Fresh Milk is pleased to welcome Shea Rose and Sasha Link to the platform as visiting resident artists from Boston, USA during the month of June.
Shea is a recording artist, singer songwriter and music for social change activist, performing and writing in the genres of Soul/Rock/Hip-Hop/Jazz and Spoken word. Her Fresh Milk residency project will see her investigating and exploring her identity and family lineage with the aim of creating a sound installation exploring home, identity and self-acceptance. Her goal is to create and perform three musical compositions around these themes using voice/guitar/percussion (singing/spoken word/rap), interactions, conversations and experiences that Shea encounters during her time in Barbados. The compositions will be accompanied by a visual component. Shea is hoping to collaborate with artists/musicians/spoken word artists/dancers from Barbados on this project.
Accompanying Shea is Sasha Link, a nonfiction creative writer and photographer. In addition to producing a photographic series on her residency, Sasha will be offering creative writing and spoken word workshops to students at Workmans Primary School, St. Gabriel’s School and St. George Secondary School.
They held their first working session yesterday, June 11th, with local artists Adrian Green (spoken word artist), Sky Larc (filmmaker), Jomo Slusher (musician), Reyshad Selman (musician), Janelle Headley-Newton (singer and Director of Operation Triple Threat), and members of the band Nexcyx: André Clarke, Chadd Ifill, Kris Clarke, Mahalia Cummins and Russell Padmore. Shea and Sasha introduced their projects to the artists, and they will now move forward with possible ways to collaborate during the residency.
Take a look at some images from the session below, and look out for a video to come by Neil Marshall. Follow Shea’s blog My Angel Wears a Fro for her updates on her and Sasha’s time in Barbados.
FRESH MILK would like to thank the US Embassy for supporting this exciting collaborative project.
Our last week began with a trip to Harrison’s Cave. We elected to do the walking tour, the guide was patient with us and gave us ample time to shoot videos of our “little dolls”. We thought the caves were spectacular and well worth the visit. The peculiar forms, continual dripping sounds, humidity and darkness combine to create a mysterious, prehistoric ambiance. After emerging from the depths of the caves, the fresh air above was welcomed in our lungs.
We kept busy with videos the last week. Our puppets went on many excursions where we improvised performances, intuitively working with the surroundings. We reviewed all of our footage and began the editing process. This was the most tedious part, but we found it rewarding and exciting to see the puppets come to life through movement. We did not find all footage successful, but we agreed that many moments intrigued us and made us laugh such as the unexpected moments captured on camera. A lot of these snippets were edited into our short video “sketches” that we presented publicly on our final night.
On May 30th along with Matthew Kupakwashe Murrell we presented what we worked on during our residency at Fresh Milk. We enjoyed seeing excerpts from Matthew’s play being performed by the actors. We hung our 10 completed puppets in our former studio space and projected 11 short videos. It was a crucial time for us to get some feedback on the work, as we must now digest and process what we’ve accomplished and determine a path for continued development. We were happy with the turnout and pleased to see many familiar faces and the feedback provided raised interesting questions and things for us to consider going forward, particularly in regards to the videos and the relationship between the puppets and their environment.
Our puppets boarded the plane with us and successfully made the journey north to Canada. They have already complained about the cooler temperatures and lack of ocean breeze – some even miss the singing frogs. We plan on taking the puppets out so that they may explore their new surroundings, some may need adjustments and we will likely have to make them some new friends to ease in this transition. We foresee some sweaters and toques after the summer ends. FM provided an excellent and encouraging platform for us to freely experiment with this new body of work and new partnership.
We are both thrilled with our experiences at FM. So many people welcomed us into their studios and homes, we passed many evenings in the company of new friends. We want to thank everyone who contributed to making our residency rousing and fulfilling, in particular: Annalee, Joscelyn, Ewan and the Davis’. A special shout-out as well to Rico & Mikka for their determined and steadfast companionship and protection.
We soaked up every last minute of our trip to Barbados; we are changed from our time at Fresh Milk and for us it was the first step in a collaboration we expect will continue in London, Ontario as we are both delighted and motivated by our production at Fresh Milk.
Thanks to Sammy Davis for producing this video showcasing our eleventh event, and the work of Canadian visiting resident artists, Marla Botterill and Conan Masterson, as well as local playwright Matthew Kupakwashe Murrell.
For more FRESH MILK clips, be sure to check out our Videos page.
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.
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.
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!
We begin learning the rules of gender performance at birth from the compulsory colors we are dressed in to being told “girls don’t do this” or “boys don’t do that”. Performance art can be an effective tool for exaggerating the performative aspects of gender identity in order to comment on the societal limitations that come with whatever gender box we check off. Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow and Alberta Whittle are two interdisciplinary artists who utilize performance to comment on many issues, including gender and sexuality.
Jodie invited me to her live/work space in Ridgewood, Queens on a Tuesday evening after work. Appropriately when I went to visit Jodie she was baking banana bread. Both Jodie and Alberta have performed pieces that involve distributing bananas to audience members, though in different contexts.
Jodie’s performance, Crop Killa, “references Jamaica’s once self sufficient agriculture to its economic decline partially due to loans by IMF and the World Bank in the mid 1970’s”. Alberta’s performance, Hustle de Money, is a “critique of the visual language and gender stereotypes dominant in fete [party] posters” in Barbados.
Even though Jodie and I are good friends I learned a lot about her work from this interview. Alberta and I had a long deep conversation about gender performance and the global dangers that women face daily from street harassment to rape and kidnapping.
It was enlightening speaking with both Jodie and Alberta and I have much more footage than I could possibly fit into this video. Hopefully when I edit the full-length documentary it will give viewers an opportunity to get a better sense of these two amazing artists.
Special thanks to kiza, who is based in Serbia and provided the music for this video.
Born in Manchester, Jamaica, Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow is a multidisciplinary artist who received a BFA at University of Florida (New World School of the Arts) in 1996. In 2005 she attained an MFA from Hunter College, New York City. Her work has been exhibited and performed nationally and internationally at venues including Exit Art (NYC), Rush Arts Gallery (NYC), Amelie A. Wallace Gallery at SUNY Old Westbury College (NY), Scope Art Fair (FL), The Queens Museum of Art (NY), Third Streaming LLC (NY), Rush Arts Gallery (NYC), Open Contemporary Art Center (Beijing, China), Art Museum of the Americas (Washington, DC), A.I.R. Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), SOHO 20 (NYC), MoCADA (Brooklyn, NY), Grace Exhibition Space (Brooklyn, NY), ‘’Gwangju International Media & Performance Art Festival’’ at the Gwangju Bienalle (Gwangju, SOUTH KOREA) and Edna Manley College for Visual and Performing Arts (Kingston , JAMAICA). She is also a Rema Hort Mann award nominee and a 2012 NYFA Fellow in Interdisciplinary Art.
Through a feminine perspective Lyn-Kee-Chow uses allegories to navigate issues of the body, desire, and nature while weaving in humor, absurdity, and familiar objects. She lives and works in New York City.
Alberta Whittle is a Barbadian artist, who graduated from the Masters programme at Glasgow School of Art in 2011. Whilst a student she participating in the exchange programme at Concordia University in Montreal. Since graduating, Whittle completed a commission for the Museum of London, where she presented an interactive installation, referring to migration and displacement. Whittle has undertaken numerous international residencies, including CESTA (Czech Republic), Market Gallery (Scotland), Fresh Milk (Barbados) Collective Gallery (Scotland) and Greatmore Studios (South Africa). She choreographs interactive installations, interventions and performances as site-specific artworks in public and private spaces, including at the Royal Scottish Academy and has exhibited in various solo and group shows in Europe, South Africa and the Caribbean.
In 2013, Whittle has received an award from the Royal Scottish Academy Residencies for Scotland to undertake two residencies at Hospitalfield House and at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop. In 2014, Whittle will be travelling to Norway and Johannesburg for a residency and exhibitions.
She is currently in Cape Town preparing for an exhibition at the Centre for African Studies and participating as a researcher at Joule City’s Artist Incubator Project, focusing on visual and aural culture.
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