Reiner 7

Participating vs. Encountering in Mas Bands
Alex Reiner
Entry 7 - 2/24

I am an Art History major, specializing in non-western art of the Caribbean islands.  I have been so attracted to this field of study because I can come into a new culture and their art with next to know basis for understanding the imagery or art form.  This lack of a basis of knowledge is challenging in both a positive and challenging way.  It positively affects my study of the art because I cannot rely on any preconceived basis of knowledge about the purpose or meaning behind the art.  It leaves me entirely open to any possibilities.  It is a challenge because it requires vast amounts of research and attempts to grasp concepts and realities very foreign to my own.  Caribbean art has components of the western view of the world, but even then it is muddled and mixed with so many other world views and cultures that it takes on a life of its own.

For my senior thesis project I am researching Trinidadian Carnival, specifically costuming during the two day pre-Lenten festival.  Approximately 100,000 of the million native Trinidadians participate in Carnival every year and they are joined by even more tourists who flock to the island to get a first hand view of this almost unreal experience.  Participation in the event varies in degree from those who stand by in regular clothes or watch from balconies to those fully immersed in the mas bands - dressed head to toe in vibrantly colored and accessorized costumes. 

This division in participating in and encountering Carnival reminded me of the discussion we had in class about the difference in participating and encountering art or beauty.  In the case of those dressed in the Carnival costumes in the streets - they are fully encountering the experience.  While I haven't encountered Trinidadian carnival first-hand (even though I will at some point in the very near future), those engaged in the ecstasy of Carnival- the dancing, the revelry, the costuming - are immersed in the experience, reaching those ecstatic highs and driving themselves to body-collapsing exhaustion.  Those who are onlookers or who temporarily "jump in" to the street dancing do not encounter the entire experience of those who are involved for the 2 straight days and are there for just participating in Carnival.