I first met Kelly Rajpaulsingh in 2011 at the launch
of the Bacchanila presentation; 'Alter ego through the looking glass’. Kelly was
the first NHC designer/band-leader to actually invite and welcome the Mas
Assassin to a launch fully understanding the critical nature of the blog, but
welcomed both praise and critique with an equal amount of attention gratitude.
“...in my opinion
showed a supreme confidence, in their product, a desire to progress, and
a mature understanding that the opinions expressed in my posts are constructive
(most times) in intention, and done with an undying love for
the art form that is MAS.” (Massassination 18:4:11)
Fast forward to 2013 and with under a week to go, Rajpaulsingh’s
Bacchanila is set to hit the streets of Port of Spain Trinidad with the ‘Sorcerer’
section in the Genesis carnival Ltd 2013 presentation ‘Mirror Mirror who is the...’
In doing so Bacchanila has joined the growing contingent of Trinbagonian
Brits who return to Trinidad and Tobago annually not only to take part, but to creatively
contribute to the Islands version of the greatest show on earth, the Trinidad
and Tobago carnival.
With an incredibly busy schedule to execute Kelly took some time out to answer
a few questions from ‘Massassination Insight’ so you can learn a little more
about the force behind Bacchanila and the plans for the bands future ...
MA: Who is Kelly Rajpaulsingh?
KR: Kelly Rajpaulsingh is half of the
husband and wife team that forms Bacchanalia – one of the leading mas bands in
the UK. I have been involved in the
carnival scene in London for over 10 years and have worked with a number of mas
bands in various capacities. I am
Trinidadian born and bred and moved over to the UK when I was 19.
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| Kelly and Andrew Rajpaulsingh |
MA: Kelly what is your earliest carnival
memory?
KR: My earliest carnival memory
is that of Fancy Indian mas. I was spellbound by the costume, the colour, the
dance and I am pleased to say that this band is still alive and going strong as
one of the main producers of Fancy Indian costumes in Trinidad – also San
Fernando based. Up to today, this is still my most favoured costume of all
time. I remember moving to San Fernando
and walking up the promenade and the very first thing I saw was a fully dressed,
Chief Indian - resplendent and decorated in green and yellow, face painted,
feathers everywhere, beautiful tribal patterns on his body and gown. It’s
remained with me ever since.
We are lucky in that as
children of Trinidad, we are introduced to carnival at a very young age. Primary and Infant schools where you can make
your own costumes using materials from your home and have a small parade on the
school grounds or even by participating in what I believe is the best example
of Trinidad carnival – Carnival Sunday – otherwise known as Kiddies Carnival.
MA: When were you bitten by the carnival
bug?
KR: I believe as Trinidadians,
carnival is in our blood. If you are a ‘creative’
and come from Trinidad, then it consumes you.
This is how I feel about the work I do. I am surrounded by it, my
thoughts are always on it and I absolutely and irrevocably love it. A few years after I came to London and
visited the Notting Hill Carnival, I was deeply unimpressed by what I saw. What
I left in Trinidad was the most creative and splendid spectacle when it came to
mas – and those were the days of Berkeley, Minshall, Harts etc whose creations
and ideas literally blew the mind.
Without any understanding of
the structure, the bands, the restrictions, the audience or participants
involved in the Notting Hill Carnival, I was almost dared by my other half ‘to
do something about it’ rather than bemoan the fact that Notting Hill was a
poorer and much less acceptable presentation of Trinidad carnival. So I did and
haven’t looked back since.
MA: Tell us about your band and its origins.
KR: We launched Bacchanalia in
2005 with
our friends and family supporting us and used very simple materials
and fabrics in our first presentation. Since then, we have gone from strength
to strength and work very hard throughout the year in raising the profile of
the event and in welcoming all nationalities and backgrounds to be a part of
it. Our ethos is to bring friends and
family together – and this is precisely what we have done. We have created a
warm and caring community that come together during the year and help us with
our production. One of the best parts of
what we do is taking that step back and looking at the friendships and bonds
built over making mas and learning about other cultures. At the time of launching, Bacchanalia was a
word made up by my husband and co-founder – today if you Google it, it is a
real word of Greece/Roman origins celebrating the God of Wine and Revelry.
Our designs are well known
for being intricate and very detailed – a derivative of my fashion interest and
extra-curricular studies – I am a banker by day. I spend a lot of time thinking about the
theme, searching for new materials and concepts to use and cost-effective ways
of bringing it out on to the road. I
think Mas is a learning process – one person will never know it all but it’s
always fun to try new things and learn.
MA: Do you see Bacchanalia as a home away
from home for its members and yourself?
KR: Yes and No. The experience
offered in London is not at all similar to that which is offered in
Trinidad. During the months in the lead
up to carnival, you can see it everywhere in Trinidad – the songs are on the
radio and being blasted everywhere, parties and shows and events and the entire
country works itself up into a near frenzy climaxing on the 2 days of revelry
on the streets. London is a much more
diluted affair - even the people that come together to make it happen are
different. Both places offer a fantastic
experience but I always say to our masqueraders – ‘We give you the very best
that we can and the closest thing to a Trinidad carnival experience, but you
have to go there to get the real thing!’. I see London as a teaser for Trinidad
for new masqueraders. My case in point –
we are taking quite a few masqueraders and new joiners to Trinidad 2013 to play
mas for the first time. London carnival
is not a highly publicised affair so there are still barriers to entry where
the masses still do not know if they can join in the bands or how to do
so. London carnival masqueraders are not
just Trinidadians either – they are people of the Caribbean and other cultures
and many are 2nd or 3rd generations that have not yet
travelled to the Caribbean. What we try
to do is put carnival on everyone’s radar and show them how they can become
involved. This isn’t just subject to joining
our band either. We work with a number
of bands in the UK and do what we can to help others too.
MA: So, Bacchanalia is going to Trinidad
Carnival in 2013, how did that happen?
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| Sorcerer backline. |
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| Sorcerer frontline. |
MA: Is it a coincidence that your theme for
NHC 2011 is very similar to the theme for Trinidad Carnival 2013?
KR: Yes, very much so. We were
introduced to Genesis Carnival quite late in the year via one of my colleagues
and co-designer. Bacchanalia was making preparations to make its entry into Trinidad
Carnival for 2014 but this opportunity came up and I was very excited so we
didn’t say no. The similarity ends with the theme as the designs and story
being portrayed are very different. I am quite pleased and proud to be under
the Genesis umbrella for Trinidad carnival 2013.
MA: Tell us about your section. (name,
influences, package etc).
KR: The section is called
Sorcerer. It’s the ‘Magic Mirror’
element in the story. I wanted to bring
out all the elements of the character that was already known – beauty co-mingled
with darkness and vanity – which are often linked. I chose a dark gold and black as I wanted a
representation of the actual Mirror and found large mirror like stones to use
as the reflective pieces. The individual
character will show a representation of the mirror being smashed and the pieces
exploding. The black feathers – I had
this image of the crow that is an extension of the witch in the actual story –
and we used it on the headpiece of the male and covered the female in it.
The
package offered to masqueraders is as follows:
 |
| Sorcerer female frontline. |
Female Section (Backline)
VVIP package = £349.50
Standard (no VIP) = £299.50
Male Section (Backline)VVIP package = £299.50
Standard (no VIP) = £239.50
VVIP package = £349.50
Standard (no VIP) = £299.50
Male Section (Backline)VVIP package = £299.50
Standard (no VIP) = £239.50
Female Frontline
VVIP with Backpack = £549.50
VVIP without Backpack= £429.50
With Backpack= £499.50
Without Backpack= £399.50
VVIP with Backpack = £549.50
VVIP without Backpack= £429.50
With Backpack= £499.50
Without Backpack= £399.50
Female Frontline VVIP without Backpack= £429.50
Without Backpack= £399.50.
Without Backpack= £399.50.
MA: Do you think Bacchanalia the band will
soon be on the streets of Port of Spain in the future?
KR: Yes, the plan was there for
2014 but we were offered this amazing opportunity with Genesis Carnival Band
and could not say no for 2013. I am from Trinidad and intend to return there in
the near future so my overall plans always included bringing not only my costumes
and band back but also opportunities and avenues for other mas bands and
carnival artists access to new products and materials for their own bands and
designs. Watch this space!
MA: What do you think is the future of
Notting Hill Carnival?
KR: Uncertain. I see the
potential for growth and creative opportunities but this is marred with lack of
organisational structure and funding.
London carnival holds many opportunities for bands, designers and
carnival artists to showcase our rich culture to the world and to take that
very culture and fuse it with others to create something new – however, this
platform is under-funded and not operating under a cohesive and stable
structure – which in the end hurts everyone.
To bring out a band costs on average £20-30k – and this is for a small
band – which has to cover all these costs, advertise and market for new
masqueraders and provide facilities and teams to bring out a production – not
an easy feat to take on on one’s own. But what is there is a solid line-up of
bands that have shown longevity and small signs of growth. They do not give up
and some have been very successful in taking their performances and costumes
internationally. I see London as that
very thing – the platform to launch mas into an international arena.
MA: What is your 2013 NHC
presentation about?
KR: I am very excited about our
2013 presentation – this year we are portraying Species – The Evolution. It is the story of the human race in a few
million years and what we could evolve into.
I am telling the story in 4 parts, with individual piecess making up the
lead characters. I wanted a story that
was interesting, open to imagination and costumes that capture our masqueraders
as they bring the portrayal to life. I
have been dabbling in custom made fabrics and plastics and other materials that
could bring the characters to life but in reality, we are subject to budget
constraints so I am faced with finding interesting materials – but at a
fraction of the cost to achieve the desired effect. Our launch is set for April and I am
currently working on the prototypes now so watch this space as that is all I am
going to say for now.
MA: The year is 2020 where do you see Kelly
Rajpaulsingh and Bacchanalia?
KR: Interesting question. I often think about how far I can take this
and the general direction the mas environment is heading in. I would like to see myself as a fully
established carnival artist – displaying carnival work in major cities all
around the world and bringing different cultures together under one
banner. I am a firm believer that what
we do is actually performance art – a theatre in the streets – and open to
all. I would like to work with artists
from different backgrounds and use the knowledge and skillset gained to create
something new, dynamic and push the boundaries – whilst still remaining true to
the origins of carnival and where it came from.
For the band, I want us to
continue to grow and develop the brand offering our masqueraders not only the
best carnival service, but to continue to excite them with new concepts and for
their children in turn to also be part of our carnival family and keep our
legacy strong.
Thank you Kelly and best of luck to Bacchanalia for 2013!
