Designers seeking to improve costumes
-participate in four-day w
A four-day design workshop for local designers, which was facilitated by the Department of Culture and the Golden Jubilee Festival Committee, concluded on Friday.
The workshop, dubbed the ‘Republic Jubilee Festival Arts Costume Design Workshop’, saw just over 30 participants which included local designers and students of the Burrowes School of Art. It was stated that the main goal was to improve the design and display of costumes for Mashramani 2020 and beyond. Sessions were led by Dr Vibert Cambridge, Antonio Butts, Claire Goring and Alan Vaughan.
Cambridge, who was the coordinator of the workshop, at the closing ceremony observed that
Mashramani has survived two eras of heavy state involvement and is currently facing “fete brands” like Carnival and Soca. He recalled that the workshop was initiated as a result of conversations that started among Guyanese designers during the 2019 Guyana Folk Festival, which was held in Brooklyn, New York. Through those conversations, Cambridge said, it was discovered that there are a number of challenges that face Mashramani, which include management, routes and the viewing experience for patrons, innovations in costume and float design, among others.
He further said that for Mashramani to grow as a tourist attraction, the elements of the festival must be improved. As the costumes and floats are the “jewel in the crown,” efforts should be made to support its improvement, he said.
Following the completion of the workshop, it was expected that the participants would have had opportunities to think about design, imagination, animation, inclusion of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and robotics, to improve performance and displays and would have better communication with the key stakeholders about
Mashramani and its future. The participants also worked in groups to create concepts for floats and costumes, some of which will be brought to life for the Republic Day celebrations next year.
Administrator of the Music School Andrew Tyndall, at the ceremony, stated that the level of comradery which was displayed among the designers throughout the workshop should be the beginnin spa the a g tion
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