Jamaica’s delegation to
the 37th session of the UNESCO General Conference and General
Assembly November 5 - 22 in Paris, France was invited to make a presentation on
the country’s distinctive art heritage during the final day of the Conference.
The initiative was
undertaken by transformational and iconic Jamaican artist, Laura Facey whose
work, “Their Spirits Gone Before Them” was the focus of the presentation. The
one hour sitting was presented as part of UNESCO’s Open meetings, where
delegates were given the opportunity to participate in the interactive session
titled, “Their Spirits Gone Before Them: Baring the HeArt of Jamaica’s
Heritage”.
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| Their Spirits Gone Before Them |
Facey’s phenomenal 2006
installation consists of three pieces: a canoe, 16 feet long with the interior
fitted with 1,357 resin miniatures of another of the artists’ iconic pieces,
Redemption Song monument erected at Jamaica’s Emancipation Park in Kingston; a
supporting cradle forms the second part of the installation and the final piece
is that of sticks of dried loose sugar cane that are combed into place to
simulate a wave. The installation is intended to reflect the history and memory
of slavery. Ms. Facey suggests that the aim of the work is, “to inspire wider
discussion and activities relating to slavery, thereby bringing closure to the
negative patterns and pain wrought by enforced servitude”.
The work received local endorsement from
Jamaica’s Ministry of Culture and the Jamaica National Commission for UNESCO.
Following a review by UNESCO’s International Scientific Committee, the
installation was approved and presented with an official support granting the use of UNESCO’s logo “Project supported by the UNESCO Slave Route
Project”.
The installation is
being heralded as an excellent initiative in support of UNESCO’s Slave Route
Project which seeks to provide better knowledge of the
transatlantic slave trade and slavery through the perspective of enslaved
Africans. Facey has been commended for her use of art as a vehicle to reflect
the ethical issues raised by this history.
The presentation was
facilitated by Director, Arts and Culture at the University of Technology,
Jamaica, Dr. Janice Lindsay and one of two candidates selected to
represent Jamaica and the English speaking Caribbean as a member of the
prestigious World Heritage Committee.
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| Redemption Song |
Part one of
the presentation dubbed, ‘Baring the HeArt of Jamaica’s Heritage’ provided an
overview of the relevance
of intangible heritage in Jamaica and brought into focus the role of art in
safeguarding the island’s diverse cultural heritage. Dr. Lindsay introduced
delegates to the concept of artists as Culture Bearers, and explained the
importance of art as reference, revisionism and reconciliation. She introduced
the works of a number of artists including established and new entrants to
Jamaica’s art scene to include Edna Manley, Barrington Watson, Alexander
Cooper, Malica Kapo Reynolds, Karl Parboosingh, Judy Ann McMillan, Cecil Baugh,
Norma Rhoden, Alvin Marriot, Kay Sullivan, Christopher Gonzales, Dawn Scott and
Ebony Patterson.
Part two of the session appropriately
titled, “Their Spirits Gone Before Them” included an overview of the
significance of UNESCO’s Slave Route Project, background to Facey’s UNESCO
endorsed installation and an introduction of the Artist, Laura Facey to include
a synopsis of her 40 years a sculptor and outstanding commissions completed to
date. Laura’s work in community was also highlighted as a successful feature of
her work as a member of Jamaica’s art fraternity. The highlight of the session
was a 5 minute virtual presentation done by Facey in which she explains the
‘birth’ of the installation, “Their Spirits Gone Before Them”.
Facey’s objective is to have the
installation repeat the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Route, while making
exhibition stops. The work has already been exhibited at the World Bank/IDB
About Change exhibition in Washington, DC between May 2011 and May 2012. It is
anticipated that ‘Their Spirits Gone Before Them’ will travel across the
Atlantic to the International Slavery Museum, National Museums Liverpool,
England for summer 2014 and then be poised to continue its important
reconciliation journey.
The presentation was well received by
delegates with queries about the possibility of having the installation make
stops in certain jurisdictions, as well as thoughts on how the installation can
impact education in the region. The
United Nations Decade for People of African Descent being observed 2013-2022 is
also expected to provide opportunities for exhibiting, “Their Spirits Gone Before
Them”.
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| Miniatures of sculpture pieces from Redemption Song fitted in the Canoe, main feature of Their Spirits Gone Before Them. |
Should you achieve the above and more for 2014, we guarantee there will be a natural urge to celebrate the cultural heritage diversity of your neighbouring island! Think of the fun of island hopping whether region wide or across boundaries. But as always, I strongly believe that we need to first dig out and celebrate what's in front of us....A friendly tip from Island Heritage-scape. 
