Ken Morris

B. 1924 in Port of Spain
D. 1990    

Ken Morris started his artistic life first as a painter, then through experimentation and participation in National Carnival festivals, he gradually mastered the difficult art expression of Copper Repoussé.

Ken Morris was well known for his copper and metal repoussé, initially practising his skills for breastplates the costumes for historic carnival bands of the late 1940's to the 1960's. His art developed into copper handcraft, one of Trinidad and Tobago's favourite craft forms.

Morris's work enjoys pride of place in numerous private and corporate collections, including the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad, Hilton, Puerto Rico Hilton, and the chancel and tower of St. Paul's Church in San Fernando. He designed and executed the Speaker's Mace for the West Indian Federal Parliament and his final work, the Dove, atop the rotunda of the Red House, Port of Spain, replaced a weathervane of a dragon, believed, after the attempted coup of 1990 to be a symbol of bad luck.

Morris's work at the Hilton was extensive, including panels in the elevators and the execution of the carnival characters, now in La Boucan, designed by Carlisle Chang.



This mural  is located in the lobby of Trinidad Food Products Limited's Administrative Office in Valsayn.
The mural is a bas-relief constructed of copper and brass. Measuring 15 feet by 10 feet, all sections are supported and bolted to wall fittings. Commissioned by Trinidad Food Products Limited in June 1989, the mural depicts the history, culture and work of Trinidadians and Tobagonians in the manufacture of major agricultural products used by Nestle: milk, coffee, cocoa and sugar.
Fertility, harvesting, food as a vital source of earth and solar energy mix harmoniously with revellers in a magnificent portrayal of Caribbean sweet-sounding life.


Adam and Eve, 1968

 

KEN MORRIS
by Carlisle Chang
Port of Spain, February 2000

In the frenzied world of the Trinidad Carnival the work of Ken Morris remains unrivalled and unique among the myriad artisan talents that coalesce over several months to create this annual event. Few persons are aware however, that he was a graduate of Goldsmiths College, England with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in silversmithing, and that he was a life member of the Trinidad Art Society.

Soon after his return from London the artist established his studio in a large Victorian gingerbread house at the end of a cul-de-sac in Belmont. That north-eastern suburb of Port of Spain was a community of charming cottages and subtle relationships, home to Rada and Shango ties with Africa, throbbing with Wild-Indians and steelbands, minstrels and fancy sailors and all such denizens of Carnival. Ken revelled in the atelier relationship of master and pupil which seemed to embody the spirit of Belmont; and through his doors over the years came many a student-apprentice and dedicated Carnival players some of whom continue to practice their craft.

The art of beaten or hammered metal known to the trade as repousse is the principal method by which sheet metal is shaped into a sphere or dome. It is used to manufacture a variety of articles, from a goblet, to helm, chalice, ceremonial silverware or sporting trophy. In 1954 Ken introduced metal repousse into carnival costumes, choosing to work in copper which was both readily available and easily malleable. It was also glittering and seductive. He did so for a group parading under the banner of Robert Ammon, continuing with the portrayals in Richard lithe following year. By 1958 with the presentation of Atlantis, the splendour of burnished copper had seized the imagination and Ken Morris became a household name. The trend continued over two decades, particularly successful under Harold Saldenah's series on Imperial Rome. That was until cheaper aluminium and plastics intruded and copper began to fade off the parade route.

Carnival is however an annual phenomenon which could not provide stability, so in the off-season the artist created a variety of trinkets for the souvenir trade. He designed a miniature steel drum mounted as an ash-tray, so precise and simple it remains a standard item among metalsmiths today and over the years these have evolved into pendants, key chains and bookends in endless mutations.

In 1957 I was commissioned by architect Colin Laird to design a feature for the external east wall of his prototype George Street school. I conceived a simple steel grid to be mounted with rectangular tiles of hammered metal which would be mounted on the wall so that the shadows cast would change daily and throughout the year with the movement of the sun. Ken was invited to make the tiles and was given a free hand to treat the surfaces in any fashion he fancied. Other collaborations followed from time to time, including a maritime plaque for the lobby of Furness House, and later several pieces for the Governor's suite in the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago.

In 1961 I was asked to design a mural for the Carnival Bar in the new Trinidad Hilton Hotel, which Ken would execute. I produced a frieze of free-standing figures in traditional costumes. The work was very challenging but Ken produced a tour-de- force of virtuoso effects combining several metals and exploring subtle gradations of colour and iridescent nuances. Later we produced a smaller version to be presented by Shell Trinidad to Shellmex House, London, but the original was never equalled.

This work became a turning point for Ken. He wanted to pursue his oeuvre without the limitations of designs imposed externally. Accordingly he was asked to provide four designs for elevator door panels. He made a frieze of dancing figures scintillating with the effervescent fire of burnished copper. These were unfortunately removed during recent redecorating, and cut into small plaques for framing. Subsequent commissions included his reredos (ornamental screen covering the wall at the back of an altar) for St. Paul's church, Harris Promenade, San Fernando, depicting the apostle's life, in steel and copper, and the twelve foot high Risen Christ which adorns the belltower.

It is in his smaller "easel" pieces that we must look for the real Morris, his unique style of tooling devoid of outline, the softly rounded figures seeming to emerge mysteriously and naturally out of the hammered ground. At times his hand produces flickering tongues of flame or vistas of forests. Ken remained an ardent carnival designer and enjoyed for many years a wonderfully satisfying creative relationship with Peter Minshall, producing each year a special coterie of costumes in which metal predominated. Most of these works have been avidly collected over time and carried off as trophies to other lands. Some appear in special exhibitions such as the John Nunley curated "Caribbean Festival Arts" shown in St. Louis, Missouri, (1988), The Smithsonian, Washington DC, (1989), Seattle and Brooklyn Museums, as well as the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, (1991). More recently some appeared in the exhibition "Folklore to Festival" at the Museum of Port of Spain, (1998).

Perennially Trinidadians express an angst born out of cultural neglect. Oft-proclaimed desire for a Carnival Museum or Village remain unrealized because of what is described as "lack of political will." The recently declared Carnival Institute may survive and if it does, I hope when the annals of the National Fete are properly researched and recorded the work of artists like Ken Morris will be seen as a unique legacy. That is the reason why this book "The Other Gift" and the Exhibition: Ken Morris, A Retrospective which accompanies its publication are very timely, and one might say, just in time.