The first hit song I can remember listening to was the 1968 Four Jacks and a Jill hit “It's a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack.” For a seven-year-old boy, the world then seemed excitingly strange with so many experiences to discover. Forty-five years later, the carnival seems even more curious with so much more to try and make sense of. My fellow countrymen and women never cease to fill me with wonder as to the extent they would go to entertain us.  The Carnival finds form in a satirical procession of animals where the social hierarchies of everyday life, as well as ready-made truths, are profaned and overturned. Consequently, opposites are turned upside down; fools become wise, and kings become beggars. This artwork is my humble effort to give form to what I see, experience, and notice in an effort to comprehend it all. Unfortunately, I must confess that after careful consideration, I am no closer to making any sense of the carnival. I can only join Glenys Lynne in singing: “It’s a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jacob.”

Ex cathedra

Come my child

listen to my wisdom.

No dogs allowed, I say

it’s really not for us,

rather enjoy my carnival

its free and for all to see

we shall repeat the performance

every day

every month

every year.

It’s only for your benefit, believe me

but remember to vote for me.

Yes, definitely until Jesus comes back