Art Installations
In addition to a variety of launches, technical trainings and sessions, UR Caribbean offered a unique way to better understand the resilience agenda through community engagement initiatives spanning from the arts to sports.
Starting with the Opening Ceremony, UR Caribbean collaborated with the Barbados Museum and Historical Society to add “risk layers” to some of the standing exhibits, resulting in one minute video installations that augmented the museum’s collection to consider the effects of natural hazards. Art was woven throughout the entire week’s events at the University of West Indies Cave Hill campus, and were made to represent risk themes like seasonal rain forecasts, disasters and financing over time, and even fractural hurricanes. Featured artwork included:
- A series of “data-garden” installations.
- Tableaus, timelines, palm trees, bush tea plots, and benches in collaboration with Fresh Milk Barbados.
- Satellite artwork by Santiago Espeche inspired by Caribbean poetry.
See press article: “Merger of art and science helps public understand risk reduction” – Dominica News Online
Community Engagement Activity
To close the week, UR teamed up with prominent players and figures from the West Indies Cricket team as well as actors in the DRM space to host a “cRISKet” match (Cricket + Risk) to raise public awareness of disaster risk across the region the day before the official beginning of hurricane season. Metaphors were used to draw connections between the game and how it relates to natural disasters. See highlights from the match here.
For example, think of the ball as a hurricane, spinning as it advances towards the vulnerable wicket, threatening to hurt those who are not well protected. Through the game, the players anticipate the direction of the ball and its likely impact well before it hits, just like an early warning system for hurricanes. Players from the region that participated included Tino Best, James Adams, Sylvester Athanaze, Ridley Jacobs, Donald Barthley (Zorol), Nixon McLean, Michael Matthews, Sherwin Campbell, Resheleel Griffith, Kyle Mayers, Charlene Taitt, Dwayne Smith, Nikita Miller, Philo Wallace and more. All proceeds from the match went to CDEMA’s Regional Emergency Assistance Fund.
“The courage to see, then reflect, then take action, is made clear with art. Understanding Risk Caribbean invites us to experience new ways of seeing. With Satellite Art, up and on we embark, beyond resilience.”
-Pablo Suarez, artist-in-residence, National University of Singapore
-Janot Mendler de Suarez, visiting research fellow, Boston University