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!
All photographs © Dondré Trotman
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/
FRESH MILK X will be held on Sunday, February 3rd 2013, 5:30-7:00pm at the Milking Parlour Studio, St. George (see our About page for directions).
Malaika Brooks-Smith-Lowe: Final Talk and Screening
Taking the platform at FRESH MILK X is Grenadian artist Malaika Brooks-Smith-Lowe, Fresh Milk’s current artist in residence. She will be screening her new short film featuring Barbadian actor and Managing Director of Mustardseed Productions Varia Williams (above).
Malaika’s Concept:
This short film will paint a portrait of a woman in her late twenties/thirties and her navigation, not so much through her life, but through her thoughts about her life. It will be an intimate meandering through the disjointed waters of her daily internal dialogue. As Stuart Hall has written, the past “…is always constructed through memory, fantasy, narrative and myth.” The site of this interpretation of our past experiences, and those of the people around us, is always located in the present. So, our moments of “now” are constantly occupied with reinterpretations and reshuffling of our past in relation to what we are encountering anew. This film seeks to explore the complex and ever fluctuating relationships that we have with our experiences and the sense of being/ego that is built around these experiences. What snippets of society/family/relationships run through our daily thoughts? What perceptions of our past, and potential future, blur our experiencing of our present moments? How do we find a balance between a blur and a necessary reflection/planning? Can we clear space and opt for neither, for just a moment of experience without constant interpretation?
Yardie Boy Theatre Presents: Prisoner
FRESH MILK X will also feature a reading of an excerpt from the play ‘PRISONER’, written by Kupakwashe, Barbadian actor and founder of Yardie Boy Theatre, and performed by Kupakwashe and Barbadian actor/director Russell Watson.
About Prisoner:
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’.
About Yardie Boy Theatre:
Yardie Boy Theatre is a young emerging theatre group dedicating to showcasing Barbadian/Caribbean stories through the medium of theatre. Their works are very social and political and seeks to be the voice of a generation.
NB: This performance contains content of an adult nature and is not suitable for children.
There will be a talk held after the performance and screening with all the participants, where they will engage in conversation about the work and take questions from the audience. Event is free and open to the public.
fresh milk barbados 