bw 17

transcript |  rocker’s alley | up

(Drum beating)

Male and female voices, chanting: Rockers Alley, Rockers Alley, Rockers Alley (repeated)

Male voice: ... They had culture people in it. Rastafarian people. We are a people who have the skill and the art. ‘Cause I’m a singer, I’m a drummer, I’m a multi talented person …they had all types of people…Rastafarian people (repeated)

artist profile | malin straker | up

Malin Straker’s soundscape builds on the vocals of Ras Bongo-Spear, the Rastafarian founder of this popular gathering place for Bridgetown’s cultural producers. Until its redevelopment as a gentrified alleyway, “Rocker’s Alley” was for many years a hub of cultural street life. Straker states that by “creating art with sound”, she wanted to “bring life to a space and give it back some of the energy which once was… by using sounds that used to exist in that place.” The musical interpretation “seemed to come naturally.”

Malin Straker was a student at the Barbados Community College when she participated in the workshop. She received her BFA in 2005. Since her graduation, she has been pursuing her practice as an artist, particularly in the medium of oils.