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Melanie Archer on Marlon Darbeau

En Route . . . Of Bridges and Barriers
Marlon Darbeau at Alice Yard, Port of Spain, Trinidad
December 10-13, 3008

click on the image to go to enRoute flickr folder

Logic and careful organization are seldom ingredients found in response to a particularly frustrating or aggravating situation. But last December graphic artist Marlon Darbeau pulled off such a feat with En Route . . . Of Bridges and Barriers—a social commentary via installation mounted at Alice Yard in Woodbrook, Trinidad.

Locally born, raised, and educated, Darbeau came out of the design tradition of the John Donaldson Technical Institute, and is a contemporary of Richard Rawlins and Dave Williams, who have recently opened up local discourse on art and society through the online magazine, Draconian Switch.

Before I saw the exhibition, I wondered how a designer would fare showing work under the umbrella of fine art, which has a long tradition of casting a downward glance at design. Looking at Trinidad and Tobago from an art historic standpoint, this has certainly been true. During the early 1990s, local artists like Steve Ouditt, Christopher Cozier, and Eddie Bowen were disparaged by the art establishment for creating works that relied heavily on design principles. Do installation art and conceptual works have a proper place Trinidad and Tobago’s artistic climate, or do old paradigms still rule?

A survey of local exhibitions states that they do, but shows like En Route suggest a loosening grip. The climate is changing; spaces like Alice Yard nod at the notion that intention and ideas are important factors in creating art. Darbeau and other non-traditional artists may find a place here after all, particularly with younger viewers who, as a group, appear open to paint and ideas alike.

EnROUTE3

In En Route, Darbeau railed quietly in a minimum palette of orange and black, using traffic problems and iconography not only as an indication of but also an eloquently assembled metaphor for the local government’s shortcomings and Trinidad’s current socio-economic, belt-tightening, crime-ridden climate. Traffic symbols (cones, barriers, bumps) performed double duty in creating an easily navigable and accessible work of contemporary art that was visually oh too familiar. A detour symbol at the gate welcomed viewers in, while a broken median line pushed them forward into the space. Along one wall, in reference to and defiance of the common, spray-painted “Stick No Bills” sign, digital drawings using speed bump silhouettes lined the way, temporarily slowing down the viewer en route to the rest of the show.

It has been suggested—rightly so, I think—that Darbeau must spend a lot of time in traffic. If you’ve driven in Trinidad within the past five years you would know the frustration of being stuck for what seems like hours at a stretch, cursing at the futility of the situation (or, possibly, at other drivers who make things worse by breaking laws to get ahead). Your way is blocked and you’re literally trapped. Worse yet if it’s the rainy season and you have far to go before Port of Spain floods, but the rain is the only thing actually driving on the road. A forlorn look out the window reveals road works that are, ostensibly, being done to ease the congestion but feel more like treatments of the symptom rather than the problem. As bonnets heat so do tempers; here now a diversion en route—another tall building at the side of the road speaks of development, but you’re still not moving.

Around Trinidad, the cacophony of voiced social concerns over traffic and government has become a sort of white noise. How refreshing, then, to have someone comment without words! While using a series of meticulous actions to break down and visually represent a problem is a process typical to designers, placing that response in an artistic context made for a visually pleasing response that eschewed flailing emotions for provocative symbolism. One of En Route’s successes is that, in presenting viewers with an accessible language they could understand and relate to, it pulled art down from its local pedestal, bridging the gap between the “art crowd” and others.

The symmetrical main component of En Route was installed in the 10×10’ glass fronted box cum gallery, towards the back of Alice Yard. A black and white cutout of a suited running black man holding a briefcase (think Christopher Cozier circa 1994) was mounted on one of the doors. The abeyance of his flight was made ridiculous by the large traffic cone hat perched just so on his head. He looks back. Is he running to or from, or both?

In the middle of the gallery sat a blocky, wooden table painted black and orange with two seats on opposite ends—a classic showdown scenario. These “Barri-stools” (now available to order on Darbeau’s website) adopted the form of the ubiquitous concrete barricades seen on major roadways. Within the context of the exhibition, these functional objects suggested a separation not between right and left, but right and wrong, telling of a game in progress even when players were absent. On each stool sat an orange cushion marked with a black X—that symbol that spells danger on household irritants. (Although I doubt Darbeau meant participants to make such a connection I couldn’t help but think of Sesame Street’s Cowboy X, stamping is eponymous mark on people and places alike.) By using that particular letter, Darbeau turned an object of comfort into one that questioned the tendency to subconsciously settle into an unfavourable situation. Embossed on the four “Barri-stools” that faced the gallery’s interior were words that named the irritants suggested by the cushions (floods, crimes, etc.).

EnROUTE5

Around the gallery, single letter playing cards were hung on the walls to form incomplete words hinting at governmental corruption. On the table, a few more cards were scattered. One of the most intriguing exercises that night was observing people as they interacted with the installation. Although a table and chairs were provided, few actually sat down. Perhaps the lurking “high art” subtext of an otherwise comfortable setup made sitting seem taboo. “Are we allowed to sit?” I heard someone whisper, only to then decline once given the permission to proceed. Perhaps it was the simple fact that there are not many people who would, in essence, willingly place themselves on display while playing a game to which there are no discernable rules and with cards that, while visually appealing, certainly didn’t make up a full deck. Then again, perhaps it was just those damn cushions—like the rest of the installation, a disconcerting visual representation of the false comfort of our reality.

EnROUTE6

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 at 12:37 pm and is filed under Melanie Archer, Marlon Darbeau, Archives, Exchanges, Artists' Projects. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “Melanie Archer on Marlon Darbeau”

Hartford Says:
May 5th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
This has got me thinking, I have a similar post idea, I?m going to do some research and probably reference this. Thanks for the idea.

Melanie Archer on Marlon Darbeau

One Response to “Melanie Archer on Marlon Darbeau”

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