Vaughrondé and Lisa Joseph are driven by a shared vision: to honour and advance Bermuda’s rich Gombey culture.

Their goal is not only to preserve the centuries-old tradition but to also make it relevant to younger generations.

The couple first made their aim public about a year ago when they formed their own Gombey troupe, Vibe Tribe. On Friday they took that vision further with the opening of Identity in the Rick Faries Gallery at Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art.

The exhibit is a showcase of Gombey-centred works made by Mr and Mrs Joseph including paintings, jewellery, purses, figurines, masks and regalia.

“Updating the image of the Gombey is something we've been working heavily towards,” said Mr Joseph, who has been the captain of every troupe on the island during his nearly 30 years as a Gombey.

“Something that I see and my wife sees, as artists, is that it's obvious that work that needs to be done.”

That’s not meant as a dig at any of the other troupes, he insisted. Rather, it is his hope that people see Vibe Tribe’s more modern look and aspire to something similar.

“Rather than having the same hat or mask for two or three years, I want people to keep our culture fresh,” he said.

“[Being part of the Gombey culture] is expensive and it's time consuming, but it's important to take the time and resources to make sure it’s represented in a way where every Bermudian can be proud.”

While her husband is a trained metalsmith, Mrs Joseph works in the corporate world and is completely self-taught as an artist.

“I picked up painting as a hobby. I find it really therapeutic and really, really healing,” she said.

Gombeys have had “a heavy influence” throughout Mr Joseph’s life. He started dancing at the age of six and has “had a heavy hand in all of the troupes in Bermuda”.

“I've represented Bermuda as an ambassador in different countries. It's a lot of history with me behind it, and I have a lot of family members that's involved in it as well.”

According to Mrs Joseph, her husband’s mother tells people how even as an infant, he was instinctively drawn to Gombey music, pulling himself up in his crib to dance whenever he heard it.

“And then for me, I was drawn to Gombeys from the creative aspect – from the visual part to the actual regalia that they wear because it's almost like art in real life. Instead of the art being on a wall in a gallery, it’s moving; you can interact with it.”

The couple are happy to share their knowledge and will host an artist talk at Masterworks tomorrow giving people a chance to learn things about the Gombeys that they are usually not privy to.

“They don’t see what it takes to create the regalia – the long hours, the patience that it takes,” Mr Joseph said.

“The heavy presence of Gombey influence is evident throughout almost all our work. This is our way of paying homage to the beauty of Gombeys and the very significant part they play in our lives. We want to give people a view into the side of Gombeys that is usually hidden and aim to showcase the Gombey community in a way that most people have not had the opportunity to see before. This is a chance to pause and appreciate Gombeys in a way that you would normally miss.”

The couple will celebrate their troupe’s first anniversary on December 12. They were thrilled to have their debut performance at the annual Bermuda Gombey Festival last month.

“When I was creating certain pieces for the show, I actually felt really confident in our ability to get it right,” Ms Joseph said, explaining that their long relationship with Gombeys helped.

“Being so hands-on, we’re able to translate that authenticity into our work.”

To create the costumes she and her husband were able to call on their skills as a seamstress and a tailor, respectively. Her husband built the hatchets, the hats and the masks; she did all the crochet work on the suits.

“In the whole of Bermuda, I can tell you this right now, we're the only group in Bermuda that does everything ourselves; with just two people,” Mr Joseph added.

The couple, who have three children, spent two years planning for the show and about a year making everything to go in it. It was tough, they said, but hard work and a shared responsibility helped them through.

“This is not just my wife, this is my best friend. There's a lot of communication. We talk, and we spend a lot of time together. It's not easy, it takes hard work, but we're both willing and dedicated to each other to put in that hard work,” Mr Joseph said.

The result is testament to what people are capable of if they “put down the phones; stop scrolling so much”.

“We really want to motivate people to do some work, talk and connect with one another – that’s what we do. That's how we're able to get the majority of our work out there, by focusing on real life things, and we encourage our kids to do the same.”

• Identity will be on view at Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art until November 26. Lisa and Vaughrondé Joseph will hold a talk about their exhibit at Masterworks tomorrow, from 5.30pm to 7pm. For more information, visitmasterworksbermuda.org/identity