A four-day design workshop for local designers, which was facilitated by the Department of Culture and the Golden Jubilee Festival Committee, concluded on Friday.
The workshop, dubbed the ‘Republic Jubilee Festival Arts Costume Design Workshop’, saw just over 30 participants which included local designers and students of the Burrowes School of Art. It was stated that the main goal was to improve the design and display of costumes for Mashramani 2020 and beyond. Sessions were led by Dr Vibert Cambridge, Antonio Butts, Claire Goring and Alan Vaughan.
Cambridge, who was the coordinator of the workshop, at the closing ceremony observed that Mashramani has survived two eras of heavy state involvement and is currently facing “fete brands” like Carnival and Soca. He recalled that the workshop was initiated as a result of conversations that started among Guyanese designers during the 2019 Guyana Folk Festival, which was held in Brooklyn, New York. Through those conversations, Cambridge said, it was discovered that there are a number of challenges that face Mashramani, which include management, routes and the viewing experience for patrons, innovations in costume and float design, among others.
He further said that for Mashramani to grow as a tourist attraction, the elements of the festival must be improved. As the costumes and floats are the “jewel in the crown,” efforts should be made to support its improvement, he said.
Following the completion of the workshop, it was expected that the participants would have had opportunities to think about design, imagination, animation, inclusion of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and robotics, to improve performance and displays and would have better communication with the key stakeholders about Mashramani and its future. The participants also worked in groups to create concepts for floats and costumes, some of which will be brought to life for the Republic Day celebrations next year.
Administrator of the Music School Andrew Tyndall, at the ceremony, stated that the level of comradery which was displayed among the designers throughout the workshop should be the beginning of a process which spawns collaborations among them. He noted that it would be a great example for other sections of the creative sector.
One of the participants, Carol Fraser, shared her experience with members of the media. Fraser said that her favorite part of the workshop was learning about the integration of STEM into her designs. “I always wanted my costumes to be mechanical which I have attempted over the years and after the little workshop we had with STEM, I’m convinced that I can bring out some mechanical costumes on the road for our 50th Jubilee celebration,” she said.
Fraser said that what she learned from the workshop will benefit her if the ministries and other organisations allow designers to “unleash their creative thoughts” and not limit them. “Over the years, you find that we have to work with a theme and we have to produce what the ministry want…but we have so many things that we can work with, literature, folklore, our diverse culture,” she said.
Fraser, who was in a group with a number of other designers, told Stabroek News that their idea focused on the theme for Mashramani 2020 which is, ‘Reflect, Celebrate, Transform’. The designer said that they took the opportunity to reflect on one of Guyana’s musical icons, Eddie Grant, and used musical instruments as key elements in their design. Fraser’s teammate Ryan Da Silva further elaborated on the concept and added that the theme was “Ringbang”. He highlighted that they also included the ebony and ivory keys of a keyboard along with a white guitar, which was an ode to Grant as he was known for his white guitar.
Da Silva related that at the beginning of the workshop, he did not know what to expect but as the time went by, it became quite informative and sparked his imagination and opened his mind to a number of things that he did not know about. He added that one of the major things that he will take away from the workshop is the emphasis on coming up with various unique concepts even when the same theme is used.
Another participant, Olympia Sonoram, said that as designers they are always learning as they go along and even though she may be established and has become popular for her designs, she learnt a lot from the workshop. Sonoram added that she picked up a few tricks from the workshop sessions which would help her improve on certain aspects of her designs and floats.
One of the students from the Burrowes School of Art, Abigail Bennet, said that the experience over the four days was amazing and it was her first time working with designers who have designed costumes for Mashramani in previous years. She said that they were able share ideas and she learnt a lot from the experienced designers who took part in the workshop.
