The Art of Carnival Arts: Mahogany Carnival Design

TheGallery at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) in partnership with BA (Hons) Events Management, part of our new School of Arts, Media, and Creative Industries Management, presents The Art of Carnival Arts, an exhibition of work from Mahogany Carnival Design.

The Art of Carnival Arts is an exploration of Carnival’s history through the work of Clary Salandy and Mahogany Carnival Design.

Formed in 1989 by designer Clary Salandy and structural engineer Michael Ramdeen, Mahogany aims to heighten understanding of Carnival and Carnival Arts. The group of multidisciplinary artists have developed techniques of costume design and construction that utilise the human body in the art form of Mas Making.

Over the last 35 years, their large-scale kinetic costumes have made them a powerhouse within the world of Carnival, and they have brought majestic costumes to events both at home, such as the 2012 Olympics, and internationally, like the annual Trinidad Carnival.

Carnival arts have long been overlooked and this will be one of the first exhibitions in the UK that elevates the art form by capturing Mahogany’s costume-making process from conception, to making, through to the costumes being worn in 2024’s Notting Hill Carnival.

The exhibition also tells the story of Carnival through its social context, presenting the audience with important historical milestones that transformed Carnival into how we see and know it today.

The creative team behind the curation, exhibition design and delivery of The Art of Carnival Arts: Mahogany Carnival Design includes:

Violet McClean | Kevin Chambers | Millie Lake | William Hernandez Abreu | Eliza Naden | Alicia Bermudez Garcia | Clary Salandy | Stephen Ramdeen

Mahogany Carnival Design is a family of creatives with a desire to preserve and develop the traditions of carnival. Together they make magical, interactive characters that interweave to make an exquisite kaleidoscope of colour and shape.

Over the last 35 years, Mahogany has won awards for their staged spectacles, especially at the Notting Hill Carnival. Their carnival ballets feature in national and international events, and you may have spotted them in the London New Year’s Day Parade and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Parade. Through their high artistic achievement, they've been able to throw a spotlight on the Art of Mas and take their diverse community to the world.

Central to Mahogany’s ethos is raising aspirations within communities by producing Mas with a message that challenges common stereotypes and explores the endless design possibilities that stem from their unique flavour of Caribbean Carnival.

Carnival artist Clary Salandy is the industry patron for Arts University Bournemouth’s (AUB) BA (Hons) Events Management course. She is the Artistic Director and Designer for Mahogany Carnival Design and has been working in collaboration with the course and university since 2022.

AUB’s Industry Patron Scheme looks to formalise the strong relationships the university has with industry professionals in a way that brings them together with students. By fostering open dialogue and collaboration, the scheme ensures that students gain invaluable insights into the professional world they are about to enter.

For the last two years, Clary has invited students to her studio in Harlesden to see Mahogany’s vast selection of costumes, learn about the history of Carnival and take part in workshops and talks about Carnival arts.

This collaboration resulted in Events Management students bringing Carnival to the streets of Bournemouth in 2023 and 2024 as part of Alice in Spring, an annual, family-friendly festival designed, developed and delivered by the students in Bournemouth town centre as part of their coursework and study. In the 2024 Carnival, students from BA (Hons) Make-up for Media and Performance and BA (Hons) Modelmaking took part in the procession alongside Mahogany, wearing Mahogany’s costumes.

Mahogany Carnival Design has also worked with AUB alumni Gabriel Bush, Ethan Parker and Reuben Davies (BA (Hons) Commercial Photography) and Eliza Naden (BA (Hons) Photography) on this exhibition. Our alumni photographed costumes for the exhibition, captured the Carnivals that were part of Alice in Spring and documented Mahogany’s Mas at 2024’s Notting Hill Carnival. BA (Hons) Events Management alumni Alicia Bermudez-Garicia and Annabelle Bonnar also worked on this exhibition and project.

This year saw BA (Hons) Events Management celebrate its 30-year anniversary and the launch of AUB’s new School of Arts, Media, and Creative Industries Management, which is home to BA (Hons) Events Management, as well as some exciting new courses for the University.

TheGallery provides a means by which AUB can enact its strategic values: Innovative, Collaborative, Connected and Passionate. This exhibition and the work of Mahogany Carnival Design embody the university’s promise to promote civic and cultural engagement for positive impact and our commitment to ensuring that education and the arts are accessible to all.

The Art of Carnival Arts brings together the design elements and performative side of Carnival Arts. Each costume is carefully constructed to create a striking visual impact while allowing its wearer to move freely.

In Mahogany’s own words: “Every piece is a moving sculpture brought to life through expressive performances.”

The costume and human body must act as one, something that is put into practice by AUB students on our performance-based courses.

Our 11 performance-related courses are housed within our Bournemouth Film School and include subjects like BA (Hons) Acting, Design for Costume and Performance, Film Production and Make-up for Media and Performance. Each year, the School puts on over 70 film, theatre and dance productions and we now have our Palace Court Theatre – the perfect backdrop for these performances.

Palace Court Theatre was built in 1931 and has been a focal point for live performance in Bournemouth ever since. In 2021, the iconic Art Deco theatre became part of AUB’s estate portfolio, and in 2023, it hosted a full programme of events, being used as a theatre for the first time in 40 years!

Since its inception in 1989, Mahogany has been committed to raising the aspirations of its community by producing Mas with a message. They're constantly challenging common stereotypes while exploring the endless design possibilities that Carnival provides. Mahogany strives to use their Carnival voice to increase awareness of current issues, to demonstrate the value of Mas, to increase creative skills and to unite their diverse community.

At AUB, we’re committed to ensuring that those with the potential to benefit from higher education, no matter their background, deserve the opportunity to do so. Our Access and Participation Team works to widen access to AUB through programmes like All Access AUB and Being a Boy. They also provide funded places on Saturday Art School courses and give support to students who are care-experienced, estranged, and young adult carers.