Studio Project 11: June 2008
Alberta Whittle: Mythologies Tropicale
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Born in Barbados of mixed British and Caribbean descent, Alberta Whittle has spent the majority of her adult life in Britain. Whittle has a fascination with her heritage and national identity but explores it against the landscape of modern day Britain; a society full of debate in relation to identity, ID cards, citizenship and what it is to be British. Whittle combines these issues with her own personal feelings of being an ‘immigrant living far away from home’
During her residency at market, Whittle has investigated symbolic representations of the people in
contemporary scottish culture. She explores the sense of pageantry found in sporting events,
marches, carnivals, and other mass activities where identity is presented to a wide audience, and gives a particular group a sense of belonging. Whittle has focused on the emblems and symbols used in sport in particular, observing the common notion of people being publicly more passionate about their chosen sport than their nationality.
In this new work, Whittle presents these themes as decorative totems, objects that would be traditionally used by tribes to explore spiritual identity and mythology. Instead, we are presented with modern day symbols and patterns exploring ideas of a modern day tribe.