bw 18

transcript |  sugar for the bees | up

(Music and indistinct chanting)

artist profile | alberta whittle | up

Alberta Whittle’s creative soundscape “Sugar for the Bees” is based on the sound of hair being shorn in a street salon. She states, “Hair is a source of interest and inspiration for me as it corresponds to my sense of identity, especially within the Barbadian landscape. As a mixed-race Barbadian, who has lived abroad, I do not fit into the mix. My hair is chemically untreated which in some way externalises my sense of Otherness. I am often mistaken for “a person from away”, a tourist, and as such am often accosted by strangers, calling at me, making personal comments about my appearance, specifically commenting on my hair. As a modern flâneur, I enjoy promenading through Bridgetown and absorbing the city’s flavour and found that the sounds of Swan Street encapsulate my feelings of isolation.”

Alberta Whittle was born in Barbados in 1980 and moved to Britain in 1993. She holds a BA from the Edinburgh College of Art (2002) where she studied Tapestry. Her practice encompasses installation, video, performances and drawing. She has exhibited extensively in Scotland and has been invited to stage her largest performance to date at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh in February 2007. She lives and works in Barbados and Scotland.