Inspire Urself Carnival Troupe are resident artists at City Arts. Troupe Leader Solomon Lewis Hunter works with Georgia Smith, Kennedy Hunter and Tyreek Duncan to design and build these stunning carnival costumes.
Carnival is a creative and artistic festival that symbolises freedom. Carnival celebrations happen around the world, usually in summer. There are three central elements in carnival arts – costume, music and dance. People hit the streets dressed in feathers, masks and headdresses. They give incredible high octane dance performances. Carnival is an explosion of energy, colour and sound.
The costumes in this exhibition are inspired by Roald Dahl character Willy Wonka. Carnival troupes are often themed. For the last two years, Inspire Urself’s theme has been ‘Pure Imagination’. It is a take on the glorious story of Wonka’s Chocolate Factory – reimagined for the road.
The exhibition includes SWEET HARMONY which won Regional King Costume 2021 at the EMCCAN E-Motion Regional Costume Competition, and THE HOLDER OF LIQUORICE KEYS which won Regional Prince Costume.
About Inspire Urself
Lead by Solomon Lewis Hunter, Inspire Urself are one of the regions best Caribbean Carnival Troupes. They organisation was set up to benefit young people through dance, arts and events. They encourage artistic excellence through education and creativity.
When carnivals are happening, they tour extensively around the country. They have been in residence at City Arts since 2019.
Featured image by Blacktomcat Photography, courtesy of EMCCAN.
