Abstract

Carnival as it exists in the world is an ancient practice that embodies a cathartic overturning of established conventions, that embraces social inversion and creates an urban transformation. This thesis analyses the transformation of space and spatial perception that occurs during the Carnival season in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.

Carnival in Trinidad is a unique locus of cultural convergence; a situation of conjoined narratives that has been created through colonialization, slavery, indentureship and emancipation. The transformation that occurs during Carnival is of a civic, personal and perhaps even spiritual nature. Through experiential narratives, paintings, photographs and diagrams, this thesis will analyse the ritualistic transformation of Port-of-Spain while looking at the portraits of different Carnival characters, in order to create a simultaneous understanding of the city, the festival and the invisible theatre created year-round. This theatre centers on the power of the city’s streets which extends to the significance of inhabiting them.

 I will draw reference to 3 other festivals in the world to compare the urban relationships created in other cities, and come to a broader idea of how street celebrations affect our understanding of place. Central to this thesis therefore is the problem of ‘place’, spatial ownership and belonging that is inherent to the post colonial mind in Latin America and the Caribbean. Tied to the emancipation of African slaves in Trinidad, Carnival will be discussed as a physical celebration that transcends those cultural insecurities, to create a liberated experience of place that stands between history, myth and reality.