Michelle’s designs on race and culture

Textile designer Michelle Baird has been residing in London, England for the past 14 years, where she completed her degree in textile designs last year. This young artist is of Trinidadian parentage. Baird, 24, confessed she has always had a love for the arts but chose textiles as her field because it is important to her. “Textiles contribute to identity and we always need to be clothed.” While Baird admits she has encountered racial prejudices in London (resorting even to applying extra face powder to go to school after returning from vacation once), this fuels her artistic talents in her work. “I have a great interest in race and culture because people seem so obsessed by it; sometimes when people meet me for the first time it’s the first thing they ask me, even before they find out my name! But I am not bothered by that at all,” she says.

Baird presented some of her artwork, some of which were featured in her degree show last year, for which she also had an accompanying book titled A Pinch of Salt.  Much of her work carries racial, sexual and cultural undertones, sometimes presented in a satirical manner, but this is not her only mode d’emploi. She also derives inspiration from her travels, old French textiles (toiles de jouys), the Royal Family and nature, and she loves to use Indian fabrics as well. Describing herself as “free-spirited,” Baird admits that marriage is nowhere on her agenda as everything she likes to do is centred around her work, be it visiting galleries, hiking or liming with friends. Her future plans include opening her own studio in London, and wants also to return to TT for residency at CCA 7 which is an art studio at the Fernandes compound Laventille. Commenting on the Carnival celebrations, Baird said she really enjoyed herself, although she noted a lack of creativity in terms of the costumes.

“Carnival was amazing, the people here are less inhibited —nothing like Carnival in Nottingham. It was disappointing though that some of the mas costumes were almost like bikinis and beads. “This is one time where people get to express themselves,” she stated, also indicating her interest in becoming involved in costume designing in the future. Baird who had been in Trinidad since December last, returned to the UK last week.