FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Sunday, June 1, 2014, Doux Doux Darling Productions (DDDP), in association with Mas Rhetorica, will host an exhibition and book signing entitled SEEING BLUE by Kevin A. Browne. A photographer, poet, and assistant professor of rhetoric and writing at Syracuse University, Dr. Browne will exhibit original work from his forthcoming book of photographs, Pay! at Kool Breeze Bar in Paramin, and launch his book, Tropic Tendencies: Rhetoric, Popular Culture, and the Anglophone Caribbean.

SEEING BLUE is a free event that will be open to the public. The exhibition will include a brief presentation by Dr. Browne on the aesthetic and rhetorical dynamics of visual display among the “Redhead Devils,” a band of Blue Devils who performed and competed in this year’s carnival. Very often, photographers and filmmakers document the work of our Carnival artists who seldom benefit from or even see the end products of their own creations.

In Dr Browne’s view, “it is crucial that the performers have the opportunity not only to see how they were being seen, but also to have their payment, as it were, be in the form of fine art that is appreciable, collectible, and consistent with the complexities of their performance.” Following the exhibit, the photographs will be presented at no cost to the performers of the Paramin community who were the subjects of Dr. Browne’s work during Carnival 2014.

In addition to SEEING BLUE, Dr. Browne is developing projects that seek to conduct recuperative community work by tapping into folklife that has retained its productive potential across generations. These projects are not simply about raising awareness of the rich, complex culture of Trinidad and Tobago, they are also about helping to establish appreciation for our heritage products as art, and laying a foundation for research and analysis into how memories and mores of the past influence our political and cultural lives in the present.