Crafty bamboo exhibit at House of Culture
It’s a thriving industry that continues to grow and is making an impact on the local art scene. This past Monday, two pioneers in the bamboo industry put off an exhibit of their most recent work in bamboo crafting that they combine with natural elements. The exhibition, held at the House of Culture, features the craft of husband and wife, Janice Young and Roland ‘Seraphim’ Gabourel. And in collaboration with NICH, the duo’s exhibition is in recognition of Black History Month which is celebrated throughout this month. The exhibit is a repertoire of jewelry and furniture. News Five spoke with the enterprising couple.
Roland ‘Seraphim’ Gabourel, Bamboo Crafter
“It’s in the making for years and my wife, she’s been doing the business for about twenty-three years. So it’s been a combination of her experience and my creative work. I’ve been doing the work for like five-six years now but we have combined together and went to Guatemala to study. So we have got the technique of how to use the bamboo; bending, burning. The engravement, I originated myself I am the only one that do engravement of bamboo in Belize. We get the bamboo from Gracie Rock, I have friends and people in the village that give me access to the bamboo on their property. We have the bamboo all over Belize but I get most of my bamboo from Gracie Rock and we have to cure it and preserve it and then start the work. The shells and the beads we get them from trees: the Guanacaste and flamboyant seeds. We go to the beach we pick up certain seeds, beads and you know, etcetera”
Duane Moody
“What were you guys inspiration in creating these exotic, these one of a kind unique pieces?”
Roland ‘Seraphim’ Gabourel
“I look at everything that we use realistically and I try to apply it to the bamboo to see well I can do that. So what I do is a sketch it out or sometimes I’m meditating in the night and I get up and sketch. Sometime I start designing, it don’t come out good so I go back to the drawing board and I try to bring it to be realistic as possible so that when people look at it, it is as real as if you want to jump in it or utilize it for whatever you want to, you know.”
Janice Young, Crafter
“We have collector’s item, one of a kind. For example, the train is a one of a kind item. Even if we make another train, it will not be the same because all of our one of a kind collectors items are different. We have the little miniature house, as you notice again it is one of a kind and then we have the coffee set. I call it a little caye house because it has the two coconut palm. It has two drums; it has the water drum that you actually get the rain water that fall off the roof and into the drum and it has the other drum that you play. So normally when I look at the house I say this is a—I call it a single man house because I seh this man has everything; he has his canoe, he has his musical drum, he has his rain water drum, he has his trees. He doesn’t have to go anywhere because everything he has is right there.”
Roland ‘Seraphim’ Gabourel
“One of the items I have is he horse and the carriage. The hosre has his rope and mat that he sleep on and so people can say wow, I didn’t see a bamboo horse, I didn’t see a bamboo carriage. That took me a whole week to make. No two piece is the same. So like I say, we originate, no imitate nor duplicate.”
The exhibition is open to the public Mondays to Fridays for the rest of this month. If you would like to contact Face It Productions you can call Janice at 626-7022 or Roland at 625-0853.
