From La Trinity to London
From La Trinity to London is a 30”x24” painting, in acrylic and mixed media on canvas board.
It tells the story of five migrant women, all Hindus, who migrated from a common district in Trinidad to London 15-25 years ago in order to pursue alternative career paths, but who still cling to fragments of the lives that they left behind through cultural and religious traditions from their native land.
Central to the painting is The Temple in The Sea located in Waterloo, Trinidad. The actual temple was built stone by stone by Siewdass Sadhu, a poor labourer and Hindu devotee, over a period of 25 years, against all odds, who started the construction by walking one stone at a time out into the ocean in periods of low tide. Thus it is a testament to the ‘leap of faith’ undertaken by these migrant women.
The temple is surrounded by red, white and black jhandis [Hindu religious flags], the colours of the national flag of Trinidad and Tobago. Five Scarlet Ibis, one of the national birds of the twin-island Republic, leave their flock below the lush green canopy and fly towards the glittering Christmas lights decorating the distant London Bridge. The difference in the time-zone is also indicated as, at dawn, the Scarlet Ibis rise from their roost in the Caroni Swamp in a synchronous ballet but at sunset, they fly at different times.
The cultural traditions that warm the hearts of the migrants are also represented. The domino [mask textured into the base of the canvas] is iconic to the Trinidad Carnival, which represents the fun-loving nature and carefree spirit of their compatriot while the brilliance of the vegetation and the ocean evokes their longing for the calmness of the beaches and nature resorts. The high relief areas at the base of the painting were created by mixing hand-made paper, dyed with saffron and embedded with dried petals, into the paint. The saffron represents the traditional spice used by all Trinidadians in their recipes. The petals are a keepsake from Trinidad and the hand-made paper is a testament to the traditional values revered by the migrant women and still maintained in most Trinidadian families.
It tells the story of five migrant women, all Hindus, who migrated from a common district in Trinidad to London 15-25 years ago in order to pursue alternative career paths, but who still cling to fragments of the lives that they left behind through cultural and religious traditions from their native land.
Central to the painting is The Temple in The Sea located in Waterloo, Trinidad. The actual temple was built stone by stone by Siewdass Sadhu, a poor labourer and Hindu devotee, over a period of 25 years, against all odds, who started the construction by walking one stone at a time out into the ocean in periods of low tide. Thus it is a testament to the ‘leap of faith’ undertaken by these migrant women.
The temple is surrounded by red, white and black jhandis [Hindu religious flags], the colours of the national flag of Trinidad and Tobago. Five Scarlet Ibis, one of the national birds of the twin-island Republic, leave their flock below the lush green canopy and fly towards the glittering Christmas lights decorating the distant London Bridge. The difference in the time-zone is also indicated as, at dawn, the Scarlet Ibis rise from their roost in the Caroni Swamp in a synchronous ballet but at sunset, they fly at different times.
The cultural traditions that warm the hearts of the migrants are also represented. The domino [mask textured into the base of the canvas] is iconic to the Trinidad Carnival, which represents the fun-loving nature and carefree spirit of their compatriot while the brilliance of the vegetation and the ocean evokes their longing for the calmness of the beaches and nature resorts. The high relief areas at the base of the painting were created by mixing hand-made paper, dyed with saffron and embedded with dried petals, into the paint. The saffron represents the traditional spice used by all Trinidadians in their recipes. The petals are a keepsake from Trinidad and the hand-made paper is a testament to the traditional values revered by the migrant women and still maintained in most Trinidadian families.