The Compilation of Ideas

I will soon have to compile a list of persons of Cultural interest who will make up next year's residents, this, off-course, will depend on their acceptance. With funding not yet secured the residents will have to pay for this trip themselves. They will have to see the importance in it so as to be able to give it their time. I am not apart from such works of self duty, having to work for something you see value in. The only thing I can provide right now, with regards to cost, is a remarkable price for lodging. They will pay about half the price they would pay for any other opportunity of the sort, so on this I feel there is already a high incentive being presented.

The compilation of ideas, as the tittle suggests, will come from different artist. This to me is the interesting space, prior to the physical space the residence itself occupies. Choosing persons who will come together is very important. Arranging a group who will accent each other will bring about a cohesion that can be strong and influential in the island. They may choose to be more closely productive based on that cohesion. They may find the connection in their practice and attitudes to be advantageous; abling them to push their elements and processes of creativity to different thinking localities, ale then to create interesting work. But something also has to be said about partly discarding the attitude for 'matching people.' How will they behave with inherent frictions in their works and personalities. Dialogue is a very important part of this residency and dialogue happens in many different ways, even the act of ignoring is a method of communicating. People react to spaces of unease, and discomfort, great work also comes from this. I do want there to be a level of individuality, this is the reason why there are encouragements for individual studies while in the island. I hope this will allow residents to space out, branch into their own moads of adjustment and investigation. All this is without the adjoining element of the Cape Verdean Creatives. They too will have their distinct attitudes. Language will come in to play when accessibility and is favored based on immediate conversation and understanding. The simplicity on their end is that they are Cape Verdean and they live there, but these coming residents are multi-disciplined and international; they will first have to study each other, and then be studied themselves, while studying practically everything else.

My mind is gearing up for this. I will soon write a list and compile the necessary fronts for a productive 09 residency. There were Creatives of the islands who actually asked for certain types of people to come, people that would most likely benefit them, or their parties, be it dancers, writers, etc... but I won't let this determine the group. The persons of residence will already be different in practices, and seeing as one of my goals is the opening of disciplines, having someone work with what they have may prove more beneficial when it comes to opening one's practice. The Artist in that sense of department and definition will no longer be, it is the Creative who will motivate the new highly discursive art works of the new millennium.

Back in the big city with the thoughts of CICER

As time moves you settle in to the next thing. It may be your work or home, even room, food, transportation, all that may be. The time which has just passed, which at times made you think of everything different, some how flows passively by as if it were of another period of time, like dinosaurs. It is very interesting how modern worlds make you forget. They quickly bath you in things like bills and travel, mundane work, and plastic eating. Back from Cape Verde and my mind wants desperately to uniform itself back to the way things were prior to me leaving; but I can not let it happen. This is not just due to events which continue to circle my mind, but also the arrogance I hold towards such powers of influence. I may here be speaking more pressingly about London, how it is busy and you are in turn busy in it, but are you; am I? I have time to contemplate and plate what I am doing, but I hurry with the ever present reality--given to me and shown to me whenever I walk--that things here are happening and happening now. I rush to think of my slow speed and then realize I have been moving faster then most, but it is not the 'most' that I worry about, or wonder about, it is the few, those promoted widely in places like London; those writers that are written about, those artists that are arted about. Are you making the mark needed? i ask myself, the etching, the engraving? Have you started? CICER in such lights becomes a pebble. It can grow, and it is my intention that it grow, but it is a pebble nonetheless. The joint growth and challenge endured in the residency this past month can quickly subside in a place like LONDON, so I am careful when I venture to be impacted by a small country, by a small community, for big clouds still cast bigger shadows.

CICER-08 Exhibition Images

Gisela's video Projection "Sombra"



Abraao's Disruptions of Narrations



The Guests



Magaly's photo manipulations



Antonio's Sound Piece




Abraao Installing Work

Hand-out for CICER-08 Exhibition, 'Assomada to Praia, Diretu'

‘Assomada to Praia, Diretu’
CICER-08 Residency Exhibition, Palacio Di Cultura – June 6th to 9th 2008

Welcome to the CICER-08 Residency Exhibition. CICER is proud to present the first exhibition of its Residency in the Palacio Di Cultura, a historical place for cultural insight in the heart of the capital city, Praia. CICER is a Residency which brings Person’s of Cultural Interest from around the world to Cape Verde so they may participate and collaborate with Cape Verdean Creatives. This year we have three artists who have come from three very culturally pressured areas and who themselves are immersed in contemporary discussions of identity and bi--sometimes tri--culture realities. Accompanying them in this exhibition is a Cape Verdean Creative who himself skates the thin ice of codified artistic practices, of practices and positions which debunk traditional roles of art thinking in the country. The milieu in this exhibition space compiles Creatives who reflect interdisciplinary concerns, for the presumed space of the traditional artist no longer exists inside contemporary areas of critical discourse.

And so are the conversations presented to us today that say we are speaking of something globally familiar. Gisela Creus’ work fixates on to us the person of person, the role of the shadow as a convoluted reflection of the Self. With her studies of the Self, she questions positions of foreignness and identification. She contextualizes herself as Other by de-contextualizing her walking partner, seen only when light is shed on her. Literal light then becomes a metaphor for understanding self; placing herself where ignorance is no longer justified; she has entered the space of the gaze. But are justifications not a play of sounds, of thoughts and quiet hums, where such hums often bounce into loud and interrupting levels; where it seeks to be justified. Antonio Rocha’s work emphasizes the thought of modernity’s interruption by simplifying it into repetitive phrases that ask of its value. The work becomes anything but answers to the questions they may pose, but more like loud thoughts in search of answers. Abraão Vicente’s conversations could also be in thought, fragmentation not only distracts communication it also emphasizes thought. If movement is a sequence of uninterrupted thoughts then how can we interrupt the sequential need for narration—possibly by splicing the conversations and abstracting the narrative? His interruptions of movement in his photo montages speak not only about the need for periods of thought, but also for space and un-recollective narratives. The artifice of narrative, should one choose this case, can best be seen in Magaly Ponce’s work, where collective imagery responds to personal whim and listens to creative composites of thought. Ponce’s work transplants and transposes the changes she has gone through in the country by amalgamating images into postcards scenes. The images themselves are inherently fiction, yet they remain absolutely real. She asks: what it is that is really fixed, in this emerging and submerging Kreolu culture?


CICER would like to thank the following institutions and individuals for the contribution and time they have given to the success of this year’s residency

Institutions

Palacio Di Cultura
SOS Children’s Villages
University of Cape Verde
Associação De Capoeira
Fundação Amilcar Cabral
Raiz Di Polon
Rocha Family Residency


Individuals

Angelo Barbosa
Jose Maria Barreto
Abraão Vicente
Mario Pereira
César Schofield Cardoso
Nick Hanson
Maria Da Veiga Rocha (Yaya)

Back to the question, why Assomada?

June 10th

Why not? How simple would this answer be if you had some information on this city, for nothing I will write now will convey its complexity, but I can only try, and hopefully your imagination will take over; explore its idea.
Assomada is not Praia for one. It does not carry the heavy weight of 'Capital,' and it does not want its presence either; this I have already asserted. It is a city that received the title of 'city' only five years ago, so it is a baby; an infant.
As a young child it is full of spirit and intrigue. It looks onto other places with some admiration but it also looks at itself as a source of admiration, for it studies itself much like a child does.
Assomada is in a place of change, surely, for it has grown into a city. It has grown rapidly by immigrant money. The Diaspora called for it and It responded. Earth cliffs have been moved, torn part and spaced so this once small town could flourish into the island's second city. It sits at the top of a mountain whose peak is now the physical city. It has been opened and opened more in the last few years so homes could be built and dreams could be materialized. Space, and imagination, was once all some citizens had; a desolate site where a small group of people made their home after noticing its fresh mountain peak winds and its broad overlooking shoulders; these were the days of the 'Portuguese.' But now Assomada is becoming limited, for like many cities it is where most people are moving to; mostly the young and the restless.
Cities grow unpredictably; one never knows which pocket of homes will one day turn into the compilation called city. It is true that you need space, or an area that can be opened for space. With this in mind Assomada will only grow only so far; it is, after all, on the top of a mountain.
And so we think of its combinations. It is a city that is in the middle of the island. It does not have a beach next to it, though the closest one is only a thirty minute ride away. The island is not that big to begin with. It is a place that one still knows every one, its identity is still in tact holding on to those days of small community living; in Assomada if you are new you too will soon be known.
Up to very recently it grew at a small rate, making sure that people knew each other and that strangers would’t be such for long. Land was bought by the Diaspora, those members from afar, or who once where far and now are near enough to buy; for most of them always planned to move back. With the dying age being pushed higher there's an increase of people who are actually living what they have worked for all their immigrant lives, their retirement. Most such persons are away in large Western cities and want some part of this sentiment to stay with them, Assomada than gives them this middle space Home and Travel, of old and new, but it also gives them the very new, the mobile, the faster, the more accessible. This is where the city now lays, between the rural idea, which is holding on tight in light of recent, and seen, events about its older brother Praia - a city whose crime level is rising, where pollution is increasing and prices are soaring, where traffic is now common and insecurity a new closing horizon - and the rural mountains of scarcity and distance, safety and common; of predictability.
Assomada can now give off some pleasures of Praia, those wanted and asked for, such as closeness, shopping stores, and differences. As a new city it is arranging itself so it may provide its members with the necessities to fulfill their much anticipated needs; they don’t have to run to Praia any more, they can now buy car and home insurance in Assomada, check and rearrange their flight plans, and get lost in the new 'modern night life', you can visit a local hospital now and not have to run to Praia, eat in small restaurants or just hang out in the local city plaza.
It’s been said that Assomada, being a city and all, is actually the safest place in the whole island. By listening to this one should not think that the island itself is unsafe, on the contrary, comparing to known countries and islands of the size Santiago is remarkably safe, but it is interesting to me that Assomada is considered safer then most smaller rural communities.
In my reflections of the city I wonder what's to happen to it, as it grows and is influenced by its older brother Praia. They are, after all, only an hour away from each other! I know that it will have to change, though I feel I would like it not to, but change is a predictble future for everything we know, so many of the aches Praia is now dealing with will in time reach its core. But for now, this place in the middle, the space where the rural and the urban meet, the place of absolute wonder and balance. This is why CICER is here, for this is a study in and off itself of what balanced community could be like. It is a place of Magic really, a place where stranger won't be such for long.

Angelo Barbosa, Musician, post-modernist! Post-Modern Musician?

A few days ago I was over Angelo’s house. We, the residents, were invited for an after lunch session. Magda, his wife, and their two sons were as inviting as any kind hearted people could be; that Cape Verdean-ness could be seen, culture, hospitability, comfort and all the rest. Their home was very modern in appearance and function, up on the west side of Praia where many middle class homes are being built. Long walk paths are on the making, ocean strolls are being encouraged; privacy is also being looked at. The way of living is changing for some residents, more apparent here in this section of modernization. It cemented the fact to me that aesthetics of the middle class tend to be the same. Karl Marx spoke eloquently on this, so I will not attempt, I will just say that it is almost bone chilling how things can be so similar yet never have come in to contact with each other. The difference here, which is more of an inward reality, is that many of these persons, new Middle residents, are actually not too ‘Middle.’ For some they bought land when land was at a cheaper rate and then saved, loaned and built their small scapes. Homes have not been bought outright as a sign of wealth, more as a small climb towards a comfortable stay, but it is in that stay that middle class values grow and groom themselves; it is the aesthetic I mentioned earlier.
Anyhow the reason why I am writing this section on Angelo Barbosa is not because of the zone where he lives (partly), but more the art that he makes. We, the residents, had a chance to hear his music, in his studio on the second floor of his home. It had been critict as not being Cape Verdean, but he says that his intention’s where always to challenge the music in the country, to do productions which are unique in some way. I could tell by his demeanor that he not only enjoyed his music making process but that he also liked His music. He had once told me how he stopped making music because of the lack of commitment musicians in the land have towards productivity and challenge. His argument mostly stood in the space of punctuality, that punctuality had incredible strength, it not only gets minds in contact when you want them contacted, but it also gets things done, sot they may be accessed, evaluated, etc… On that I told him that money in small, poor countries, creates punctuality, but that discussion is for another session.
Agelo’s music is very synthetic, it uses synthetic sounds; for he’s more tangibly, a key-boardist. In his music he uses the elements the keyboard provides, its manipulation of sounds at a push of a button. This instrument, when it first came out (not initially first, but in use) was a breakthrough, so much so that it revolutionized music in most third-world countries. It was not only an accessible instrument, with different levels of cost as compared to a piano, it could also perform multiple deeds single handedly; as well its manipulation of sounds could trigger immediate reactions, from sentimental to heuristic. In the compilation of songs he played for us this tool was mostly used. Its emphasis at times was a bit overpowering, insensitive to its surrounding elements, those of other instruments or the occasional singing voice. Still, the play with which he constructed the base for the sounds where very encouraging. He demonstrated an ear for improvisation much like jazz and blues. The deep use of convoluted patterns suggested exploration and innovation more so then arrogance and over-compilation. The rhythms were measured and well maintained, spots of disco and funk could be heard in the transitional inward conversations of the music. The strong synthetic mix of church organs and electric guitar was a fusion reminiscent of the end of disco era in the States; some of the music could have easily fit in that time. For this one asks if it is innovative or merely transposing ideas and thoughts. Possible answers may be the words of the first artist singing in the first track of the CD, when he spoke about black imprisoning and shackles the breaking of them and of the Future Man, the black man. These words recalled sixties spoken words of revolt and power, and for a person like myself, who mostly grew up in the States and who, as a spoken word poet, has listened to many such poems it places this particular song in a land already explored (one could always claim innocence of exploration though) but on another turn of scales some other voices on different tracks tried to adjust the space where this music was meant to function, the kreolu culture. I would have omitted such references, or would have worked on them more. They came of pleading for entry in a culture that is very critical of any contemporary inferences on its traditional values. On this matter Angelo should have followed his inhibitions and continued on challenging himself through out the process, but it seems he often skated with caution thinking of where he was and how he would be critict. His music is slightly premature, maturity is still some time away, but his direction is uniquely post-modern for a country which has yet to pass through its modern period.

It all comes down... and thoughts remain

June 9th

Well, the show came down yesterday. As it is I had to go to Praia, so I decided to take down the exhibition; safe another day’s trip. The space now empty reminded me of the beginning, when things started and we were the starters. The residency is at an end, the show is down, the thoughts have been exhibited and the discussions—should some have been created—are currently in dialogue. The responses have been positive, for the most part. The Creatives of the land, those who participated with us, seem to have taken what we gave. They have critict, and I am sure critict further in and amongst them. The residency has some establishment, for many of them have said that they may even take their vacations next year around this time, so they may give more time to the residency.
In discussing the promotion of the residency and the activity of it, one has to admit that it went on a positive slant. My goal with the project is to have some interactivity, some form of play and action so there are conversations, information really. There’s a part of the residency which is about education, on both parts. I like the residents to learn from this place, this visible transitions in one of our world’s lands. I always say that this place is magic. The global scope is here for us all to see, and in it we can see how information and interactivity can bring formalities to the creative process of any country. Cape Verde is small, the islands are separated from each other and even further, towns and villages are separated as well; communication happens through the grape vine, although I have to say that mobile phones are sweeping the country; texting is ever increasing and elements that were out of reach just five years ago are closer and more immediate. This too can happen with the arts, the proximity of thought and action can happen in such a place in an interesting way because of the elements mentioned above. We do art not for answers that are understood by all, sometimes it is not even understood by us who make it, but we are a means to many answers. We converse with the problems of our environments and our contributions are always a part of the conversation, as such, introductions of information are essential towards the sustainability of such answers. An overwhelming complaint I have heard since being here is the lack of support for contemporary art, and the lack of understanding by the locals. These words come from local creatives and are reminiscent of complaints on art in almost every part of the world. If this is so, we then have a kind of familiarity when it comes to the understanding of ‘art.’ Are we then not responsible for also infusing such questions in to our practices? Cape Verde should not open its ways to the ‘contemporary’ just because others have, its stubbornness is an essential ingredient in the natural process of change. Doors should not be opened only because some one is knocking, it is he who is knocking that needs to convince to person to open the door. I find that artist often feel like they are privileged, in a position of authority, that they should be a demanded part of our culture and as such entry should be granted. In the West Art history makes this argument for the contemporary artist, it tells her that she is important and that she will be listened to if she has support from those who place art objects in the forefront of cultural acclivity, but though art has depended on such sponsorships to survive as a payable practice, the artist’s role has never depended on it. She creates out of necessity, out of uneasiness and a lack of generalized language to be able to speak her position. So, the artist will always live and has always lived as its own need. In Cape Verde contemporary artist have plugged into the bug that is the ‘art establishment,’ the engine that was created outside of this country that says it (the art and artist) is important and needs listening to, but I say the artist needs to create the space to be listened to. When we relinquish our attitudes of ‘making’ out of uneasiness and ‘showing’ out of impute, when we leave our space of ‘work’ only for our work, then we have failed. We are not owed anything because we work in ways that are visual and a-part of, we are owed when we’ve brought to attention our piece of the conversation—key word here is WE, artist included—and what are we owed is time, just like all the others who are involved in the round table of culture.