GRAS Ð Image by Laura Anderson Barbata
LAB WORK
Exhibition by Laura Anderson Barbata (Mexico)
30th January - 17th May 2003 - InterAmericas Space at CCA7
Caribbean Contemporary Arts is pleased to present ‘LAB WORK’ by Laura
Anderson Barbata (Mexico). The exhibition takes an investigative look
at using indigenous materials and creating an environment. Anderson Barbata
has visited Trinidad a number of times. She participated in the ‘big
River2’ International Artists Workshop, in Grande Riviere in 2001, where
she began the project called GRAS. GRAS is a papermaking project developed
at the Grande Riviere Anglican School. Laura taught the children how to
make hand-made paper by using fibres found and dyes found in the environment
and recycled materials. Since 2001, the school has adopted the papermaking
project into their curricula, thereby creating the possibility for the children
to be involved in art in a way they had not had access to before.
‘LAB WORK’ explores these materials and the environment within which the materials are found, by recreating an environment in the InterAmericas Space at CCA7, Centre for the Contemporary Arts. GRAS has developed fully into a solid self-sustaining project with the intention of supplying a continuous production of handmade paper and prints to be sold locally. All funds from the sale of these products are applied to fund materials, books and other needs of the school.
Anderson Barbata is also in the process of assisting to build a public library in Grande Riviere. She says "Grande Riviere has an important cultural, historic and scientific heritage and has been the catalyst for many important documents and research on science, conservation and the arts". She invites visitors to bring a book on any topic to start the building of this library, when they visit the exhibition.
Laura Anderson Barbata will be hosting an Artist Talk on Thursday 6th February 2003 in the InterAmericas Space at CCA7 at 6.30pm. She will be discussing her projects that she calls Social Interventions. Teachers and students are invited to attend. Grande Riviere is not the only place that Anderson Barbata has initiated such a project. She has trained the Yanomami, Ye’kuana and Piaroa communities of the Amazon Forest in Venezuela in the fabrication of handmade paper from rain forest fibres and recycled materials. This was in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Inparques and The Vicariato Apostólico de Venezuela. She has also initiated a similar course in Ecuador with the Cuellajé community.
Laura Anderson Barbata (Mexico) showed ‘Labworks’ in the InterAmericas Space, which took place from 30th January - 5th August 2003.