Kibwe Brathwaite | Photographer

Decided to mix a handful of those records in the end. (Warning: Explicit Language)

Two of the most respected photographers in Trinidad & Tobago, Mark Lyndersay and Andrea De Silva on Morning Edition hosted by Hayden Blades. Adding to the discussion is De Silva’s fellow photographer at Reuters, Ricky Rogers.  In this clip the group discuss the recently imposed fees for photographing Trinidad & Tobago’s Carnival celebration.  Further more, they discuss how the exchange of money can change the relationship between the custodian of an event and the photojournalist.

Artzpub’s Draconian Switch is an online art magazine by Richard Mark Rawlins. The 19th edition features an excerpt from my “Making A Steel Pan” series.  Also featured are the exhibitions of Marlon Darbeau and of Alex Smailes last year, along with a few familiar works including that of Jasmine Thomas-Girvan.  Head on over and download the free mag.

Follow the link for a few BTS images of the latest Mackeson billboards produced by Abovegroup Ogilvy.

Anyone who either works with me at AGO, browsed my iTunes, checked the playlist on my phone, or has been in an automobile that I’m driving, would be  familiar with at least one of these records. These are the 20 most played tracks on my iTunes, released in 2012.  I don’t think I need to warn you that some of these aren’t kiddie friendly.

Enjoy…

This was scene outside the Prime Minister’s office in St Clair, Port-of-Spain on Friday. Supporters and non-supporters of the Highway Re-route Movement protest where Wayne Kublalsingh lays on his 8th day of hunger strike against the construction of a highway from San Fernando to Point Fortin, Trinidad. Highway Members of the Re-route Movement claim that the construction would not only have an adverse environmental impact but also displace over 300 families.  Supporters of the construction claim that the highway will ease the commuting challenges faced by those living in the deep south of Trinidad.

From this Wednesday the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago will be hosting a photographic exhibition ‘Record : Art : Memory – Photography in Trinidad and Tobago’ curated by photographer Abigail Hadeed. The exhibition will feature photos from my “Making A Steel Pan” series and “Trinidad Carnival” imagery within an exciting selection of previously un-exhibited photographs from a variety of other photographers like Noel Norton, Mark Lyndersay, Laura Ferreira and even Alex Smailes who has his own big event on the following day.

On Thursday 22nd of November, photographer Alex Smailes will be showing his work for the 1st time in Trinidad and Tobago after 10 years of creating images in the region.   The event will be held at the Medulla Art Gallery from 7pm – 9pm.  There will be a hella-after-party at Roscos, next door.

I’m not just saying this because I’m a big fan of his work, but this is something that you really should not miss.

Saturday morning with a laptop, the internet and the right software can produce some pretty fun music.  Let’s take Calvin Harris’ Let’s Go featuring Ne-Yo and mash it together with David Guetta’s Little Bad Girl (minus the Taio Cruz and Luda vocals) and you might get Let’s Go Little Bad Girl…

During the month of February, just before Carnival I embarked on a media project for a class I was taking.  I wanted to explore something uncommon about something relatively common.  I  wanted to explore something relevant to the time and to the Trinidad and Tobago culture.  Deviating from the usual revelry of scantily clad masqueraders or the mornings of mud (and paint) madness, I decided to explore how the steel pan instrument is made.  It was an essential element of the season and of our cultural heritage, the only musical instrument invented in the 20th century, but how the hell is it made?  I had no idea.  Thus I decided to produce a photo essay in the form of a book conspicuously titled ‘Making A Steel Pan’.  Yeah, I know you are thinking, “damn, he must have thought long and hard about that title”.

Portraits of @L_M_B85 (while shooting an ad of a totally different subject matter).

Portraits of @ayaroots.

This is probably gonna be my feelings when I get my 1998 GC8 (cue torrent of tears).

In March I was contacted by Maco People Magazine to shoot a couple personalities for their Summer Games 2012 issue.  The issue featured, amongst others, former Minister of Education and Olympic medal winner – Wendell Mottley, artist Chris Ofili who was commissioned to create an official poster for the 2012 Olympics, and Trinidad & Tobago swimming medalist and record holder -  George Bovell.  Yeah, it was THAT issue with the controversial George Bovell article.  Yeah, that one.  So now that we’ve got that out of the way let’s continue with the rest of the afternoon’s proceedings.

This clip from Veep shows a scenario that is way too familiar.
 

That lead photo looks quite familiar.

So it seems this guy, Romain Gavras directs all my favorite music videos.  Remember that Stress video for Jus†ice, with the kids running amock through their neighbourhood? That was probably one of my all-time favorites.  What about that M.I.A. Bad Girls video with the crazy drift stunts in Morocco that made Lucas Black’s Tokyo Drift character look like a cross-eyed 6 year-old trying to ride a tricycle on a frozen lake? Now the French film-maker has directed Jay-Z and Kanye West’s No Church in the Wild, which is an anarchic 5 minute mayhem mash-up of the Arab spring / London riots.  Or you can look at it as a hip-hop recreation of that Kourtrajmé clip for 365 days in Clichy Montfermeil.  Regardless, the video evokes a similar riotous energy of the Stress video (yeah, I frickin love that).  I think enough time has passed since London to say with utmost confidence that these guys will not pull the video like they did with that whole Levi’s Campaign issue.  Check the video after the jump, along with a few of my favorite screenshots.

Last Friday ARC Magazine took things to Medulla Art Gallery again for a conversation on the works of artist Jasmine Thomas-Girvan’s collection “Gardening In The Tropics” and the launch of the magazine’s Issue #5. The event brought together a panel of scholars, writers and artists to share their insights into the work of Girvan.

See coverage of the event on ARC’s facebook page.