Two enterprising entrepreneurs Art Edwards and Frances Ross have introduced the Caribbean Wax Museum to Barbados. Barbadians and visitors alike are now able to visit the Maxwell Road, Christ Church attraction to view life like sculpted characters in the form of Sir Garry, Mighty Gabby, Usain Bolt, Brian Lara, Fidel Castro, Marcus Garvey and many other famous Caribbean persons. The members of the BU household wish Edwards and Ross all the very best in their novel endeavour.
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Its quite funny: We have burger king; foreign owned banks whose history is linked to slavery; we have halloween parties; import almost every piece of furniture; buy expensive paintings by foreign artists; buy music made by foreign artists; wear clothes imported from Europe; have classical music programs at Holders Hill; bring in north american musicians to perform; and I can go on and on. We enter foreign universities to get diplomas and all of a sudden because a fellow decides that he is going to make wax images of Caribbean people all hell brek loose! Really.
I wish the venture the very best of luck.
Well, people can’t keep talking the nonsense about the fiction of a Karibbean consciousness when it suits those purposes, if everything stated above is also true.
You can’t have it both ways.
@Pacha
There is nothing wrong with applauding the entrepreneurial effort of the two artists. How they develop the business will speak to the concern you have.
@David
Creatives all over the world suffer greatly as they try to bring beauty, spiritualism, the sublime, into our lives.
We have stated before that when one understands where the real creatives have to venture to find same it would became clear that that price is too high.
Nobody here can have as much respect as Pacha for the genuine creatives of our world.
But because that is true it should not mean that we are to be forever opened to the infiltration of imperial norms, morays, customs, traditions. And without limitations.
At some point, if we want to define ourselves as being unique, we must determine the limits to American cultural penetration. Are there to be any limits at all?
Admittedly, we know not where those should be. But it seems to us that the frontier is perpetually in retreat.
In other words, instead of the creatives representing organic cultural expression they devolve into agents for imperialism.
Businessman merely seeking to make a dollar, as raison detre.
In those circumstances, there are no more creatives. Only businessmen/women.
If this is the world the marketers want, let them gallop on.
For they well deserve the legacy of Bernays, Lippmann.
I don’t know if the creators have done it or not but they should ask the people whose images are in the museum to donate and outfit for the wax figure. Then have the press there to capture them dressing their images. They should also have a little souvenir shop selling things that would appeal to school children. Rhianna’s lips, Bolt’s lightning arm, Sobers bat, or such like. I would put a little stall in the yard selling mauby, lemonade, sorrel and bread and fish, ham and cheese cutters. Don’t let them leave there and go to Oistins to fill their guts.
Barbados had and still has some very good photographers but they never capitalized on their talents. People like Willie Alleyne let the tourist board make millions off him, while he still poor. Years after his death, Ansel Adams photos are selling like hot cakes. His posters don’t go cheap either.
I am still waiting for the Colonel to put out his picture book of Barbados, which he promised years ago.
Exclaimer January 3, 2017 at 8:56 PM #
Once again I will explain Pelau…….
In the early 1970’s in London a group of us West Indians were having a discussion with a group of Africans from the west coast,we windies started by attempting to embrace them as our brothers only for them to state certain indisputable facts:
a….we have no tribe
b…we have no language
c…we are adulterated and no longer african…the term bastards were freely used
d…they acknowledged selling us into slavery without any regret
based on the above I did some research and introspection and concluded that they were correct.
I,like the majority in the Caribbean are the progeny of many tribes from all over the world and can call none home other than the Caribbean……Pelau is a traditional dish amongst members of the region consisting of many meats,fish,fowl&vegetables and that is the best way to describe ourselves.
I have extensive knowledge of the Empires,Tribes and languages of Africa as I do of China,India,Russia,Europe etc,etc.
You may continue to identify with whatever and whoever you believe in……to each their own…….mine is to know your multiple history and chart your own fresh course as a proud Bastard/Pelau.
@Pacha
Understand the thrust of your concern. Where we differ is that there is nothing wrong with a creative exploiting their talent to make money. Especially in a restrictive economic environment. They have to eat no?
@ David
No. Where we differ is determining where imperialism is to end.
We have do difficulty with people making money
But is mekking money the ultimate issue?
yes… money makes the world go round as mrs gucci said I would rather cry in a rolls than laugh on a bicycle. Materialism is what drives us forward for king and country wanes after a while.
De ole man wonders if Edwards or Ross or any of wunna literati have seen this?
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160526-why-these-anatomical-models-are-not-disgusting
And how many of you have (the stomach to) read it?
It certainly puts a spin to what is art and what Edwards seeks to achieve but it makes us aware of the real time dichotomy of our lives
If Edwards were to do a facsimile of any DLP minister though, he would not encounter any such disgust for they have no uts in them though some do say they are full of shyte.
My goal simply is to represent Caribbean personalities as accurately as my skill will allow for the benefit of current and future generations, and in a manner that has not been previously attempted in Latin America and the Caribbean. I am a visual artist without apology, and give not but a shit whether or not I and my partner offends the academic sensibilities of those who should know better…
Much of the clothes on the figures are donated by the people who are being depicted.
Enuff of this … bull shit
Moving on
One notes that on January 4th at 5.36 p.m. one ball headed effer, whom a few of you claim to be Art Edwards, rose to cuss all well wishers and sooth sayers alike on this 4th day of 2017.
And since that entry not a man Jack ent say another word.
Why is that?
DO it gots anyting to do wid de fact that this seems like one biting the hand(s) that are seeking to “feed” the CWM?
Do um have anything to do with de fact dat most every one of the bloggers, barring de Medieval commentator, were either supportive of the initiative?
Do um gots anything to do wid de fact dat de Honourable Blogmaster, in an attempt to support local talent, went above and beyond the call of duty to insert this item to shore up said talent.
Well unna fellers may sit down deah and say nuffin since wunna get cuss, but my black ass going say dat dis is one situation where the efforts to support SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN REWARDED WITH DIS SORTA A LANGUAGE.
We is not all of us your enemy – Move on pun dat.
And before wunna jump pun de ole man dis 2017 jes remember dese words.
“I shall lift up mine eyes unto the Hills from whence cometh mine help, mine help cometh from the LORD who hath made the Heavens and the earth, HE shall not suffer mine foot to be move, yea HE that keepeth Israel, shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The reason Baffy that i spoke to a Phase two for your Caribbean Wax Museum was most assuredly lost on you as it was probably lost on many others
But the ole man gots a few moments to put my comments (what you called Bull Shit) into context
“For 34 staff at a Japanese insurance firm, that vision just became a reality.
Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance is laying off the employees and replacing them with an artificial intelligence (AI) system that can calculate insurance payouts.
The firm believes it will increase productivity by 30%.
It expects to save around 140m yen (£979,500 / $1.2m) a year in salaries after the 200m yen AI system is installed later this month.
Maintenance of the set-up is expected to cost about 15m yen annually.”
My simple point is that while you begin with these wax figurines, while you are not making sex dollies what you should understand is that, with the advent of Robotics, the shelf life for wax figures is going to be 5 years, 10 years at best.
Virtual Reality and Robotic Simulants are going to be the next WII game videos and therefore the interest of the discerning visitor is going to be “more sophisticated”
The future is changing Baffy it is not staying still for old menses like me and you and either you see that “change a-coming” or it will take you and crush you in its teeth….a word to the wise is sufficient
Piece
Baffy ain got no time fuh long talk,tell he straight wuh yuh mean.
I understand exactly what he is saying Vince. Mine is a skill that took decades to develop and he is promoting technology that is centres in the making, and it is called mankind. I have still got a small window of opportunity here and I will use it.
This Piece guy is quite a character
Baffy
Congrats to you and wife for a great exhibition and tour,long may it last.
The blogmaster invites you to join and add value to the discussion.