Category: Events

FRESH MILK XI

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We’re delighted to share some images from FRESH MILK XI, which took place on Thursday May 30th from 7:00 – 8:30pm. The event featured local and international resident artists Matthew Kupakwashe Murrell, Marla Botterill and Conan Masterson sharing works produced during their recent Fresh Milk Residencies.

A reading from 'The Brightest Red'

Matthew, a Barbadian playwright and actor, presented a reading of an excerpt from “The Brightest Red – The Life and Death of I’Akobi Maloney,” which he began writing on the Fresh Milk platform:

I chose this topic because it spoke to me. I’Akobi Maloney and I are both born the same year, 6 months apart. Two weeks after his crossing, I remembered being stopped and harassed by a policeman for no reason. At the time I had an afro which I wore wild and drove a car many wouldn’t be proud seeing. But like I’Akobi, I was an intelligent young man scrutinized not for what is in my head but what is on top of my head. I do believe in the work of ICAR, The Justice Committee and the Maloney Family to fight for justice. This could happen to anyone’s son and anyone’s daughter. 

–         Excerpt from Matthew Kupakwahse Murrell’s residency blog.

To watch clips of the performance, featuring actors Levi King, Kim Weekes, Deevon Clinton, Adrian Green, Joseph Volney, Dorhonda Smith and Teila Williams, click here.

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Canadian visual artists Marla and Conan showcased their collaborative video shorts and puppets created from materials found around the Fresh Milk premises and Barbados:

In conversations with the people here we’ve learned of the caves beneath us.  As fellow resident, Mathew Kupakwashe Murrell pointed out to us, the whole island is formed over limestone caves.  Is this a space where are puppet characters could come from?  Have they bubbled up from the dark, damp, mysterious caves beneath to the lush, sun-filled land above?  How long have they been here?  How have they evolved to live on this island?  They are taking on characteristics of the vegetation, animal, insect, bird and amphibian life above, but there is an unnerving quality to them, they come from that place of mystery.  In the past two weeks we have jointly created a small ensemble of puppet creatures that will continue to grow but now we must listen to them, hear their stories and take them out of the studio and allow them to explore this island where they come from.

–          Excerpt from Marla Botterill and Conan Masterson’s residency blog.

The artists spoke about their residency experiences, which was followed by a Q&A session. Thanks so much to Matthew, Marla and Conan for a fantastic month – Fresh Milk will miss you, and we wish you all the best following your residency!

All photographs © Dondré Trotman

A Performative Moment – Presentation for Northern Kentucky University

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On Thursday May 16th, FRESH MILK presented a programme to group of visiting students from the department of theatre and dance at Northern Kentucky University, USA. Presentations were made by Barbadian artists Ewan Atkinson, Sheena Rose and Shanika Grimes, local playwright, actor and artist in residence Matthew Kupakwashe Murrell, our two international resident artists Marla Botterill and Conan Masterson, and our off-site resident artist Damali Abrams who joined us via skype. All of the participants engaged in discussion with the students on performance, and the many forms it can take in the arts.

All photographs taken by Mark King.

FRESH MILK X

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Video shot and edited by Sammy Davis

FRESH MILK X was held this past Sunday, February 3rd 2013, featuring our most recent resident artist, Malaika Brooks-Smith-Lowe showcasing her new film created during her residency, with a guest performance by Yardie Boy Theatre’s Kupakwashe and actor/director Russell Watson.

Malaika’s film titled ‘Off Track, Moving Forward,’ was a collaboration with Barbadian actor and Managing Director of Mustardseed Productions Varia Williams, and delves into the whirlwind of non-stop thoughts that everyone copes with in daily life, and the possibilities of allowing ourselves to just ‘be’:

Within the context of a global culture of “progress,” this video piece (4:30 sec) poses questions about our internal landscapes, as we navigate this rushing stream of forward motion. In the midst of it all, we often find ourselves spinning in whirlpools of our own thinking: caught up in our past experiences and our potential future ones. What are the repercussions of denying ourselves the opportunity to cultivate a sense of completeness? How do we find satisfaction within the smallest moment, before running off on a trail of other thoughts?

 We are ‘doing’ all the time, often even when we think we are not. We are constantly consuming materials, ideas, other people and their perceptions, with a skilful ease. So ‘connected’ that it becomes easy to confuse solitude with loneliness or boredom. Even in the company of others we often fall under the deadening weight of our doubts, fear and anxiety. We keep ourselves occupied, thinking, but as we feel the familiar murkiness of negativity, what happens when we allow ourselves to pause, become aware and just sit with whatever arises… What are the possibilities then? – Malaika Brooks-Smith-Lowe

Yardie Boy Theatre presented an excerpt from the play ‘Prisoner,’ also written by Kupakwashe:

Set in prison, John a convicted murderer is on death row being guarded by his older and unforgiving brother Winslow. A 25 minute play full of intensity, graphic in nature and volatile in words. Prisoner is a socio-political play that rides on the themes of ‘big brother is watching’ and ‘being a brother’s keeper.’

There were Q&A sessions held with all of the evening’s participants. As always, it was a pleasure for Fresh Milk to make new connections, and we will miss having Malaika’s presence and energy in the studio – but FRESH MILK X provided a fitting send off!

All Photographs © Dondré Trotman http://www.dondretrotman.com/

Photographs from the Artist Talk with Anna Christina Lorenzen and Alberta Whittle

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On Saturday December 15th, 2012 our resident artists Anna Christina Lorenzen and Alberta Whittle gave a presentation on both of their individual practices, in addition to their emerging collaborative projects. These new works in progress have seen them playing with the intersections they have found in their own work, as well as responding organically to new environments and surroundings.

Alberta Whittle is a Barbadian artist who returned home to take up a residency at Fresh Milk. Whittle’s work has undertaken some shifts to concentrate with greater intensity her research on hypersexuality in the Barbadian context. Focusing on the fete posters imagery of aspirational life styles and of men and women, she is interested in how these posters become a form of self-portraiture.

Anna Christina Lorenzen is a visual artist from Norway/Germany, who was a founding member of the studio collective, Bergen Atelier Gruppe (BAG). Through the historically and culturally universal medium of drawing, Lorenzen explores the seemingly never-ending cycle of visual representation of the body and the physical representation of the visual image of the body.

Lorenzen and Whittle met in Cape Town earlier in 2012 during a residency program at Greatmore Studios. They uncovered many parallels and meeting points in their individual practices. Whilst in South Africa, they began collaborating in generating performative situations and documenting these actions through photographic stills and video footage.

Thanks to Anna and Alberta for a very engaging talk, and we look forward to seeing how your work continues to evolve!