Morel Doucet: Storyteller, sculptor, educator, and artistic environmental activist
Come and join us today for a a great conversation with the wonderful Morel Doucet. Morel, currently residing in Florida, and originally from Haiti, is now a full time artist and educator. Bob Acton and Morel https://www.moreldoucet.com/ had a wonderful conversation about his work, his purpose in producing they type of work he does, and, of course, colour and surface design.From his artist statement: My work explores the cultural disparity of self- realization, assimilation, and transnational identity as a Haitian immigrant. Using direct or implied human figures, I explore narratives of vulnerability, isolation, and alienation within various cultures across the globe. Within the vocabulary of indigenous art and my dreams, I create whimsical forms resulting in a diary of self-mythology.These exchanges allude to a larger conversation about sea-level rise, environmental pollution, and the displacement between descendants of the African diaspora, and their physical environments. Through intensive detailed labor, my work mimics the current state of Black fragility. I employ ceramics, illustrations, and prints to examine the realities of climate- gentrification, migration, and displacement within the Black diaspora communities. In addressing these issues, I merge my Afro-Caribbean culture with flora and fauna and draw from the concerns of the collective consciousness of my community.In my quest to illustrate the impact of climate-gentrification, I present work with visual impact and sensitivity —and draw inspiration from the indigenous cultures of the Amazon, Aboriginal people of Australia, and the Yoruba tribe of West Africa.