Contagious Creativity: The Charman Prize Shines On

Julie Lafleur was so inspired when she walked out of Masterworks’ Charman Prize exhibit that she couldn’t help herself. She had to draw. With paper and pencil borrowed from the front desk, she made this exuberant sketch in the courtyard of Homer’s Café at Masterworks. Julie, an engineer by trade, is visiting from Ottawa, Canada. The collective creativity of this exhibit has reached such a crescendo that it’s touched latent artists like Lafleur, who haven’t picked up a pen or brush in years. How will the Charman prize inspire you?

Julie Lafleur holding her sketch.

"Masterworks" by Julie Lafleur. October 28, 2013.

Treasures from the Vault: “If You Want to Know Anything, Ask The Mystic Oracle"

Well, maybe not anything. The Mystic Oracle, a novelty souvenir made for the Furness Bermuda Line steamship company, does however divine the answer to twelve questions about Bermuda tourism—by wireless! It should be noted that “wireless” in 1924 meant “wireless radio waves” as opposed to the wireless networks of today. But let’s not let that tarnish the magic. 

The Mystic Oracle Furness Bermuda Line, 1924. Front and Back.

The Mystic Oracle Furness Bermuda Line, 1924. Inside.

What's On Now: Charman Prize 2013

Welcome to Master Copy! We’re excited to use this blog to give you sneak peeks into the archives, feature artist profiles, bring you the latest Masterworks news, and more! So for this, our inaugural post, let’s talk about what’s happening right now at Masterworks. Let’s talk Charman Prize.

If you’ve ever wondered what artists in Bermuda are up to, look no further than Masterworks’ main gallery. On view until January 2014 are one hundred and three dynamic perspectives of life and culture here in Bermuda, by both professional and amateur artists. Through this event a community of artists is created. The works, taken as a whole, give new context to one another sparking dialogue and creating new relevancy. They breathe life into our imaginations, they challenge and delight. So stop on by and become immersed in a world where swordfish glow, pears grow as large as (and out of?) trees, and Gombey schoolgirls bend conventions.

A Fish Eye’s View of Bermuda. Beth Lewis, 2013

Beth Lewis truly exploited the potential of the medium in her stained glass work A Fish Eye’s View of Bermuda. In her expert hands individual pieces of brittle glass, illuminated from behind to reveal their inner swirls and textures, are transformed into a thrashing swordfish mid-leap. The effect of this larger than life piece is, of course, much more majestic seen in person.

The Fruit of Time and Tide. Amanda Temple, 2013.      

What at first may seem a weathered tangle of Bermuda cedar, casuarina, and bay grape driftwood resolves itself into an intricate puzzle where every piece is integral. Amanda Temple’s artist’s statement breathes life into her sculpture The Fruit of Time and Tide: “The waves crash furiously onto the shore below my house. High tide leaves behind nattered branches, silver and speckled by time.” This piece blends whimsy with a feeling of permanence and repetition: the tide rolls in and out, trees bear and lose their fruit each year, and yet through all of this change a deeper structure remains.

Formalities. Dany Pen, 2013

Artist Dany Pen challenges us with themes of displacement and re-appropriation with this playful yet subversive image. Created using photography, digital media, and organic materials, Pen cleverly adds layers and meaning to this depiction of schoolchildren wearing the masks of traditional Bermudian Gombey dancers. We’re left to wonder what exactly these “formalities” are, as historical narratives are combined and reinvented, un-spoken boundaries are crossed, and conventions are tossed to the wind.