Labora Caribbean Art Expedition is an artistic, maritime and heritage initiative that has taken root in Guadeloupe and is now spreading throughout the Caribbean. Supported by artists, sailors, researchers and institutions, this expedition aboard a traditional sailboat aims to link islands, gather knowledge, promote dialogue between generations and enhance the value of popular cultures that are often marginalized. More than just an artistic program, it is a living process of documentation, transmission and exchange between island communities, with the sea as a link.
A mobile artistic platform born in Guadeloupe around the sailboat Labora
The project takes shape around the S/V Labora, a Danish wooden hajkutter built in 1939, now restored and transformed into a living museum and mobile creative platform. The idea was born in Guadeloupe, particularly during his stopover at the ACTe Memorial during the Rhum Race, where musicians from Grenada came aboard and hundreds of Guadeloupean schoolchildren discovered life on board. This experience gave rise to a collective desire to make the Labora a vehicle for living memory on a Caribbean scale.
Three fundamental axes: traditional arts, navigation and transmission
Labora Caribbean Art Expedition is based on three inseparable pillars:
- The traditional Caribbean arts (music, dance, visual arts, oral narratives, craft skills).
- The sailing as a means of transport, but also as a historical link between the islands.
- The intergenerational transmission through workshops, residencies, documentaries and training courses.
At each port of call, the sailboat becomes both itinerant stage, a place of artistic residence and living archive space.
Responding to island isolation with art and the sea
The project is based on a simple but profound observation: in the Caribbean, many island communities remain isolated isolated by a lack of transport infrastructure which hinders cultural exchanges. The sailboat Labora overcomes these obstacles by creating a creation, documentation and sharing network.. It becomes a tool for dialogue, breaks down prejudice, connects artistsand opens up spaces for collaboration between often distant communities.
Educational, social and scientific objectives
The ambition of Labora Caribbean Art Expedition is to preserve endangered knowledge but also to give them a place in today’s society. The project aims to :
- Document vanishing traditions through films, recordings films, recordings, photographs, logbooks.
- Creating digital archives returned to communities and schools.
- Organize transmission workshops in schools, ports, neighborhoods and villages.
- Set up an international internship program (in conjunction with anthropology, musicology, ethnology and audiovisual universities).
- Encourage the emergence of educational initiatives integrating Caribbean cultures into curricula.
A collective project: artists, institutions, researchers, sailors
Three main entities coordinate the project:
- Road Book’ Arts (Guadeloupe), an association specializing in artistic production and cultural residencies.
- Le Temps du Vent, a French collective based in Marie-Galante and owner of the Samsara sailboat, dedicated to promoting traditional sailing.
- The Liberty International Sailing Club (LISC), a transnational structure that pilots the sailboat Labora and brings together sailors, anthropologists, video artists and musicians.
They are accompanied by an extended network of Caribbean and international partners, including :
- Galerie l’Art s’En Mêle, Artocarpe, United Caribbean Artists, Patoray, Waka Films, FaireSens BeeSiw, La Croisée des Chemins, Pointe-à-Pitre Arts Centre.
- Anna Chiara Sabatino, Italian researcher and filmmaker in digital storytelling.
- Tara Douglas, documentary filmmaker from the Adivasi Arts Trust.
- Mark Lindenberg, anthropologist and filmmaker.
- Makeda Martel, artistic facilitator and founder of La Croisée des Chemins.
Guadeloupe's central role in project governance
A local committee supports the development and territorial anchoring of the project:
- Martine Fazer, journalist and director of the International Graffiti and Street Art Festival.
- Arthur Trouabal, former art expert and trainer.
- Raymonde Pater Torin dancer, choreographer and specialist in gwoka.
Their involvement ensures that the project remains connected to local realities without exoticism or folklorization.
Expedition schedule and itinerary
The pilot phase will run from January to May 2025 with stopovers in Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique and probably Saint Lucia. It will enable us to test formats, evaluate logistics, refine the documentation method, and solidify partnerships. The aim is then to extend the project into 2026 gradually linking Trinidad to Cuba with two to three sailboats sailing in coordination eventually.
An invitation to Caribbean artists
The Labora team is launching a call for participation Caribbean artists wishing to get involved in this collective creative process. Whether musicians, dancers, craftsmen, storytellers, video artists or teachers, all are invited to come on board to share their vision of living heritage and contribute to a shared Caribbean memory.
Labora Caribbean Art Expedition is more than just a cultural expedition. It’s a project political, social and educational which uses traditional navigation as a lever for cohesion, resilience and inspiration. By linking islands, it also links memories, heritages and generations. It proposes a new way of thinking the Caribbean from the sea by floating the forgotten voices, the threatened gestures, and the music that carries the soul of the island peoples.
