GAVIN Smith is the man who took St. George's by storm in the last election - almost.

At age 24, he was one of the youngest candidates ever to run for parliament in Bermuda, probably one of the youngest to start his own party, the Gombey Liberation Party (GLP).

On July 24, he ran against the former Premier in her own territory, and political stalwart Kenneth Bascome and came away with 16 votes. And yet, his presence may have been the deciding factor in the St. George's as the former Premier, Jennifer Smith, only squeaked by with eight more votes than Mr. Bascome.

In the wake of it all, Mr. Smith has turned his attention to the art world. He is opening a new art gallery in the old Creative Interior space on Front Street and a few weeks before the election he and his girlfriend, Jenille, eloped.

Mr. Smith attended the Savannah College of Art & Design in Savannah, Georgia and is a graphic designer through his company Subliminal Design Machine.

On Wednesday, reporter JESSIE MONIZ and photographer ARTHUR BEAN met with Mr. Smith to talk about art, culture, and his future political plans.

Q: What was it like to be so young and run for politics?

A: It was scary and intimidating, but it was also an incredible honour to be a part of history like that. It was fun and extremely educational. It was interesting to go to people's homes and just listen to people. It was also interesting to learn the political process from the inside. To be the youngest ever is incredible. It was also saddening, because some of my heroes disappointed me, but that is life.

Q: What were people saying when you went to their houses to campaign?

A: There was general discontent with the other two choices. There was a feeling that it was pointless to vote. There was a feeling that they were sticking steadfast to their parties. Some people said: 'I don't mind talking to you, but I'm PLP for life or I'm UBP for life.'

Q: Why did you decide to run in St. George's?

A: St. George's is the cultural centre of Bermuda. It is the birthplace of Bermuda. There is a lot of work that needs to be done down there. Many of the structures need to be renovated and remodelled. One of the major hotel facilities is just sitting dormant. It is also the home of the former Premier. It is a world heritage site. With all the culture that is around us, I think we should be uplifted on a national level, not just on a gallery level. We need to see public art. We need to see public displays and acknowledgments of our culture and our history.

Q: And you're from St. George's?

A: No, my father was born in Spanish Point. My mother was born in Somerset.

Q: What were your feelings after the election? I know a lot of people said that the results in St. George's were so close that if you hadn't been running things might have been different.

A: There were a few people who negatively responded to me before the election, who afterwards said, 'I see what you were doing', especially because of the whole coup scenario. Apart from that, people have been very positive. They are excited that they see a young, black man trying to stand up for what he believes in and trying to help out in society. There hasn't been anything really negative. It is just one step at a time. Now it is just about building up and getting ready for the future.

Q: Do you think you might run again?

A: I don't doubt that.

Q: Do you think you might get some other people to join your party?

A: We've had many people who want to join the party and see what is going on. We are trying to determine how we are going to go from here. It is the beginning. Right now, people are very disillusioned with a lot of the stuff that has been going on.

Q: What do you think you might do differently next time?

A: This time was a campaign run on fumes. We had little to no resources. Next time, I will have a team. We will have candidates in various constituencies as much as we can. We also have a foundation now. All that stuff comes into play. There will be a lot of building.

Q: Familiarity is half the battle, isn't it?

A: Definitely. And people are party affiliated. Look at Kenny Bascome's run compared to his previous run. People stick to their party line.

Q: I see you've started an open-mic group called Chewstick. Can you tell me about that?

A: Chewstick is an organisation devoted to uplifting the arts in the world. We are starting in Bermuda. We started primarily with open mic jam sessions at Champions Sports Club. We call it neo-griot. 'Neo' is a European word for new, and 'griot' is an African word for storyteller. We host the open mics session on Sundays. We released a magazine in July called Paradise Now, a piggy back operation in the back of This Week in Bermuda.

Q: Tell me about that.

A: It is pretty exciting. Since This Week is primarily a guidebook, we have had to do it mainly as a guide to the untold Bermuda. That is how we have been approaching it. The important thing is we have been able to get out there and show that we have the ability to do it. We are taking a break for now. We are in the midst of establishing the first Chewstick Chapter overseas. We are looking to set up a Chewstick Chapter in every major city to spread the word and allow people to get on and uplift themselves.

Q: Do you write?

A: I am a singer and song writer. I play guitar with some other guys in a folky reggae vibe. With the rest of the team, we all bring out different aspects of each other. We are getting ready to go into the studio to work on an album.

Q: Do you also do the gombeys?

A: I don't do the gombeys in the sense that I dance with a troupe. I consider myself a gombey.

Q: What makes a person a gombey?

A: I think it is a mentality. It is heart and a desire to be aware of your past and present and be decisive about your future. There are so many people who have bought into the myth that Bermuda culture has died. I prefer to think of it as dormant and waiting to be awoken. Every week at Chewstick we break people who have never spoken on a mic before. Chewstick it is the first platform where Bermudians feel that they can be free. It is the first time I have ever witnessed people publically speaking out about politics and sex.

Q: What do you think we need to do to bring out the art that is there? Is it more money or more venue?

A: I think it is a combination of money and venue and respect. Most Bermudians artists are hobbyist. They are forced to be. They have to pay the bills and do all that to make a living. A lot of them don't understand the value of their own work. There needs to be some kind of education involved. And it needs to start with the kids as well.

Q: What is your gallery going to be called?

A: We are not sure yet. It is very much a work in progress. It will be open by the end of the month. We have a fashion show coming up. People will be able to see that from outside. We will be using local fashion designers and vintage clothing. What needs to help the art community is investment of everything, time, energy, money and resources. We have some amazing artists. Everyone always has to go away before they can come back and get recognised by their own community. I think we should start recognising the heroes that we have here now. That is my mission, to find all these guys who are sort of in the wilderness. I want to show them to the world. I was almost brought to tears today when I saw this guy's sculpture. It is so incredible. I told him, I thought I was less of a person before seeing his work. That is what it is. We are less of a people by not recognising the artists and heroes among us.

Q: Here is the big question that everybody was asking. Why do gombeys need liberating. Aren't they getting all that attention in Scotland right now?

A: Gombeys need liberating because, if you notice, gombeys haven't really been accepted until this year. It is a part of our history. Our history is to be a free people. We are destined to be independent one day.

Q: So you think society is holding back a lot of local talent?

A: Many local artists find the established art system and galleries, intimidating. There is a lot of distrust of the system in general. Many artists just stick to themselves. That is coupled with the fact that some of the artists aren't taken seriously. Some of the artists who are in here now when presented to prestigious members of government, they were blatantly belittled. The government people said things like 'what is this worth, $5?' That is belittling to an artist. Artists are very sensitive people.

Q: What about music-wise?

A: Everyone is upset at the art community in Bermuda. Look at the music scene. Our artists don't get practice. They don't get refined. They can't take it to the next level because they don't have the exposure and the access to hone their ability. That is one of the reasons that Chewstick exists. We want people to be able to practise, refine themselves and get better. That goes across the board. Right now we are working on building an artists' guild so that artists can come together as individuals. It will promote communication and understanding and help them to see how different artists get exposure. We are in for a renaissance. Whenever you see art it is not shown in a high level. I am a graphic designer so I have an eye for how things are presented. I look for the appealing. Most of the art that is displayed is displayed in a way that makes it look like a bush job.

Q: If people are interested in Chewstick, how can they find out more?

A: They can check out Chewstick.com or telephone 296-CHEW or they can call me personally.