Architecture Caribbean: can you tell us about the Wall Project?
Courtenay Williams: The Wall Project was the result of collaboration between the Label House Group who assembled the technology to print large scale reproductions and to use software to obtain as true a color reproduction as is possible of the original pigments used in the paintings.

AC: How did the idea come about? 
CW: We were approached by the Label House Group to help in the selection of artists and execution of the project.

AC: How were artists chosen for the project? 
CW: Initially the launch date for the project was so close to when we were first approached, that we had to have resort to Art Society members for selections to be made for the first phase along Tragarete Road. The intention was that every six months or so, the work would be retired but whilst up, a theme would be announced and artists would paint for that theme so that when the first set of work came down there would be new work ready for installation drawn from artists who responded to the theme (whether they were Art Society members or not).  It was the intention that works would be juried by the Art Society using the kind of criteria we use for our own shows.

AC: What was the most challenging part of this project? 
CW: Getting the copyright arrangements in place and agreed.

AC: What was the most rewarding? 
CW: Public reaction has been very positive. There are tours to the wall and people take their families there and so on.

AC: What did you learn by carrying out this project? 
CW: How thirsty people are for positive artistic input in their lives and how responsive people are to the availability of art in public spaces, whether original or by way of reproduction.

AC: What benefits have arisen from the Wall Project? 
CW: People have become alive to the possibility of embracing art and what it says about them as human beings when they respond to it. It is not for the middle classes, it is our expression of the human condition which touches us all.

AC: What do you think it will do or has done for the country, artists and the public at large? 
CW: I think I have touched on it above.  I think, as well, that the artists who participated have genuinely been excited at the concept of large scale reproduction of their work.  It has helped them to understand their own work a little better too.

AC: What is the present state would you say of art and artists in Trinidad & Tobago and the Caribbean? 
CW: That is a very very broad question which it is impossible to answer within the confines of this short interview process.  I will say this: the Caribbean has a unique story to tell and even within the Caribbean, the Cuban experience is different to the Jamaican experience which is different to the Trinidad and Tobago experience which is different to the Surinamese experience and so on.  I lament in Trinidad and Tobago that the general perception is still that children are not being encouraged to pursue careers in art because it is still perceived that artists cannot make a decent living from it.

AC: Is there a particular space in the city or country that you would love to do a grand exhibition for artists if you had the opportunity? 
CW: A biennale or a true art festival is a dream of ours.

AC: Is the economic downturn having any effect on the Art community in T&T?
CW: Art Sales are down generally I think.

AC: What is a possible positive response that Caribbean Artists can offer to the current downturn? 
CW: Being more innovative about payment terms.

AC: What concerns do you have with regard to the Arts in the Caribbean/ T&T? 
CW: Art is still perceived in some countries as not available to the general public, and that it is elitist.

AC: What advice would you give to young artists? 
CW: Stay the course and improve your craft and technique and if it is your intent to do so, source good help and formal education and use it as best you can.

AC: Our Theme for the launch of Architecture Caribbean is RHYTHM. What does Rhythm mean to you? 
CW: Being a Trini, being a Caribbean person.           

AC: What do you think about Architecture Caribbean and its goal to highlight Architecture and the Arts in the Caribbean and other parts of the world? 
CW: I support it.