Design Sketches
Cacophany Arkestra developed out of a need to showcase Carnival art, Music and express this on the road. Cacophany Arkestra is indebted to and heavily influenced by the Dominican/Caribbean carnival tradition that took root and developed in Preston in the 1970's.
I worked for many years with Gana McCoy Preston's first Caribbean Carnival artist. He introduced and encouraged me to the develop the socio/political symbolism that manifests in some aspects Caribbean Carnival Art. Carnival expresses/ contains a dialogue with the Post Colonial world- through the very presence of people who question Why? Why are we here? What brought us here? Who brought us here? What forces? And dance down the street - even if the questions might not seem present they hang in the ether.
Carnival poses and plays with these questions in a variety of forms.
Gana introduced me to Sensay costumes. The raggedy suits worn by various people in the road march.
We wear these suits on the road in various colours as a homage and celebration of our roots. In researching raggedy suits I realised they are universally worn worn in various processions in many countries including the UK as part of Morris dancing troupes and mumming plays.
In the battle between Carnival and Lent they allude to: A soul in transition, The austerity of our times, the effects of Neo-Liberalism on communities. The shamanistic journey within, the topsy turvy world of Breughel and Bosch made manifest in our times, an absurdist world view.
The design sketch allows the journey from the mind to expression to begin.