Marley (Culture, Urbanisation, Gold)

Description

Cultural icons such as Bob Marley could be described as rising above divisions in society and demonstrating the potential to challenge and directly change circumstances. This work recognises that a cultural form and an artist that came from an impoverished level of society on the island of Jamaica, went on to resonate with freedom and independence struggles worldwide and is an indication to the power and reach of cultural output. Increasing urbanisation is a threat to the preservation of cultures that are being left behind with city populations growing and the influence of globalising forces.The gold references the history and context of postcolonial cities. The gold and wealth taken from the colonies via the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and forced labour have established the current states of power. The ‘value’ of gold is transferred back to the people that were dispossessed in the process of building ‘global cities’.