Reflections

Something shifts inside

Something shifts outside

And vice versa.

*

Elspeth

Home Sweet Home

Pippa climbing up my leg prior to her leg injury

*

Operation successful.

At least 2 weeks of keeping quiet so that her leg can heal properly.

Returning home today.

:)

*

Elspeth

New day

It

is

Dawn.

First birds.

Sky black with white pin pricks

Turns indigo with shrimpy golden dawn wisps.

I will go for my walk after I write this.

Down this road

Turn right

Turn right again

Turn left

Turn right

Turn left

Keep going.

Around.

Or maybe not.

New route

Today.

Then later ...

Curvy narrow roads

Through green

To the riverside.

Release the hum of civilisation.

Listen.

Leaves.

Water.

Wind.

Open.

Overdue.

Lunch.

Interview.

Dictaphone.

Write.

Article.

Today.

*

Elspeth

INtroDUCTION

Another exhibition archived. This one was my first solo exhibition (2001) entitled INtroDUCTION (click here to visit)

It was entirely interactive. In those days I was into collecting "junk" - old windows, driftwood, etc. ... so many of the pieces in the exhibition were created from those found objects.

*

As with Waiting for Elaine, no written account can substitute for your personal experience of the show, especially as I create a lot of interactive work to enable each person to have their own journey.

*

Elspeth

Tabula Rasa

Hmmm ...

Quiet.

*

E

Browse at your leisure ...

Thanks to all. We've reached 100 ... and there will always be many more good things to experience, whether written or not. See here

*

MEANWHILE ...

Title Shot

from the photo-fiction series of my 2004 exhibition

I am in the process of archiving (on line) some of my past exhibitions.

Click here to visit the page that will give you a small taste of my solo interactive photography exhibition, Waiting for Elaine, held in April last year (2004) in the Gallery of the National Museum. (If for some reason you can't access the link there, scroll down a bit and look to the left under LINKS: Happy Hippy Projects. Click there and in the left sidebar you will see Waiting for Elaine under Video Projects. Click on that to access). It won't give you the fullness and feel of the real experience ... but you can still have a browse and get an overview.

*

Most of the black & white photos that were in the W.F.E. exhibit can be found here. I have since given the photos names (as you will see on the online archive). But in the exhibition I simply named them as Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc. ... all the way to the final "chapter": The Cosmic Conclusion.

*

Elspeth

I spy

... with my little eye ...

... something beginning with

S

(sky)

How many S things are there in your immediate surroundings?

*

(In my room ...)

Sneakers

Slippers

Stomper

Sheets

Sony

Sunscreen

Speakers

Shadows

Sign

Scanner

Strap

Spiral bound book

Stapler

Stereo Set

Scarf

Screen (computer)

Strings (guitar)

Sticker (on guitar)

Shirt

Skin (on drum)

Skin (on me)

*

Elspeth

Today's Ingredients

Measure instinctively and combine for successful results.

1. Decision

2. Determination

3. Application

4. Awareness

5. Honest response to the moment

*

Elspeth

Positive vibes for Pippa

12:16 a.m.

As I write this, Pippa the puppy sits next to me in a basket, in pain. I was awakened by a loud squealing outside and went to find her lying in the dark under the steps, her body somewhat twisted. It looked as though she had fallen ... and she cannot move her back legs.

Unfortunately it's another good few hours until Mount Hope (vet hospital) opens ... which is the worst part. Not being able to "fix it" now.

Positive vibes and prayers, Pip. You'll be okay.

*

E

We're almost there

I love what people have been writing here.

Have you added anything?

Maybe you want to put something new.

*

**

May the list of good things

grow before our eyes,

Stretching for milesmilesmilesmiles ...

*

- Elspeth -

Three angels on Elspeth Road

In the heading I meant to say 'Three ANGLES of Elspeth Road' ... but decided to leave the typo. Who knows ... maybe there are invisible angels standing near to the signs. Took these when I was in England in 2003 and found them yesterday when I was looking through the photos I took that year. Three different signs on Elspeth Road in London. I wonder who that Elspeth was and why they named the road after her.
*

*

*

- Elspeth -

Two thoughts for Tuesday

1. I just thought that something feels different since I started putting "Elspeth" instead of "Happy Hippy" at the end of posts. Sometimes even when I see the name appearing in the comments I jump. Not that I'm not accustomed to writing or seeing my name ... but I had become accustomed to seeing Happy Hippy within this context. Somehow Elspeth seems more open-ended ... perhaps because it has no adjective attached to it.

*

2. Not many people added to this. You still can. We haven't reached 100 yet. I just added one a few minutes ago. Someone was telling me that people find it hard to be optimistic these days and that it's hard to see good things. They don't believe in good things.

*

- Elspeth -

To those who read this

A Power Day.

Oiled smooth.

No resistance.

No friction.

The release of what is not to be.

The receipt of what is.

Slip through

like a breeze

in the company of angels.

*

- Elspeth -

Telepathic

Listen ...

Can you hear me?

Through the static

Random words
Hazy images

Cannot receive the full message(s).

But something is coming ...

*

- Elspeth -

Another day

Unfolding

Unfolding

Unfolding

Unfolding

Layers peeling

Revealing

Revealing

Revealing

Revealing

*

- Elspeth -

(At least) 100 Good Things

1. When I woke up this morning I felt peaceful as though something had washed over me

2. Birds singing outside was the first thing I heard

3. I had great dreams last night

4. Today looks as if it will be a slightly overcast, cool day

5. Weather permitting, I will go shooting (i.e. video) later

6. I still have some work to do but the bulk of it is finished, so I feel freer to do my own projects after

7. Yesterday I put money in my savings and didn't feel a sense of financial depletion

8. I am alive and well

9. My family, pets and friends are alive and well

10. I feel that despite some "negative" things that seem to be happening around us lately, there are many more positives

*

Feel free to continue listing (in the comments section).
Put as little or as many as you want (personal or generic).
Number them, following on from where the last person left off (e.g. after my #10, the next "good thing" will be #11 and so on) ... until we have at least 100
*

- Elspeth -

Not the full thing

Grey sky

White rain

Brown flood water

Transparent wind

Birds singing in the silent pockets

of Emily's watered down passing.

Like now.

*

- Elspeth -

One thing at a time

*

7:24 a.m.

This is an addition to this morning's original post which simply said: One thing at a time (with the $1 strip) ... meaning that I feel so busy these days that I'm reminding myself to do one thing at a time ... (and that it will still all get done).

*

Then I went to buy papers ($1 each) and walked up the road reading about bomb-related reports ... and about Tropical Storm Emily heading for Tobago.

Then I reach home to hear that it's Hurricane Emily, heading for us ...

*

One thing at a time.

First the bomb ...

Then a potential hurricane ...

Then ...?

*

As usual the feeling persists throughout TT that "God is a Trini".

Therefore "nothing can happen".

*

God is Universal.

*

The place is beginning to feel dark,

but looking outside it seems to be a normal day.

Sky a bit grey, sun peeping through, clouds very still.

By later today we will know whether Emily will indeed hit as a hurricane, die down to a storm or swerve and avoid us entirely.

*

$1 = change.

*

Elspeth

One bomb

A bomb (apparently with timer set for 2:03 p.m.) went off in Port-of-Spain yesterday. 14 people have been reported injured (2 seriously). In my memory I don't think I've heard of a bomb here. An example of what I mean about the one dollar image being a symbol of change. This one dollar image seems to be recurring (unintentionally) here on this site recently. It's not like I said 'let me do something with this dollar every day' ... but that in itself is a symbol of how far one dollar can stretch.

*

$1 also = 2 small boxes of matches.

*

- Elspeth -

What it looks like

Anonymous/Question the Moment, this is what you were asking about yesterday - the dollar.

What can it buy these days?

3 or 4 dinnermints?

It's been a while since I bought doubles, so I don't know if they're still a dollar ... maybe $1.25 or $1.50

I don't even think a dollar can buy a pie.

It can no longer pay for a PH taxi ride up the road ... or a 'short drop'.

The only thing that I can think of a single dollar purchasing on its own these days is a few sweets.

Even one lime costs more than a dollar (unless you pick it from your own tree)!

As a child, getting a dollar from the tooth fairy was like getting gold. The other day I was talking to some little girls who get $100 and more per tooth.

As children we used to put on plays and invite the neighbourhood, charging an admission of 25 cents. Today a child would scoff at 25 dollars.

I suppose one dollar notes have to add up to make any sense.

*

One dollar notes are for change.

Symbols of change.

Like yesterday's transformation.

*

In other news: Shot more footage for Street Life yesterday.

*

- Elspeth -

One

See the Eye

in this simple,

single dollar

transforming

*

- Elspeth -

Music for the Movie of your Mind

CLICK

*

- Elspeth -

Nuff said, nuff done

Well ... I just wrote a very long post, which started with thanking Nuff for stirring the inner waters ... and when I pressed the "PUBLISH POST" button it all disappeared because TSTT had cut off my connection ...

*

Maybe the post was lost because all the details weren't necessary.

Maybe the line I had ended with was all I needed to say ...

Yes, it is tiring.

Today

My Spirit is tired

but will not walk away from me.

Has enough been said and done?

I see

and yet I don't.

We all do.

*

- Elspeth -

Being a Trini (?)

Acceptance. Understanding. Open-mindedness. Willingness to explore. Individualism. Originality. Discovery. Expansion. Creativity. Stepping out of predefined and potentially confining boundaries. Creating new forms. Expressing. Totality. Limitlessness. Being myself/yourself/ourselves.

My 6 year old nephew's silhouette in this scene from the Street Life video

*

An interesting debate was started yesterday, sparked by a comment made by Nuff (said).
*
I understand where Nuff is coming from ... and, as such, I am inspired to express the following thoughts. The premise used is one that I have encountered often over the years. Personally, in terms of my own art and music, I have received comments like: "Your music is too foreign" ... or "Your art is not local" ... or "Your work is too different. People won't understand it."
*
I 'accept' those comments because everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But I ignore those comments because I am putting out creative work in response to inspiration from a place that has nothing to do with my geography ... and has no basis in efforts to please anyone. There are those who like it, those who don't like it, those who are confused by it, those who walk away from it, those who thank me for it, those who are inspired by it.
*
The other day in a TV interview, one of the women interviewing me said (in reponse to my talking about my work): "Your art is too sophisticated. I'm getting the feeling that it makes people think." Hmmmm ... Another misconception ... Trinis don't and can't think! Or feel,
*
And what is this word "too"? What does it really mean? Too different ... Too sophisticated ... Too foreign ... Too me?
*
Why underestimate the abilities of someone from Trinidad or Tobago to understand, appreciate or feel anything that is "different"? I have a saying I came up with a few years ago in response to that very premise. I used it in a post a few months ago: Everything was a strange combination before we got used to it. Once upon a time Trinis did not know about doubles or roti (of Indian origin). Now it is one of the national staples.
*
In the past two years when I've been to England for two of my films, I've seen the difference in the way that people take in the work and show their appreciation for it. They take it for what it is - not for where it's from (even though they will naturally acknowledge the artist's country of origin). When All of Emily showed in Manchester, a pin could have dropped throughout - and I would have heard it. The silence of attention and appreciation, undistracted by trivialities. And back home: silence yes ... or the odd "Oh my God!" ... or the man who got up and walked out with the loud comment of "What de hell is dis?!" when a particular scene disturbed him.
*
And on a personal level I also felt the difference when abroad - appreciation of me as a creative person, of the work created, a willingness to discuss and ask questions ... rather than making flippant comments that have nothing to do with anything ... such as "Dat's not a Trini film" (or rather, flim) or "Why yuh didn't put a pan in yuh video?" or "How come yuh eh use calypso?" or ... bla bla bla, etc etc etc. I'm not saying all TT's think like that ... and neither am I putting down those who do.
*
Perhaps someone reading this may say: "She divorcin' sheself from she culture, boy!" Is that possible? (And by 'culture' I don't mean pan, calypso and Carnival). Someone asked me recently in an interview if, as an artist, I was frustrated and stifled by Trini society. My answer was no. I recognize the limitations that exist and I believe that who I am now as an artist has, to an extent, been shaped by those limitations. One can either give into the "lack" of something, sit back and be frustrated, waiting for others to offer you opportunities ... or override the lack of interest in and support for creative ventures and create your own opportunities.
*
Question: What is 'culture', then ... if it's not pan, calypso and Carnival? To me it is the spirit of a place. Does spirit have boundaries? Does spirit express itself through one medium? In one 'language'?
*
Criticism. What is it? Where is the consctructive criticism within our society? The criticism that enables people to grow and stretch beyond themselves by seeing where they can improve. I've seen creative peers crippled by newspaper critics who seem to sadistically enjoy ripping their work to shreds. None of it sounds consctructive to me.
*
In closing, I'll dedicate a line from Malik's song to the Trinbagonians who are too interested in haggling over whether something is "local enough" or not to see the work for what it is: OPEN YUH EYES, I KNOW YOU AIN'T BLIND.
*
This is Elspeth Duncan from Trinidad & Tobago and this is her work. Fullstop.
And ditto for the countless others who produce (and will continue to produce) work that is inspired by something other than the cliche of 'nationality'.

*

- Elspeth -

Street Life will continue

This image is not from the Street Life video, but it's from the street (under the bridge by the Port-of-Spain market). Work on the video will continue ... but will take a brief backseat as I finish up some other work I have to do for a deadline. Hopefully will be able to get the extra shots done this weekend.

- Elspeth -

Street Life: Interview Malik

I did this interview with hip-hop artiste Malik some time ago when we had been out looking at some locations I wanted him to see ...

Elspeth: Tell me when this all started for you ... your writing.

Malik: My writing started when I was about twelve, thirteen years. I started writing poetry as a form of therapy ... to express myself.

E: What inspired you at that age? What things did you write about, mainly?

M: A lot of stuff I wrote about was how I felt as a person. You know ... because of the secondary school I went to as well. I went Morvant Laventille and there was a lot of negativity around there. So I used to use the poetry as a way to express myself.

E: Commenting on the negativity or looking for solutions?

M: Actually, a little bit of both. Commenting and talking about the solution itself. Like talking about love and talking about depression.

E: How did you move from "paper" to "people"? How did your poetry move from being a private thing to being a public thing?

M: Well actually I think it was when I was about fifteen. I listened to a lot of reggae music, a lot of conscious music ... like Sizzla and Capleton. More or less I used to chant and thing when I was in school. I used to be doing that and singing for my friends and stuff. Just for fun and just for games ... you know, just do it just to get a laugh ... and the girls ... the music is all in that.

E: And then you got involved with the Circle of Poets?

M: Circle of Poets came long after. Circle of Poets came roughly about 2000, but I got into hip hop. The reason why ... I started doing rap ... because somewhere around '98/'99 the dancehall music or the reggae music to me wasn't appealing as such. I find the lyrical content - to me - it had just dropped, so I wanted something more attached to me to actually say exactly what yuh mean ... so that's how I got into hip hop, to actually express and say this is what's going on, so-so-so is the case and this is why I'm doing what I'm doing now.

E: But what is it about Hip Hop in particular that draws you to that particular form of expression? Hip Hop as opposed to, let's say, rock music.

M: Well ... to tell you the truth, I'm not really a rock fan. (Laughing) But hip hop is just the beats ... sometimes they catch you with the beats ... and rap itself is rhythm like American poetry ... that's exactly what rap is. Hip hop is the style, rap is what you do. You know rapping is a way ... just expressing you. You know every rapper has a different accent, every rapper have a different way he phrases words - that talks about who you are ... if you're real, if you're fake or if you're just trying to be everyone else.

E: Okay. Tell me about Street Life.

M: Well Street Life - this is basically one of the songs that has a lot of meaning to me. It touches on a lot of stuff on domestic violence, abuse - well, child abuse - it touches on suicide, gang-related violence. You know, just a way for me to put it across and express it through a poetry style. That's basically what Street Life is ... talking about what goes on in the streets. But you know when people hear about "street life" they think about bang bang, shoot-up, gangster type ... but it isn't about that. It's about what goes on in the street, but not really focusing on the negativity, but actually giving you solutions.

E: What do you hope to achieve from having done the video?

M: Well, hoping to achieve a lot more exposure through this. My album is supposed to be coming out soon, so that song would be on the album. A lot of recognition to my producer, Navid Lancaster ... and to the editor and director, Elspeth Duncan ... you know? (chuckling) She's very deep in her thoughts. Probably just really being bold and being cocky and being full of myself. Probably leaving the country and doing a couple of shows in England and all about (more chuckling) ... and making a lot of money.

E: Why not? Let's hope we all do!

M: Yeah ... you have to speak it into being, more or less.

E: Yes.

M: Yeah.

E: Okay, great. Any message to anyone who may be tuning in? Any message you would like to project as Malik?

M: Malik is ... always original, writing from the heart. Do what you do ... no-one could do you ... just do you to the best and always keep God first.

*
- Elspeth-

Street Life: Lyrics

An image from the Street Life music video.

*

I was never really into hip hop, so when I first got the CD with Street Life on it, I admittedly had to listen repeatedly to understand what Malik was saying. When I told him that I found a lot of the words weren't decipherable to me, he chuckled knowingly and said: "You'll get used to it the more you listen. That's hip hop." He was right. I eventually acclimatised to the lingo and style of delivery and now 'speak fluently'. The song is written from the perspective of youths on the streets and the frustration and crime that can result from hardships faced on that terrain ...

*

Walk the streets full of chalk marks and shells

Surrounded by thugs, drug dealers and baseheads

Lost souls stand parallel from hell

Black zombies rising from the dust

Frustrated, ready to bust

Nothing to lose but everything to gain

Caught in the matrix

Chips in the brain ...

(Some of the lyrics for Street Life by Malik)

*

Actually, it was a video for his song Dying Man that Malik had initially wanted me to do, but when I heard Street Life, I felt we should go with that instead. The beats and music, created by producer Navid Lancaster of Suresound Studio are slow yet moving, capturing the feeling of driving through the streets. There's something simple, infectuous and cross-overish about the overall song which (as a non-hardcore-hiphopper myself), I felt would appeal to a wider audience. It felt like the right move for Malik's first release.

*

TOMORROW: Interview with Malik

*

- Elspeth -

Street Life: a video in progress

This is a still from the video Street Life which I am currently working on for hip hop artiste, Malik. I would say the video is 95% finished. There are just one or two scenes which I will tweak for more meaning.

(Just a little aside before ths post continues: forgot to mention - for those in Trinidad - I will be performing this afternoon from 5:30 p.m. at the Circle of Poets monthly show in the AV room of the National Museum. They have invited me to be their feature guest for today. I'll be crooning some of my tunes, showing two recent short video works, talking about the inspiration behind it all ... and of course there will be interactive experiences).

*

We did the bulk of the shooting last weekend on a backstreet we found downtown ... St. Paul Street (if I remember the name correctly). Quite fortuitiously, I went driving there one afternoon when we were looking for a "streetish" location. It looked perfect - narrow street lined with old houses and quaint buildings, very artistic and colourful graffiti (neatly and purposefully done, yet with a rough feel), no cars passing up and down, quaint bar at corner filled with old men, etc. But what drew me most was the quaint little wooden shop - very hippy - with a rainbow emblazoned across its entire front wall (in rasta colours) and the rest of the walls covered in bright painted flowers, birds, butterflies, etc. and positive words like PEACE, LOVE, UNITY, PROGRESS, HOPE, BLESS, etc. I tried shooting one or two scenes around there, but the afternoon was murky, the CD player wasn't working (to play the song so Malik could synch his lips to it) and it just didn't make sense to continue.

*

Went back the next weekend (me and Malik) and everything rolled smoothly. The bulk of the video takes place on that street (even though you don't really see the street in its entirety, because a lot of the shots are close ups). It's the kind of place that would have most people saying: "That's a rough area! I'm not going there!" But ... ironically ... it was like stepping back in time to a place that could have many people saying: "Oh, we wish Trinidad was like this again!" ... In other words, the words painted on the wooden rainbow shop reflect the feeling of that little backstreet ...

*

SOME OF THE MAIN THINGS THAT STRUCK US ABOUT THAT STREET

1. Old houses - charming, old, quaint, untouched by modernity. Yet ironically Riverside Plaza looms in the background with its glass body.

2. Community spirit - e.g. the charming old man, Carl, who runs a community school and teaches people in the neighbourhood (children and adults) reading and maths. He seems to be like the father of the "hood", chastizing even the roughest looking characters for walking in front of the camera. He got us electricity from a neighbouring house so we could run the extension for the CD player. He got us neighbourhood youths to help out with little things that we couldn't do whilst Malik was singing and I was filming.

3. Very friendly and curious people who got excited when they saw the camera, realised we were shooting a video and gathered around to watch and help in some way. This included Terry, an affable neighbourhood fixture, who was reeking of rum and made himself my assistant director (calling out directions to Malik along with me). And he was pretty good at it too, with an artful eye for framing shots.

4. The street dogs! These cute pothounds (started with one and grew to a small pack) who were not camera shy and managed to make themselves a part of the footage.

*

There was a lot more to that street ... something heartwarming and welcoming. We felt embraced by strangers. Had plans to go back and shoot more footage there, but may not be necessary.

*

- Elspeth -

Fortune

It will come to you when you least expect it,

from where you least expect it.

So don't expect it.

*

- Elspeth -

Elspeth

A slight shift in operations ... I feel like now signing off with just "Elspeth", rather than Happy Hippy. Have been feeling it for a while, but did not actually get around to it until today. Yes, "Happy Hippy" is one of my nicknames (the most popular of which is 'Spec'), it is the shortened form of the name of the business and it was the name I was moved to use from the inception of the blog on 8 January, 2005.
*
But ... the shift to Elspeth perhaps means a new phase in development. I know for me it feels different to sign as Elspeth. And maybe for you it feels different to "see" Elspeth.
*
When I make comments they will probably still say "Happy Hippy" , but I'll try and tweak that later today when I have time.
*

- Elspeth -