4, 2016July 4, 2016Leave a comment

Resident artist in the 2016 ‘My Time’ Local Residency Programme, Anisah Wood, writes about her third week on the Fresh Milk platform. While questioning her future as a working artist and being faced with professional decisions, Anisah was able to gain inspiration from a session of her Quid Pro Quo skills exchange programme led by Akhaji Zakiya about creative business practices, as well as observing the current resident in the collaborative National Cultural Foundation & Fresh Milk Emerging Directors Residency programme, Renelde Headley. Read more below:

Week 3 flew by leaving only fragments for contemplation. Much of these scattered pieces revolved around the possibilities for my next step. It could be that it finally dawned upon me that I have only one week remaining in this residency, or maybe it was the looming deadline to apply for a teaching position. But then again, do I really want to teach within the governmental system? Furthermore, how will I balance a productive artistic career while working any 9-5 job? Or will my young artistic career fall onto the back-burner and be reduced to a thing of the past? Nah, I don’t think so. I’m determined to continue. And if I don’t, I humbly ask you, reader, to kindly remind me of this testimonial.

Sheena Weekes, Akhaji Zakiya, Anisah Wood and Torika Bolatagici (and baby Kamasi!), participants in the Quid Pro Quo Skills Exchange Programme

Launch of the NCF and Fresh Milk collaborative Emerging Directors Residency

Moreover Akhaji provided some timely suggestions during her Quid Pro Quo session. She kindly gave us the opportunity to list our concerns and potential challenges and provided ways in which these can be countered. It was definitely the encouragement that I needed to go forth and conquer. I also received further encouragement observing Renelde, a recent addition to the residents, take on the 2 week Emerging Directors Residency. It was so great being able to converse with someone within another aspect of the artistic sector and to observe their process.

Renelde Headley, Katherine Kennedy and Anisah Wood

Now I’m about to enter my final week. I can already tell its going to be hectic with a public presentation in addition to the final Quid Pro Quo experience back to back. Nevertheless I will savor these last days at Fresh Milk.

Fresh Milk and the NCF launch Emerging Directors Residency Programme

June 24, 2016June 24, 2016Leave a comment

Fresh Milk is very pleased to announce the launch of the Emerging Directors Residency Programme, our collaborative initiative with the National Cultural Foundation Barbados (NCF) in support of up-and-coming local theatre directors.

This programme, which officially began on June 20, 2016, will see two young Barbadian creatives undertake residencies based at Fresh Milk which will provide them with an opportunity to conduct much needed research into Caribbean theatre heritage and to explore and create through theatre form and style.

L-R: Matthew Murrell (participant in the Emerging Directors Residency), Andrea Wells (Chief Cultural Officer, NCF), Renelde Headley (participant in the Emerging Directors Residency), Amanda Cumberbatch (Cultural Officer, Theatre Arts, NCF) and Annalee Davis (Founding Director, Fresh Milk)

The launch at the Fresh Milk studio was attended by representatives from Fresh Milk and the NCF, and created a platform to announce the two successful candidates for this first edition of the programme: Renelde Headley and Matthew ‘Kupakwashe’ Murrell. Renelde will be taking part in the first residency period, which runs from June 20 – July 1, 2016 and Matthew’s residency will be held from September 5 – 16, 2016.

As part of the critical development aspect of this residency, the participants will be mentored by established theatre professionals, beginning with Trinidadian playwright and teacher Rawle Gibbons who will interact with and give feedback to Renelde during the course of her residency.

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About the Residents & their Projects:

Renelde Headley

RESIDENCY PROJECT: ‘YELLOWMAN’

The proposed play is Yellowman by African-American playwright Dael Olandersmith, a two-hander. Yellowman is to be explored and developed through postmodern and experimental techniques. This approach would allow for symbolic parallels to be drawn and explored between the Southern American and Barbadian experiences of race, class and identity as well as explore a contemporary Barbadian aesthetic. To do this, the director seeks to explore and develop elements that are distinctly Barbadian despite the juxtaposition of the source material’s origins. Simultaneously, the director seeks to investigate and cultivate her own creative and aesthetic identity through this piece.

RENELDE HEADLEY BIO:

Confident, 6ft 2, 175 pounds, Renelde Headley is set on world domination, with the power of Love and Creativity. Through singing, acting, dancing, directing and any other art form she chooses to master, she is determined to spread her message of empowerment and freedom worldwide. She cautions that “Freedom comes with the responsibility of being aware of others and their right/desire to be free. – Mankind must not lose his compassion.” She hopes that through her self-expression and work, she can share concepts that encourage others to embrace and unify their multifaceted selves.

‘Maco’s Revenge’, Selfie break during Mustardseed ensemble rehearsal. Mustardseed Productions, 2016. Dir. Renelde Headley

“It is possible to be strong, no nonsense and sensitive all at once.” To this end she is often drawn to work that explores Identity – be it cultural, social, racial or personal. This because the various concepts of identity that exist, though constantly evolving or perhaps sharing similar elements, offer unique perspectives that inform the way the world functions: this, in turn, allows constant investigation and experimentation.

With her positive attitude, critical eye and arsenal of talents, Renelde will prove by example that being tough and sensitive don’t have to be juxtapositions. You can enjoy every minute of life just being yourself, once you “…know who you are and strive to be the best of who that is.”

Matthew ‘Kupakwashe’ Murrell

RESIDENCY PROJECT: ‘BARBADOSED’

In this project, I would like to explore the concept once known as being Barbadosed. When the island’s existence was based on a punishment by the crown and neighbouring Caribbean islands. Through our modern history, we have been told that Barbadians are passive, but has our history shown that, or is that something current? Our history has shown we have had a bloody history more than most English speaking islands, torture devices have been invented here, land disputes have caused death, political prisoners were sent to be punished here and not to mention human trafficking. Our Barbadian historians and cultural activists have disputed the notion of Bajans being docile. Barbadosed will expose many true events of the atrocities that occurred on This Island in the Sun, the Gem of the Caribbean Sea. This project will utilize elements of acting, dancing, singing and performance poetry.

MATTHEW MURRELL BIO:

Through my company, Yardie Boy Theatre, we like to explore social themes that affect young Caribbean voices. Some may perceive us to be controversial for tackling such themes as religion, gender and sexuality and socio political. Many concepts of directing have been explored such as divisive theatre, use of music, dance and performance poetry. A young people’s theatre company that is highly inspired by everything culturally Caribbean.

‘De Angry Black Boy Tantrums’. Scene: ‘My Judical Family – Dre & Sista’. Actors: Deevon Clinton (‘Dre’), Ayesha NuRa Delpeche (‘Sista’). Dir. Matthew Kupakwashe Murrell

Such works include ‘De Angry Black Boy Tantrums’ (pictured above) which delves into the oppression of the Caribbean black man in the 21^st Century. ‘Demons in Me’, when four young people battle inner demons while under scrutiny of the society. ‘The Brightest Red’ a piece dedicated to the memory of young intellectual Rastafarian, I’Akobi Maloney.

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About the Mentor:

Rawle Gibbons

Rawle Gibbons is a playwright and a teacher. Born in Belmont, Trinidad in 1950, between 1970 and 1984 he lived mostly in Jamaica, attending UWI and teaching at the Jamaica School of Drama. He returned to Trinidad and in 1986 was appointed to the newly established Creative and Festival Arts Centre at UWI, St. Augustine. He has written A Calypso Trilogy. Most of my recent productions have been collectively devised with my students at UWI. Since retiring from the UWI, I’m a director of Caribbean Yard Campus, a network for the development of Caribbean indigenous knowledges.

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This project is a collaborative initiative, supported by the NCF Barbados

FRESH MILK XIX

June 22, 2016Leave a comment

The Fresh Milk Art Platform is pleased to present FRESH MILK XIX, taking place on Monday, June 27, 2016 from 6-8 pm. The event will feature Fijian-Australian artist Torika Bolatagici and Barbadian artist Anisah Wood, who are in residence at Fresh Milk for the month of June.

Torika will be speaking about both her own work and that of a selection of Pacific artists in a talk titled ‘Seeing the Black Pacific’. Anisah – the winner of the 2016 ‘My Time’ Local Artist Residency – will make a presentation about her practice and residency experience so far, as well as have an open discussion with Torika about her work.

This event is free and open to the public. Directions to Fresh Milk can be found on the ‘About Page’ of our website here.

Seeing the Black Pacific

During her residency in Barbados, Fijian-Australian artist Torika Bolatagici has been exploring the historical, cultural and biotic similarities of the island cultures of Fiji and Barbados. With shared histories of British colonization, cannibal mythology, indentured labour, tourism and a declining sugar industry, there are as many parallels between the two countries as there are differences. Torika is interested in how contemporary artists from these respective regions respond to, reflect and represent the island cultures of Melanesia and the Caribbean.

In this presentation, Torika will give an overview of the diverse practices emerging from Australian-based artists of Melanesian and Indian-Fijian heritage.

From the series ‘Kikau Street’ © Mohini Chandra, 2015

‘Tabu (sacred)’ © Torika Bolatagici, 2014

From the series ‘The Blood Generation’ © Taloi Havini and Stuart Miller. 2009

‘In a Bind’ © Lisa Hilli, 2015

Cultural Heritage, Revival and Redress
Julia Mage’au Gray (Papua New Guinea)
Lisa Hilli (Papua New Guinea)
Dulcie Stewart (Fiji)

Performing Contemporary Oceanic Identities
Salote Tawale (Fiji)
Eric Bridgeman (Papua New Guinea)

Positioning the (Geo)political Pacific
Taloi Havini (Autonomous Region of Bougainville);
Mohini Chandra (Fiji)
Torika Bolatagici (Fiji)

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About the featured speakers:

Torika Bolatagici

Torika Bolatagici was born in Tasmania and spent the early years of her life living between Hobart, Sydney and her father’s village – Suvavou, Fiji.

Torika works across a range of media, including photography, video and mixed media site-specific installation. Her interdisciplinary practice investigates the relationship between visual culture, human ecology, postcolonial counter narrative and visual historiography of the Black Pacific. She is interested in exploring the tensions and intersections between gender, embodied knowledge, commodification, migration and globalization.

Torika’s work has been exhibited in New York, San Francisco, Mexico City, Yogyakarta and throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand and Australia. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at local and international conferences and symposia about the representation of mixed-race identity; Pacific arts practice in Australia and Fiji; representations of teachers and teaching in cinema; and gender and militarism in the Pacific.

In her role as Symposium coordinator for the Contemporary Pacific Arts Festival in 2013 and 2014, Torika curated multiple panels to extend the discourse around contemporary Pacific arts practice in Australia and invited speakers to reflect on themes such as art and activism, museums, collecting and curating, cultural appropriation and contemporary practice. She also produced the symposium publication Mana Motu.

As well as 11 years experience teaching at tertiary level, Torika also has experience facilitating youth arts workshops for the local Pacific community, most recently the Pacific Photobook Project in Melbourne and Sydney.

Torika also presents the Community Reading Room – a pop-up destination for research, community discussion and engagement around international visual arts and culture, with a particular focus on contemporary art and theory from Oceania, Africa and the Americas. The Community Reading Room has appeared at Colour Box Studio (2013) and the Footscray Community Arts Centre (2014).

Torika is a photography lecturer in the School of Communication and Creative Arts at Deakin University, Melbourne where she teaches contemporary theory and practice. She is currently undertaking a PhD at the School of Art and Design, University of New South Wales.

Anisah Wood

Anisah Wood is a visual artist based in Barbados. She is in the process of completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Barbados Community College with a major in Studio Art. Her practice involves video art, digital photography, and installation. She has had the privilege of exhibiting the results of her practice at the Punch Creative Arena, The National Arts Council Barbados and at various national arts competitions.

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Torika Bolatagici’s project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

Anisah Wood’s Residency – Week 2 Blog Post

June 22, 2016June 21, 2016Leave a comment

Barbadian artist Anisah Wood writes about the second week of her Fresh Milk ‘My Time’ Local Residency. The community outreach component of her residency, the Quid Pro Quo skills exchange programme, continues to be a highlight of her experience, as well as interacting and sharing knowledge with fellow resident Torika Bolatagici and reconsidering perceptions of the Caribbean space. Read more below.

Quid Pro Quo was indeed one of the highlights of the week. This particular session was hosted by Sheena Weekes, who enlightened us on the process of a medical examination. As we in the audience keenly listened and participated in the session, we also witnessed Sheena’s visible eagerness to extend her knowledge of the medical field to us. It was that enthusiasm shown by both parties coupled with the feeling of satisfaction having learned something new and practical, that convinced me that Quid Pro Quo was indeed a great idea that will benefit all involved.

I also had my first Hasselblad experience thanks to Torika Bolatagici. That was a heavy piece of equipment, but the experience of peering into the view finder at a flipped frame dwarfs the digital live view any day. However, I eventually returned to the digital world as my means of production. I’ve started editing another video to add to my body of work. As I engaged in this process, I found myself frequently contemplating on how my work can better address the peculiarities of the Caribbean space, and the various relationships as well as tensions that exist within it. What really is the Caribbean space? How is it on one hand interconnected and on the other hand fragmented? Inviting yet hostile? And how can my observations of these enquiries be represented? … I am still turning these thoughts over in my head and with each turn I unearth a new possibility.

Anisah Wood’s Residency – Week 1 Blog Post

June 13, 2016June 12, 2016Leave a comment

Recipient of the ‘My Time’ Local Residency 2016, Anisah Wood, shares her first blog post about her time on the Fresh Milk platform. Using this residency as an introduction to the wider art world after completing her BFA at Barbados Community College earlier this year, Anisah has gotten off to a positive start, using the Colleen Lewis Reading Room for research, connecting with fellow resident, Pacific artist Torika Bolatagici, and leading the first session of her Quid Pro Quo skills exchange programme. Read more below:

Showers of blessing.

The studio & Colleen Lewis Reading Room.

As a recent graduate, entering the art arena can seem quite daunting. While some prefer to plunge right in, my preference was to wet my feet first and make gradual strides into deep end of this art world. And they literally got wet on the first day of my My Time Local Residency at Fresh Milk by the torrential rain that drenched the island. Showers of blessing they call it, ringing in the island’s rainy season and my first residency.

During the days that followed I enjoyed making use of the Colleen Lewis Reading Room in my search for inspiration. Another joy was meeting Torika Bolatagici and her wonderful family. As she relayed to me the ins and outs of her home country and the Pacific Islands I was intrigued by the striking similarities between that region and the Caribbean. Another highlight of the week was the first session of the Quid Pro Quo skills exchange. For that session, I shared my knowledge of the game warri and photography. I must admit that I was a bit anxious about taking on the role of host for this session, and about providing a fair exchange of information. However, based on the feedback, the session went well *phew* and I was glad to make two new acquaintances from very diverse backgrounds. I eagerly look forward to informative exchanges over the upcoming weeks.

Quid Pro Quo skills exchange

Learning about warri at the Quid Pro Quo skills exchange

Photo by Anisah Wood.

Now that I have settled in I am hoping for an increase in momentum and intensify my work production. I am intrigued to see how a change in location will inform my work. These next few weeks will be exciting as I make my way to the deep end of the art arena.