Event

The Carnival Studies Unit of the UWI St. Augustine Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA) announces its 1^st Annual Carnival Studies Mas Colloquium: “Mas Aesthetics: Exploring the Art of Mas”.

The colloquium emerges out of the DCFA course CANV1702 Mas History: Meaning and Development.

The first Annual Cultural Research Colloquium takes place on April 10, 2014, at the Centre for Language Learning (CLL), from 8am-1.30pm, and will comprise four paneled presentations: 

• - The performative expression of Mas
• - Mas practice (modes of production)
• - The impact of Mas on community and community on Mas
• - The representation and curation of Mas through popular media practices. The intent is to create a forum for new research on the practiced traditions of the art form to be discussed.

Each panel will be approximately one hour long, followed by a 15 minute question and answer session.  Registration runs from 7.30am-8am and all are welcome to attend.  

For the Colloquium programme, please click here.

For more information, please contact the DCFA at 662-2002 ext. 82510, or Kenwyn.Murray@sta.uwi.edu

More about the Carnival Studies Mas Colloquium

The Carnival Studies Mas Colloquium is a research event that highlights the work of practitioners from the creative industries who are actively exploring the boundaries of Mas as an artform. Guided by the understanding that Mas is both Art and ritual borne out of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival space the colloquium concentrates on exploring the visual and performative expressions of the activity. Through the colloquium leading practitioners in Mas are invited to share their work, experiences and thoughts on the impact of Mas on Caribbean art and society with students of the University of the West Indies and the general public.  

In line with the objectives of the course on which it is based, the colloquium provides a forum for students and the wider community with important perspectives and practices within the Carnival Arts. It is intended to be a platform for further research into the visual and creative output of Mas towards developing a level of connoisseurship of the art-form. The colloquium investigates Mas as a unique Caribbean creative practice that communicates and explores critical aspects of the Caribbean’s socio-cultural landscape. 

Project Aims

The development of the Carnival Studies Mas Colloquium is motivated by three key aims:

• - To encourage research and develop appreciation of Mas as an art form
• - To encourage a critical analysis of Mas-making practices and modes of representation associated with Mas
• - To encourage a desire to contribute to the art form either through design or academic research