Characterised by a head to toe covering of blue paint, Blue Devils voice a babbling, bawling cacophony bereft of recognisable words, all the while beating a tin drum to create further dissonance and racket. As is typical for Mas characters the history of the Blue Devil is complex, but its origins partially lie in a re-enactment of the mustering of slaves that would occur whenever a fire broke out on a plantation. This would be accompanied by a rousing din of banging shells, blowing horns and shouts from the gang drivers. A further strand to the historical narrative lies in the smearing of blue paint on the skin; this was seen as an act of reclamation which took root in the days after emancipation from white masqueraders, who would paint themselves darker to ‘black up’ when performing racist satire.

Crochet cotton and lace

180 x 120 cm