Junior mas designer puts spotlight on glaucoma

By Klysha Best

There is a common phrase that says, “art imitates life”. But, for most artists, their life is their art and through their art, we can get a peek inside their life.

The latter can be said for artist, mas designer, author, and teacher Patrick Roberts, who has used his Glaucoma diagnosis as part of the inspiration behind his Junior Carnival presentation for Carnival 2024.

Roberts, who is the co-owner and lead designer for the adult medium Carnival band ‘Image Nation’, is also the head of the Junior Carnival band Trinity Carnival Foundation (TCF), one of the oldest children’s Carnival bands in T&T, dating back to 1987.

For Carnival this year, the TCF will be presenting ‘Blue – Another Conversation with Glaucoma’.

2024 will be the Junior band’s return to the stage since Roberts initially decided to call it quits on junior mas in 2020.

“2024 will mark 45 years since I have been designing Carnival costumes,” said Roberts. “I did my first set of designs when I was almost finished with John Donaldson some eons ago. At the time, I was having difficulties getting costumes I liked for my two daughters when they were younger. I remember when I finally got costumes for them, I was like ‘Nah, I could do better than that’.” The TCF was started.

He recalled in 1998, there was the first full conference on Carnival in Hartford, Connecticut and only one band from T&T was asked to attend – his band, the TCF. Then in 1999, the conference was held here and again, they were the lone juniors in attendance.

Roberts said when he walked away from Junior mas in 2020, he really meant it. He felt he had nothing more to prove.

However, the birth of his grandson during the pandemic changed his mind. His grandson, Patrick Roberts III is a mas camp child and Roberts said he felt he had to revisit the band just for him.

His son, Patrick Roberts Jr is the King for the family’s adult band Image Nation.

Another inspiration for his return into the foray was the lack of creativity he was seeing. During his stint in 2023 as President of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Bands Association, Roberts was afforded the opportunity to really pay attention to the other Junior bands. He did not believe what he was seeing.

“The mas was repetitive, poorly constructed, and lacked integrity, balance, colour, design and creativity. There were the exceptions of course,” he said. “An idea is not a concept, and these younger bands need to learn this. To do a mas, you need to conceptualise, visualise, and realise.”

Glaucoma diagnosis

Roberts said one of the demands of the TCF this year, is that each mas-playing child, along with their parent, guardian, or caregiver have their eyes tested.

He said that in recognition of World Glaucoma Day on March 12, he will start the ball rolling in Carnival and has already reached out to a few ophthalmologists who have agreed to provide free testing to his young masqueraders and their parents.

“One of the challenges with children nowadays is in seeing the board in their classroom, especially now where the children are living with their eyes glued to a small screen or device.”

He admitted that when he was diagnosed with glaucoma, it was already in the late stage, and he went into a dark place mentally.

“You lose your depth perception, so your world is basically flat. So, imagine the challenge for an artist,” Roberts said.

“You go from living in a happy place and fall off the edge into flatness. You go into a state of depression.”

Despite losing vision in his right eye, Roberts was able to unveil an art exhibition in 2022 celebrating 50 years of being an artist. He also did a series of paintings for the main block of his alma mater Queen’s Royal College.

“I am thankful that I still have the ability to draw. These days I’m trying to be more organised with my sketches for the sake of intellectual property.”

Divine inspiration

So why the colour blue for the entire junior band? Roberts said although he had sketches for two Junior band options, as he wanted something for his grandson, the idea for and the name of the presentation came from God.

“It was 2 a.m. and God was talking to me, telling me to do the band. Although I know the penalty for ignoring God, I pretended not to hear, until He said to me call the band ‘Blue – Another Conversation with Glaucoma’ and I said ‘sold’.”

A lot of things point to blue in the world of glaucoma, Roberts said, “like the blue light they use to check your eyes for the disease…”

He added: “All the costumes also have a piece that points to the sky. It represents the first star-gazers of the world, the Dogon Tribe of West Africa, the first astronomers. There are also circles throughout the band, which represent the eyeball.”

Sections will be represented by names like: Blue Bird of Happiness; Blue Belle; Blue Flame of Awakening; Blue Art; Blue Joy; Blue Moon and Blue Devil.

Roberts said the costumes are also predicated on the Pierrot Grenade character, “one of the talkers of the mas”. In essence, the mas will be telling his story.

“My journey through glaucoma has been uphill. It even led me to writing a short story about me enjoying life and being pulled into the depth through glaucoma and having to find a way out.” The book is art based.

Carnival 2024 will not be the last for Roberts’ presentation of ‘Blue – Another Conversation with Glaucoma’.

In July, the Ophthalmologist Society of the West Indies will be hosting a conference at Hyatt Regency and the band has already been locked in for the opening.

About Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a common eye condition where the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, becomes damaged. It is usually caused by the fluid building up in the front part of the eye, which increases pressure inside the eye. Glaucoma can lead to loss of vision if it is not diagnosed and treated early. Glaucoma is the second largest cause of blindness in the world and the first cause of blindness in the Caribbean.