TradeWinds 2007 exhibition at the Museum in Docklands

The sea currents and weather patterns of the Atlantic Ocean aided the passage of ships involved in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. European seafarers have long known these natural phenomena as the Trade Winds.

With this as their reference, and working within the context of the 2007 Bicentenary of the Parliamentary Abolition of the trade, artists from America and Britain explore cross-currents of their interconnected interests within the fields of contemporary art, music and literature.

The works lend themselves to the circular themes of departure and return, loss and transcendence and explore the ongoing reverberations of the triangle trade, the way it has shaped modern Europe and affected the lives of people of the African Diaspora.

The project started with residencies at Project Row Houses in Houston, Texas and at londonprintworks, in 2006.

Photographer Faisal Abdu’ Allah, working with portraiture, looked for local connections during his travels in Houston and New Orleans.

Godfried Donkor worked with aspects of beauty and race in the southern states of the US to create his mixed media collages.

Classical composer Dominique Le Gendre and writer Dorothea Smartt led workshops with children during their residencies in Houston. The poems and live sound recording from the workshops recall the hopes, wishes and future aspirations of the young participants.

Houston based artists Beth Secor and Jamal Cyrus were based at londonprintworks during their residencies.

Visit http://www.tradewinds2007.org/ for more information.