Roun’ Jamaica

Ian Flemming is famed to have dreamed-up 007 from this place. But the present day ‘reception’ on Navy Island looks a million miles away from the tidy scenes of Moneypenny’s office and Q’s futuristic armory. Moonraker? Well….the landing dock here today needs a pretty good rake of the old-fashioned horticultural kind- and that’s being kind. Having said that, it is a million times all the better for it. The ram-shackled, broken, abandoned rooms, shutters and stairwells hang heavy with atmosphere and it isn’t long before you are trying to grasp the ghost of Flemming’s inspiration from the same air. I often find it appealing to visit somewhere in the world that has spawned a global icon and the setting here did not disappoint - it’s as if the debris you find has lived multiple aftermaths of Bond’s battles.

Technically you are no longer ‘allowed’ on the island today, as it is private property and not open to the public. With this in mind we stayed only a few minutes - but could not resist taking a few snaps…(sorry)…at each move anticipating Jaws, or some other Odd Ball, to emerge in scuba gear from the surrounding waters.

Select scenes feature, and video footage below:

How to get there?

Island of Bond from ashore. Quaint.

Murals from a bygone era:

There’s something fishy going on here:

Atmospheric sight, through blinds:

Where is this? Show me on a map…

Article and photographs by Oliver Wright. Video by Jermaine Evans.

…en route from Kingston to Portland.

As we travelled up the fertile, lush and nourished vermillion hills that form ‘The Junction’ track, connecting Kingston to the North Coast, we were relieved from the rain of the past month and greeted by sun-drenched pastures (sorry that is the British in me shining through - i mean sun-drenched plantations) and an array of tasty roadside treats. (These stalls that adorn are the Jamaican equivalent of service stations in Europe). First-up, standing out from the ubiquitous fresh mango, banana and orange stations, we found a smiley, gnarly, marley(esque) store owner, brandishing both a bottle and his good given name “Up-Front”.

If such a confident moniker for an island gent takes you by surprise - then you want to try a bottle of the ’stuff’ he sells - made almost entirely from his roots. Mixed with a home-brew sugar-syrup that slides slowly from the mouth of an old bottle of rum like rich molasses. Let me explain. Up-Front takes roots, well, tree roots, bark and branches to be precise, from deep within the ground of the aforementioned fertile, lush and nourished hills - and boils them up for a few hours. He decants the residue into a bottle then throws (slowly, mind) in some brown sugar for good measure. The result is a mouth-watering, eye-watering concoction that is bound to shiver the timbers of any touristing pirate.

“Dem roots, dey make you strong man, dey give you de force. It hard. Drink it in de mornin’ when you need to go work”, he barks. “It better dan’ Viagra!” one of his loyal customers blurts. A pavement of patrons rolls about lauging. They beam brilliantly at me as I make an adventurous purchase (the things we do for you, kind reader!) and Up Front gives me a final farewell warning… “Don’t drink it at home man, don’t drink it at home. You make sure you don’t drink this stuff at home”. I’m not quite sure what he meant, but I doubt they’ll let me back ‘home’ to the UK on an airplane with it anyway! Until then, the souvenir bottle brews tightly capped in the trunk of my car.

Price: A bottle of root juice will cost you between one hundred and four hundred Jamaican dollars. Bargain well. For increased haggling power, bargain after drinking your first bottle!

Article and photographs by Oliver Wright. Video by Jermaine Evans.

A trip to The National Gallery of Jamaica….

Here’s the essential stuff, before the fun can begin:

Opening Hours:
Tuesday - Thursday: 10 a.m. – 4. 30 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Sunday and Monday: Closed

Admission Price:
J$50 Students and 65 and over
J$100 General admission

Address:
Kingston Mall, Orange Street and Ocean Boulevard, Kingston, Jamaica
Telephone: 876 922 1561 / 876 922 8540

How to get there: directions and parking

Art, hitting the 200th mark of the abolition of the slave trade.

From the moment you arrive at the entrance to The National Gallery of Jamaica, you know that you are in for an artistic treat - of the didactic kind. Neatly doubling-up as a warning-sign to visitors, not to park on the yellow lines outside, there sits an imposing statue of a Jamaican mother, staring at and caring for her young child whilst seemingly bearing the knowledge of all that is bad in the world. And this foreboding welcome doesn’t disappoint…immediately as guests walk through the gallery doors, they are presented with a montage of slaves - all intertwined & chained together and housed in a ship, held high above a gilt-plated sugar plantation. It is 200 years since the abolition of the slave trade, yet this is an eager reminder of how most Jamaicans first arrived in this promised land.

Son on a gun…

As you approach the main stairwell and look up to the landing, one current exhibition - ’Materialising Slavery’ - is quick to highlight the heady mix of colonial pomp and prosperity, the suffering so unfairly inflicted on many, many Africans and at times…the church. This is of course no new message - by any means - and yet the thick, deep, rich colours, delivered by a careful curator’s selection, strikes a chord that is as pertinent and vivid as ever.

Stories scream ominously through the bars of the stairwells. Tales hang at head height - lurking to surprise you from the corners of corridors. In today’s National Gallery, history has been clearly defined by the harrowing and heartfelt stares of it’s statues…however, a silver-lining is allowed to peak through at times - and the vibrant energy of modern day Jamaica can be seen to shine through. A fascinating and fruitful hour can be spent on this exhibition alone. Don’t miss it!

Special Exhibitions

The National Gallery is also currently showcasing two additional exhibitions - namely ‘Art, Memory and Identity’ and ‘Spanish Contemporary Art’.

Jamaica and Spain: An intertwined brotherhood of two nations

A guest exhibition of Spanish art is of course well placed in Jamaica’s National Gallery in the context of this years’ bicentenary. Not only does it’s presence mark the positive change in relations between the two countries over time, but it also coincides this year with the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Installations, paintings and sculptures turn here to investigate Spain’s own internal rebellion and emancipation - following the death of the repressive dictator, General Franco. The result throws-up an art that, at times, carries a message as emotional and surreal as that provoked by the torture and turmoil of the Jamaican artists who line the halls outside. Other pieces bring a seemingly simple message from the new world - one that sits in stark and hollow contrast to the complexities of the past.

Out of many, one people

A small selection of work from the moving (both in the emotional and physical sense) exhibition ‘Art, Memory and Identity’ is featured in these pictures below. This poignantly conveys, amongst other more profound aspects of cultural identity, the shear enormity and scale of forced human migration across the transatlantic. Laura Facey’s models clearly stand out in these rooms - from their ability to capture de-humanisation at the same time as graciously celebrating the intensity of the individual.

And finally, Jamaican Institutions…

Surrounding these historic exhibitions are many works from Edna Manley (Learn more about Edna Manley on Wikipedia). Avid fans, as well as newcomers to this prolific Jamaican artist, will find themselves stuck staring in ore at the fine features she so elegantly defines. With a number of halls displaying her heartfelt sculptures and voluptuous carvings, a whole morning could be spent just gazing at the textures and lines she used to create such impact of expression.

And finally, of course, the gallery offers us the reign of The Jamaican Rastafarians…and proudly standing amongst them is their King, Bob, pictured here solely, below:

With his soulful notes, I leave the rest up to your own investigation. Rest assured that for both a full and full-on Jamaican cultural experience, a trip to The National Gallery is just the ticket. You can look, listen and learn…and most importantly of all…you might just leave emancipated from mental slavery.

Kindly note that the gallery is closed on Mondays.

Comeback soon to view the photo gallery on this blog.

Click here to visit The National Gallery of Jamaica’s Website

Article and photographs by Oliver Wright.

All images are copyright of the various artists and The National Gallery of Jamaica and as such, any use or re-use is prohibited without the express permission of the individual artists and The Gallery.