One day Gerbit learned that he was different to other supercats, Gerbit had enjoyed a myriad of cultural influences, activities, and stuff he know he was more than just a basic supercat. After an introduction to the Patti on Planet Chelsea, he isolated his position in the universe towards what most supercats do and understood that the universe spun around him, and not the other way round. In his early development Gerbit had found great satisfaction learning the physics of time and space, being an active performer in areas of poi and staff, his interest lied in the complex structures of the Matrix, Inverse anitispin fountain and buzzsaw flowerloops when traced with light or fire of the illuminat Humancats. Through a foundation of learning of other new and eons old constructs, he discovered his excitement of geometric forms by Frank Stella and Sol leWitt. But of course this was yonks ago, although he had moved on just like Rank Xerox from this old stuff about calculations, there remains a strong element of math and physics in his practice. Learning the tensile strength and flexibility of materials he knew his ball of string would one day be as strong as space wood, he imagined thousands of buildings interconnected by such wonderful material.
After a misdiagnosis whereby a great brain suggested that he ought to learn more about areas of obscure identities unrelated to him, he decided to go and explore the universe and find himself. A strong combined interest in surrealism, was at the foundations of his mind, as well as paradoxical relationships and multi spacial dimensions.
This led his mind to wander to alternate dimensions where he discovered a single idea is actually built from tens or hundreds of doorways, many of which have been journeys of another.
On Tuesday, Gerbit discovered the hyperbolic State of York where he met a Gormley who wanted to take a photo, he said his camera can take images of his soul. Gerbit was intrigued as the Gormley seemed to connect with him on a micro-cellular level, he hoped that one day his work and practice would be as informed as the Gormley. The Gormley worked in a wide array of special fields, discovering his own form which seemed to defibrillate or become encased. Later that day, whilst waiting for the spaceboat, Gerbit met transport officer Shiota who asked for a key to his thoughts, so he gave the only one he had, which was to his home. Afterwards he became homeless but more aware of his identity. Officer Shiota’s dimension of memory and things past appeared to be a parallel universe to Gerbits position of physical and mental movement; or restriction in the present.
Gerbit wondered how they could be so much the same, and yet, still the same.
After several sessions of alcoholic milk, on Wednesday his awareness of himself became clouded, he realised he needed to displace himself from his many duties, to focus on becoming. Better....
The Flyman took on multiple conversations of duality, the potentiality of transgenesis - possibly an undertone of biracialism and purity of self. Eugenics seemed to be a query in his journey of self.
The Flyman being jwish, infinitely clever, handsome and tall, appeared to become a stumpy, mangled hot mess after he teleported to the shops for some curry goat and rice.
Oddly his author granddad George Langelaan fought against the Nazi Eagles as a spycat which may have influenced his imaginings
And like a fly being reborn from its cocoon thing. he delved further into the beyond, although having lost much of his past life, he found a new beginning, having discovered a house that could not exist, situated on multiple dimensions. He came upon the inspiring Navidson, who warned him of self referential paradigms opening networks into an abyss of unlearning, and the wisdom of landing on the moon once in a while to connect with reality. Gerbit remembered his dad Pratchett, who after leaving diskworld he aided Tomas saraceno make cloud cities where peoplecats started to look at living in the sky. Being almost together, if but for their desire for ownership of air molecules, thankfully the supercats already did.
Gerbit was mad hype about Dan Flavin, but now exciting, progressive uses of fluorescent light tubes. Human artist: Hitoshi Kuriyami light installations engages with the universes dimensions and physicality, almost the antithesis illustrating with light. Gerbit thinks he would make a cool supercat, if only he could stop looking at the unknown.
But the Patty understood Gerbit needed to align his chakras to see the infinite.
Gerbit continued to enquire on alternative ideas, he found the limitations of other cats thinking restricting his progress . Although he had multiple interests of anthropology, culture and identity this was not his shit. He decided to buy copies of National Geographic for those that wanted to learn stuff about regular cats. Sadly, Gerbit understood how political his work was through his intention to defy social norms and convention.
but still…
The Cosby show defied social convention of being crooks, pimps and drug dealers through delivering a positive identity to challenge stereotypes. It also “gave permission“ for peoplecats of colour to take interest and enjoyment of cultural and social activities. Alas since the end in 1991 there is yet to be another series like this. Art is now thought of as just music and dancing to much of the community which helps enforce stereotypes on the next generation to play on ignorance of the masses. Holding ownership to ones identity is a challenge, Gerbit continues to defy ignorance, understand himself and establish his title within the universe.
Ian Barrington (Gerbit)
The White Cube Bermondsey – South London, a brutal fist of a site installed into the former no-go zone of the mean streets of Bermondsey, neighbour of Peckham, Walworth and as close to Brixton one can get before being sold one of 18 types quick fixes of Nero or Costa, the modern government sanctioned commercialised drug of choice, but still close enough to be near the major art schools and seven-score of art grads eager to be spotted, bought and marketed by a Russian Oligarch. The Cube is a formidable art space that sits with the edgy dodgy mean streets, but its 20ft barricade – surrounding car park too ensures safety from the hoard of working class people with shouty breathy voices. A great example of positive gentrification at work has ensured an influx of rising associated creative businesses taking up leases to raise the vision and investment in the neighbourhood. Except for 3 or 5 studios, a mini Sainsbury’s and a pub, and perhaps due to a massive global financial crisis and Farage giving us Brexit (with ensuing exodus and further financial instability) us lot in the south of the river have been fisted, economically and socially.
Eddie Peake’s current show delivers as per title above, a reflective view of his development during an early career. But is it a nostalgic reminiscent journey for the oligarch’s children as they remember their weekly escape over the iron curtain in their private jet to London during the 90’s or a true reflection of the inner mind of an artist looking back, or is it just quite simply a manufactured story. The commission is part installation, part theatre, and part studio, his onsite studio flat suggests living as a starving artist living in a squat or warehouse surrounded by candy pink lucid dreams of drum and base, EDM, questionable fluids in steel trays suggestive of meth or LSD use – hair gel apparently, a sexuality and identity crisis, and of course lots of non complimentary, but made well, art.
The space connects lots of juxtaposed objects without any solid relationship that possibly lies in many an artist home or studio. A smorgasbord of fetishist homoerotic beats referencing moments of a life touched on for those “lucky” enough to know everyone on the TV show Made in Chelsea with fond memories.
In the context of the institution, behemoth, gallery; this particular exhibit had a bittersweet synergy as they sit among us sipping on Espresso and Vodka, but we are worlds apart.
My practice is a reflection of our landscape. An intricate interconnecting network of systems and dialogue that connect from the micro to macro, investigating social-economic cultural and communicative diaspora of our mechanical and organic world told through examining my own form. My own personal evolving sketchbook.
Through my initial investigation of the “Geox” series, echoing signature practice from combining with “Chrysalis”, these forms reflect my own form of skin cell, central nervous system, DNA, synapses of the brain
It was great for a while, we stood together strong and tall, proud be represented, diverse, with a rich heritage of culture, knowledge and skill from a land many hath yet to touch.
The world stood up and saw us, took note, and many chimed in celebration of the great accomplishment and then, a record-breaking world-beating institution-breaking status.
It was great for a while. I felt strong, proud, empowered with a new perspective of my potential in this manufactured on the bones of colonised world.
We did this.
Designers, writers, actors, artists, producers and directors. Unrestrained, professional, as good as any before defined as the best.
The journey was long, starting with Gordon Parks in 1971, Shaft was a hero, black and proud followed by Cleopatra Brown a title after the once great queen although both a cliche on identity this was the world as it was, but the seeds were planted for Spike Lee when he Did The Right Thing taking on the institution strong. Another 9 years saw vampire hybrid, Blade birthing an institution building heroes of all forms if only for the value of money. How do we keep the ball rolling? Can we build a Wakanda. A gem of a city as good as Dubai, New York, London or Shanghai?
It takes but a few to lead, to set things moving. Visionaries coming together.
I'll finish my PhD and be a voice approved by the state, certified and framed. I'll let the young know they can, because look, I never stopped even when I was told I can't. I did. See.
But as the lights, the fanfare, the interviews, the celebrations fade, you return to the before, your voice of pride fade as you return to the 9 to 5; until the special edition DVD in 6 months time where you talk in hushed groups and speak-easies. Your power reduced to the construct of the experience and not of the self empowered to cut the cloth handed to you.
The rolling ball stuck on an incline limited to Sony's 50inch lcd; twas the same as afore but you stopped talking tall. The international companionship long dissipates to looking out for oneself, yet still, demanding for more.
The hill is still there but I'll complete my targets, my ambition, my work still remains, no less silent than before, and I hope somewhere along the line you will be brave, be aware, be strong enough to join me where the sun never sets.
Original Article
http://mafazine.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2018/03/26/crossing-the-line-hrh-black-panther/
Well this is new.... I'm usually quite meticulous, every move navigating tension, although each move organic and automatic, that was my thing.
Following from the last piece Cocoon, and research about identity and post-blackness. i'm investigating de-ethnicization and decolonisation of material and process. I'm intrigued by the use of hard and ethereal properties. Finding the interplay compelling, especially with more raw, natural media, using a combination of securing and jointing.
Using modern processes of glue together with various styles of knots and ties to inform the installations position. The textural aspects of the elements allow it to move within its fixed position, the roughness and chromatic blandness of jute rope against both the luminescent haze and solid fluorescent tubing, as well as the smooth, flat royal blue machined polypropylene, there is a quality to the wiring and electronic ballasts as part of the structure.
As it is fully intended to be Illuminated, it loses the necessary direction unlit, it becomes lost, a mass of suspended things.
There are small intended historical hints of oppression, control and fear built in. I wanted for these not to be overt. Almost hidden, part of the infrastructure, and the attention controlled by the glare of the glamour.
At this point, i've broken my formal idea of "artmaking". This leaves me at a flux, uneasy in my own ability to say whether i'm comfortable in liking what i have produced. my original statement was breaking into the "institution", but I realise I am my own institution. Also finding it very liberating to create something that can be ugly.
How do you get a diverse range of styles to work together?
Un:Pact or Un:Packed essentially translated as the same. Previously created as a singular group on our introduction. we came ready made with instructions
we wanted to celebrate our mark our journey together, and a response to our divorce. Curating our work would have been a challenge for the gallery, also as we are a united identity grouping, we created the theme of being unpacked.Settling for the idea of an interior of a box. Our delivery package, inviting the audience into our space. or are we outside?
To bridge our practice, finding a united format that allows us to hold onto our own identity yet singular,
We elected on the concept of writing our work. We wrote a description of our work. A challenging format, to write what the viewer sees. But how do I describe mine? What goes through my mind as i weave my constructions? i'm yet to understand... I combined methodology with process with the occupation of my mind.
We introduced another element to the presentation. Another artist, A writer who created an introduction to the format, again, combining an introduction individually written by ourselves.
In addition we invited WillMa, this was a transition moment for WillMa, now breaking free of the original concept, for them to respond artistically to projects. The united front saw no differentiation between our practice.
Luck would have it that on the coldest day of the year we would have built the warmest room.
Irony saw that despite our warm embrace, the chill of snow and ice outside kept many away.
My practice is primarily focused on social dynamics and physical environments, a para-symbiotic relationship of life giver and abuser, each respondent upon the other
Developed through multiple interests including cultural anthropology and conservation, my work touches on themes of community, social-economic, anthropology, diaspora and environmental decay.
Working on various themes of societal constructs and dynamics; that of the diaspora and migration, communication and languages, and of our own design, the various social class systems across the world, the systems we build to establish our networks and the impracticality of exclusion. The weblike woven yarn on canvas paintings and sculptures are metaphors of the balance of nature of our created world; the Lorenz attractor and chaos dynamics introduces theory that an action has an effect upon a limitless interconnected string of events of which conveyed through his abstract geometric structures.
April 15th is World Art Day, Narrative Movements art foundation will be presenting its most ambitious project to date, 40 international exhibitions across 16 nations including India, Bangladesh, Spain, Italy Hungary, Germany and Turkey held simultaneously, working with local communities and schools for an interactive accessible art symposium, each exhibition hosted and curated by one of Narrative Movements Board of Directors, the project is overseen by Managing Director and artist Bibek Santra, based in West Bengal, India.
Narrative Movements is a not for profit organisation, operating and registered by the India board of business and like many, not in receipt of public funding, but with an excellent management core committed to its aim and focus toward maintaining sustainable development of local communities and creative industry, with many of its members working internationally promoting activities and assisting in building awareness of the organisation.
I have had the pleasure of being a part of this very active, innovative international organisation since 2015, through my own CIC Diali Contemporary and independently, working together to organise and build awareness for its portfolio of events, exhibitions, and artist residencies held across Asia, the Middle-East and Europe. Our very popular residencies have seen deliveries at Floating Palace Hotel, Lake Nahargarh Hotel, Rajasthan and working on projects in partnership with community schools observing environmental issues with over 30 global artists in attendance.
Breaking away from the sanitised white cube paradigm engages with communities arms open, especially those often excluded from the arts. For artists involved its allows movement to perform ideas and processes without purpose toward “market value”, and of course build networks, opportunities and touch base with existing parties.
Offering communities with the opportunity to access creative expositions changes more than minds and a hearty smile, many villages across the nation with little knowledge of the outside world, its activities, languages and cultures are placed at the very heart and forefront of NM international exhibitions, featuring heavily in the indian press, TV and radio which help foster awareness and encourage finance from central government for public amenities and infrastructure, healthcare, utilities and opportunities for work and education
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCx3opCzlzE&t=28s
For more about art shaping people and communities internationally visit narrativemovements.com
Leading from my investigation into societal constructs and dynamics that limits or controls lives of others to engineer a global hierarchical power system based on colour and gender, I am concerned with defining my position and understanding my own identity without labelling or branding by ethnicity, to have the freedom and ability to work and live outside of my skin.
Redesigning Identity - The practical manual of ownership of identity and building the original social network.
What is it to have identity?
Not what is identity; but what is it to have it, to own it? The compartmentalised paradigm set by those in power to determine another's status, worth, and future; where the perception of another and oneself is limited by an analogous stereotype, women and the black identity has often been marketed as risque or overtly sexualised, as in the case of Sarah Bartmaan and Linford Christie the former, British Olympian who faced significant objectification and reporting over his won accomplishments.
commerciality of this developed to marketing, to create excitement of a new product or personality. Breaking free of these conventions of humanity has been a slow progress; 1928, saw women gain the full independent legal right to vote in the uk, although followed by the 1937 Matrimony Causes Act, when women were able to discard themselves of their abusive/ adulterous/ incestous husbands, and not simply be the chattel of men; an act begrudgingly passed to provide some protection to women, of which as many as long before forced into living in workhouses, as property of the state due to an inability to secure employment, after divorce until an affirmed closure of workhouses in the UK through the passing of the National Assistance Act in 1948. Alas it took until a review in 1957 of the Matrimonial Causes Act abolishing adultery as a criminal act.
Questionable terms of freedom in favour of employment / servitude.
Continued developments towards equalities made further steps with the 1965 Race Relations Act (amended 1968, 1976) These steps saw women and minorities having a voice and the right to live and work; loopholes of pay and conditions continue to ensure employment are subject to control, with the majority being secretarial, nursing and manual labour positions for minorities. Even today in 2018, there is a great disparity in professional institutions, predominantly facilities support and security roles are held by ethnic minorities and women.
Within the UK, taken from a 2009 report, by Richard Garner in The Independent, states out of 14000 Professors, less than 60 are BAME (black and minority ethnic) and a further reduction seeing only “17 black female professors in the entire system. Overall, 92.4 percent of professors are white, while just 0.49 per cent are black”.
The passing of the Equalities Act 1995 (amended 2010) addressed many clear loopholes in our society that limited due rights of freedom to access public and commercial services, without discrimination. Laws only help to address failings, protection or within our society, however, legislation cannot change opinion, social identity, stigma, or fear, only an overtly expressed act. Incidentally it was found Countrywide Mortgage Services in the US systematically issued higher rates of interest to ethnic minorities until 2008 when bought out by Bank of America. The impact of such fraudulent policy not only compromised an undeniable effect on the customers preferred area and suitability of residence and a higher potentiality for homelessness on occasion where customers were unable to maintain payments; in addition to social mobility, affecting future generations education and current/ future access to contemporary lifestyles enjoyed by their preferred Anglo-American customers. Within such a car-dependant society the choice between survival and working extended hours on 2-3 lower paid jobs and accessibility to quality learning or social engagements are dependent on finances, and in a nation that sees the average american working 50-51 weeks of the year, the impact is greatly detrimental to progress encouraging for the ghettoisation and containment of social classes.
The fears of the institution of power seeing its destabilisation towards equality are entrenched, power is very much an addictive culture, although various legal loopholes, the network ensures a limited number of potential liberal trouble-makers entering the ivory tower, treading progress is a hard fought battle of patience.
The once celebrated Cosby Show saw the lives of a professional social-progressive middle class family living in New York, a surgeon and a lawyer complimented by their children, the series addressed many aspects typical of most families without prejudice of teenage dating, death and love, familiar to most households and took on issues of contemporary racism and aspiration, enjoying music, jazz, classical, and popular culture, high brow fine art and theatrical arts. typically out of the periphery for people of colour and marginalised groups. Since its demise April 30 1992, and spin off series ” A Different World” in 1993, aspirations gradually reduced to a consumable culture and the word art is understood to be “rapping” or rudimentary drawing by much of today’s youth of Afro-Carib ethnicity. The course of this sees accessibility of contemporary culture and aspiration reduced, enjoyed only by those that not only have an accessibility to contemporary lifestyles but actively seek out this epidemic root of advancement that has the potential to destabilise ethnic hierarchical systems. Often, if not by design, those at the lower range of income have a lesser accessibility to interests due to disposable income with many in poorer housing estates located outside of the city, a considerable amount of finance is required for travel alone.
With a low level of positive representation for minority groups, aspirations of professional, social and educational development remain significantly lower helping for a greater number of low wage service economies than other sectors of the community, which feeds into a loop of played by certain media and political profiles to build negative stereotyping of criminality, low intellect and materialistic lifestyles, evidenced through a large proportion of hip-hop culture, where younger viewers adopt lesser ability for realistic legal career goals. During my own employment into the prison service, I found a disproportionate disparity of BAME offenders, their complete disinterest of working and inability to have a positive lifestyle earning under £70,000+. Was endemic of the position promoted through contemporary hip hop culture.
The rise of Marvel's first King “T’Challa” Black Panther with its largely black cast and crew, has seen unprecedented records, over $1.3billion in global sales, surpassing James Cameron’s Titanic, the highest rated action films to date. The risk was high, a 2 hour film about a (albeit fictional) African nation that could better any other in terms of firepower, capital, skill, and knowledge, could give people in the real world hope; or potentially the ambition to level the playing field with its former European colonizers.
The film has seen a surge in embracing and ownership of the black identity, recording increased expressed pride of culture, attire and vernacular of people of colour globally. Although iI happily silently shared in the 7.1 Dolby Vision, iSense 2D Audio Surround Sound 134 minute uprising, I found myself pontificating and resolute, any direct ties to Africa are somewhere between 12 and 32 generations. I, like known generations before me have never set foot there, And like the 9 year old school boy many years before stated, I’m not African, I am British. I am Jamaican... I am African.
Losing My Identity and Finding Myself
Investigating my position and identity within an artistic context requires an understanding of my identity and position within my theoretical context, is potentially an ambiguous oxymoronic, nevertheless intrinsically valid point at which I find myself, recognising my identity as an individual of colour and ethnicity being visually and culturally different to the populous majority. Holding my practice and identity as an exception to the rule sees me questioning my own identity often on the periphery, my interests and actions limit my black membership card to junior-affiliate.
My intention to investigate artist and theory of post-colonial post-black identity through the use of material that bind us to our knowledge of our rewritten history and manipulated present.
I seek neither to ignore, diminish or draw pretension to my melanin, culture, and ancestry, from my position of post-identity multicultural-lingual that exercises contempt at any compartmentalisation placed within the uncomfortable post-black paradox I place myself within.
Lifeblood and Cocoon, intended to focus on the paradox of my own identity, the constriction of my movement reflecting my desire for space within both the studio and wider spheres and advancement as an artist became one of empowerment through my inquiry into alternative media:
Lifeblood, representing my own change of awareness in my direction.
The purpose of a cocoon is to protect during metamorphosis.
Arte Post-black
Post-blackness, coined by Thelma Golden Director of Studio Museum, Harlem, New York and Artist Glen Ligon to position “the liberating value in tossing off the immense burden of race-wide representation, the idea that everything they do must speak to or for or about the entire race.” In the catalogue for "Freestyle", a show curated by Golden at the Studio Museum in Harlem, Thelma defined post-black art as that which includes artists who are “adamant about not being labeled ‘black’ artists, though their work was steeped, in fact deeply interested, in redefining complex notions of blackness.” other notable artists include Kori Newkirk, Eric Wesley, Senam Okudzeto, David McKenzie, Sanford Biggers, Rashid Johnson, Mark Bradford and Jennie C. Jones.
Other artists asserting their exception to the rule includes Singer/ songwriter Stew's song Black Men Ski on misconceptions and institutional misappropriation of the black male cultural identity and stereotype.
In contrast, many artists of colour cement their identity on the global art platform through symbolic illustration, iconography and materiality, some, representative of their cultures including the geometric design Kente cloth of the Akan-Ashanti kingdom, tribalism iconography, Animal effigy as per Ofili or establishing ethnic-urbanisation of culture, notably Jean-Michel Basquiat’s celebrated collection, whose fusion of tribal sculpture graffiti reinforces ethnicity
Yet upon a simple Google image search of tribal art, the page is dominated by the western appropriation of the word “tribal” by tattoo stencils as we continue to pillage developing nations of its resources and culture towards an erosion of the black identity as the desired saleable tools, foods, culture and resources are eroded traded for guns as per the Congo (disclaimer. Although I enjoy the coming together of people and sharing our pool of languages, cultures and humanism)
Technology, money and power of modernity takes on the human skull/ mask art forward seeing Damien Hirst’s wondrous “For The Love of God” raising geopolitical power constructs of identity and society through the weight of Swarovski crystals, although this is mere evolution of progress, it also inherently positions the observation of identity where brown and white nations are identified as developed and
The representation of materiality within my own artistic practice observing the elements of material, construction process and aesthetic continuing to touch on a range of social-political topics towards paradigms of identity, and to further question the ethnicization of materiality moving forwards with alternative media and new technology including the use of light, and technology/ electrical components combined with traditional/ basic materials.