Thursday, October 25, 2012

The Ballad of Francisco Bobadilla

An installation by Marlon Griffith

31 October to 2 November at Granderson Lab (a project of Alice Yard), 24 Erthig Road, Belmont

Artist’s conversation on 3 November at Alice Yard, 80 Roberts Street, Woodbrook


V.S. Naipaul’s 1962 travel narrative The Middle Passage begins with his return to Trinidad on board “the Spanish immigrant ship Francisco Bobadilla.” Marlon Griffith borrows the name of the vessel for his new installation project, which runs for three consecutive nights (Wednesday 31 October to Friday 2 November, 7 to 10 pm) at Granderson Lab in Belmont (a project of Alice Yard).

In The Ballad of Francisco Bobadilla, Griffith explores the experience of returning to Port of Spain — and the Belmont neighbourhood where he grew up — after an absence of three years. The artist contemplates the ways the city has changed, the ways it hasn’t, and how his own work changes in different geographical and social contexts. It involves “learning to be comfortable in an uncomfortable place.”

On Saturday 3 November, from 7 pm at Alice Yard, Griffith will discuss the evolution of the project and his recent work, in conversation with Christopher Cozier. The evening will also mark Alice Yard’s 6th anniversary as an independent space and network for experiment and collaboration.

All are invited.


Images above: details from the artist’s sketchbook 


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Allen Prize fundraiser

The Allen Prize for Young Writers is a programme supporting budding writers aged 12 to 19 in Trinidad and Tobago. On Saturday 27 October, from 9 am to 2 pm, Alice Yard will host an Allen Prize fundraising event: