The Tribune

VIOLENCE in society was the inspiration behind artist Dwight Ferguson’s latest installation - a public artwork in Elizabeth Estates Park, which was unveiled on Saturday.

The three-hour launch of the project was attended by members of the community from five years old to grandparents.

Inspired by his art exhibition at Doongalik Studios in 2018, Tar Pillows is a continuation of Ferguson’s Circle of Hope installation from that show - which highlighted the unfortunate demise of several young men who lost their lives on the road.

The recent increase in gun violence in the country reignited Mr Ferguson’s creativity as an artist to garner greater public awareness about social violence, specifically in the community of Elizabeth Estates where he also functions as the senior pastor at the Church of God of Prophecy.

A tangled ball of yellow hangs from the six foot tall installation which sits on the grass at the centre of a large circle comprised of pairs of shoes sitting on chunks of tar atop yellow boxes that are marked with the name of the deceased above a simple dash representing the totality of their lifespan.

This “Circle of Hope 2” recognises the lives of those 30 persons of varying ages from the Elizabeth Estates community - mostly males, along with two females - 95 percent of whom died on the road from gunshots. For several of those, Mr Ferguson officiated at their funeral.

Mr Ferguson researched and struggled long and hard to understand the back stories of the victims’ lives by poring over funeral programmes and newspaper articles, and speaking with family, as well as community members in order to create and design the various pieces of the installation for the greatest impact.

As an artist, Mr Ferguson recognises his goal is to be that critical “seeing eye” to mirror society and to produce art that can awaken the emotions of the public and inspire them to think, to question, and to act. His statement that “every day, young Bahamian men lie their head down on a tar pillow, exhaling their final breath on hot tar, whilst their cold blood runs red along the street” sums up the heartache he seeks to share through his art.

He added: “Our modern social media-inundated society has glamorised violence to such an extent that we have become numb towards the actual harmful impact it has on our physical, mental, and social state, allowing its commonality, and the grief and fear it generates, to paralyse our reaction. Instead of righteous indignation, outrage, and the accompanying action to mitigate its scourge, we are accepting of its presence without question, and to our detriment. The unacceptable degree of anger in our country is like a bomb that cannot be defused. It is constantly exploding, taking lives unceremoniously with it.

“Unfortunately our country nowadays lacks solid family values, kindness, and compassion, and as a result so many of our young and older citizens lack self-esteem and self-value. There is no value for life, and certainly there are not enough role models to look up to, to provide direction, and to simply care. Where is the love?

“I was extremely pleased with the community’s response to the event. It brought the community together to a place of connection where they were engaged with the art and with each other. The mood shifted from being somber and solemn - with tears even being shed openly by some - to a transitional awakening towards exhaling and healing. Various members of the community expressed their appreciation to me for placing the art installation in their midst, and for highlighting the victims. They even acknowledged their sense of community ownership of it, and pledged their commitment to work together to keep the circle of violence from expanding. These are all positive indications of the power of art to comfort and connect.”

The installation is family friendly, and the artist will hold a ‘Walk & Talk’ event on Sunday, from 3-5pm.