Tagged: Bristol
December 16th unconventional advent calendar
Today’s unconventional advent calendar celebrates archives and the release of over 1 million images owned by the British Library on Flickr.
I previously blogged about the Glasgow image I found, but there are literally millions to see, from all over the world! You can also add tags to any of the images yourself, and use the usual “favourite” tool in Flickr which will make it easier for you to re-find what you’re after again.
Some of my favourites are below, this time with a tourism and transportation theme… for cultural planners this is an amazing research resource.
![Image taken from page 233 of '[Our own country. Descriptive, historical, pictorial.]'](https://i0.wp.com/farm4.staticflickr.com/3669/11306724805_676b4fc010.jpg)
For previous unconventional advent calendar entries see this link.
Clubs, societies and organisations- people and cultural planning
Window in a community cafe with a call for events (Edinburgh, Forest Cafe, Tollcross)
Today’s unconventional advent calendar for 9th December is all about clubs, societies and organisations going on within an area, featuring a notice board in Cove and Kilcreggan in rural Argyll. Virtually every area will have local clubs and societies for any type of subject, from sports to literary events to music and heritage, long established and part of a bigger organisation or perhaps small and informal and entirely independent. People are a big part of cultural planning, they are cultural planning assets. Whenever I go on holiday I tend to gravitate towards the small cafes and end up picking up lots of leaflets to have a nosey at what is on (libraries and parish notice boards are a good source of information too, and tourist information centres). I have ended up going to fascinating events by serendipity taking a role, happening to be in the right place at the right time and chatting to someone or seeing a stray flyer. Of course, internet research is good too.. but when you’re a cultural planner on holiday it pays to hang out in lovely little community places, for people watching and good coffee, and pop up events may just be coming your way. Bike tag, anyone? Pop up street food market? A community choir in a reclaimed warehouse arts space?
My other unconventional advent calendar entries here.
Are You Here- An Exhibition Documentary
This is a short video on the recent art exhibition I had at Gladstone’s Land, Edinburgh. It was filmed by Bad Monkey Films, and shows the installation process, opening night event and a short introduction to the project featuring comments from some of the attendees.
Exhibition- Are You Here, Gladstone’s Land Gallery, Edinburgh
I am currently showing my latest work at the Gladstone’s Land Gallery, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh (on the Royal Mile). The exhibition showcases some of the illustration work which I developed from my genealogical travels, and also a preview of my e-book which accompanies the exhibition.
Hope to see you here… do come along if you happen to be in Edinburgh!
The wall of inspiration
So, this is what part of my studio looks like at the moment after two weeks of research away for my Are You Here Project. I thought I would share it for a bit of fun (I liked the way the printed out photographs all sat nicely together), and also ask how other people who do creative work get inspiration and plan out projects.
An energising, creative, community weekend of Glasgow West End Festival events
Returning from my study trip (and having recently enjoyed Bristol Mayfest and the Brighton Fringe) I felt it would be a nice way to start June to visit some of the Glasgow West End Festival goings on. This is is an annual event which is now in its eighteenth year, offering a huge range of events, talks, music recitals, plays and other activities, many of which are free.
The Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church is somewhere I have wandered past many times and peeked up at from Byres Road but I had never been in. They are open most weekends during the Festival, so do go and see this building if you can; what windows! There are several Cottier windows and also one designed by William Morris. I have never seen stained glass sunflowers before; beautiful. The roof is quite spectacular as well, the whole church is actually modelled on the Sainte Chapelle in Paris.
Let Glasgow Flourish- in Stained Glass
Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church
Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church
For lunch we popped into Waitrose and purchased some suitably sunny snacks, and sat in the Kibble Palace under the heat of the glass enjoying some Mediterranean themed sustenance. Saturday had moments of extreme sun with some scattered showers, so the Kibble was full of happy, dry people. We went for a nice wander around the west end conservation area, admiring the beautiful bay windows and detailed ironwork en route to Rio Café where the Partick Monkeys were playing. I had not seen them before and as fans of ska we were happily dancing along to tunes old and new (take a peek at their songs on their soundcloud ).
On Sunday we visited the Gibson Street Gala, which is a community event where part of the roads are closed off and made traffic free for the day. I was pleased that they had a nice day for this, another glorious Glaswegian sunny day, just the thing for a street party. One of the great things about the Gibson Street Gala is that it has so many activities for young and old, but also (for those of an architectural persuasion) that you can have a sneak peek at what tenement back courts could all be like as GOW residential backcourt opened up their gardens for the day offering tea from Tchai Ovna, relaxing music and interesting “half hour art” sculptures.
West End Festival and Gibson Street Gala 2013 GOW Backcourt
A swan sculpture in Gibson Street Gala
St. Silas Church was giving away fairtrade coffee and also running fairground games, with some atmospheric singing and piano accompaniment inside the church (which also has some rather wonderful stained glass, what a treat.)
St Silas Church Free Fairtrade Coffee!
As you can see from the photograph I took from the top of Gibson Street hill, we were not the only ones out enjoying the day!
Gibson Street Gala, West End Festival 2013
One of the many things I like about living in the city is that some libraries are open on a Sunday, this weekend was particularly busy at Hillhead as Mairi Hedderwick was doing two talks, one for children (and the young at heart) on the Katie Morag books and one on the art of travel writing. I have always enjoyed her style so it was nice to meet her and hear stories of her travels around the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, with a little “behind the scenes” insight into how she prepares those beautiful illustrations. There are quite a few author events on during the festival, detailed at http://www.westendfestival.co.uk/events.
The Granny Would Be Proud” craft and vintage fair was on at Hillhead Bookclub, with bargains and one off pieces to be found. I was taken aback by the beauty of this building, as the ceiling is quite something to behold (the mezzanine means you can get quite close to it). This was another “why have I not been here before” moment as it is a place which has a lot of events (many specifically for the Festival) and offers an interesting selection of food and drink in a rather wonderful category A listed former cinema setting.
This was only the first weekend of the festival, many other delights await for the rest of the month!
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Sources of information for this blog post:
- Gibson Street Gala 2013 Programme of Events
- Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church welcome guides
- Scottish Cinemas- Hillhead Picture Salon http://www.scottishcinemas.org.uk/glasgow/hillheadsalon/
- West End Festival 2013 programme available online at http://www.westendfestival.co.uk/
Travels, moves, cycling and other transportation
So, when I was in Bristol I commented on how much I liked my “bike experience” there, and a few people (James Corner and Calmgrove, do check out their blogs) mentioned I should seek out the cycle map. I do indeed rather like it, a 3D view of all of the major cycle routes.
The map is located by the new square, which contains @Bristol and the planetarium; it made me think about the big distances which my family have moved over time, something I am considering for my art project. How did they get where they were going and why did they go there? Where have your family moved to or from? Do you have any exciting genealogical adventures to share?
Bristol to the North of England
Brighton and beyond
My bike needs to get out, it is feeling sad attached to the railings where I am staying! I have been walking everywhere here.
Southern Travels
I had meant to post this earlier but I have been a little tired from all the travelling and absorbing new places! Along the lines of a previous post on views from the East Coast main line train, I am adding a few from the Bristol to Brighton train.
First of all a musical sighting.. I was wondering why I had had various Bonzo Dog band songs in my head when I was staying in Bristol, now I know as I had been seeing buses with signs for Keynsham, the title of one of their albums!
Tell me more about the…
I also enjoyed passing through Bath, as you can see a little of the sweeping crescents and houses clinging to the hill, constructed with that famous creamy Bath stone. Here is a glimpse through the window, over the cricket ground.
Bath spa
I was really happy to see this…
White horse.. there in the top right corner on the hill!
I think this is the Westbury white horse, though do correct me if I am wrong. I have happy memories of seeing the Kilburn white horse when I was little, so I do like spotting these additions to the landscape.
Oooh! Look what I got in my change today!
Bristolian pounds!
After only just finding out about these, and mentioning them earlier today, look what I got in my change today when I went to St Nicholas’ Market 🙂 Aren’t they fabulous?
Pondering history and getting to know your environment
Today I went to three museums… the Architecture Centre (well, I would, wouldn’t I.. the planner and conservation-ist in me can’t help it!), Arnolfini and M-Shed. I also wandered along the river and took lots of photographs.
Bristol (on a bus in M-Shed)
At The Architecture Centre they have an ever changing programme of events and exhibitions, sited in a harbourside building. The current exhibition focuses on what the future of the city could look like, and invites lots and lots of post it note contributions to add ideas to the city map. There are showcases of successful environmental schemes and projects, I was amused and intrigued to see “The Bristol pound”, first of all it looks really aesthetically pleasing, but secondly it is run on the basis of community good and helps support local businesses. Great idea! A small display on “Bristol Opening Doors” was really interesting as it invited people to contribute stories and “favourite buildings”, and also showcased a new app which is a walking trail (available on www.bristolopeningdoors.org ). I enjoyed the illustrations and design of this, and of course the wonderful buildings! I am starting to recognise more and more of the streetscape and landmarks here, and this will help discover more. Chatting briefly to the friendly staff there I also was given a flyer for a website called “Know Your Place: Learning and Sharing Information about Historic Bristol”, run by English Heritage and Bristol City Council. I am looking forward to exploring this properly, as yesterday (on my visit to the City Art Gallery and Museum) I was fascinated with the historic maps… this site lets you overlay and integrate different maps from various eras. Oooh! Just what I am after, as I can spot the places where my ancestors lived. Ideal for “Are You Here” research!
This was my first visit to Arnolfini, I have walked past it many times but always en route to somewhere else or whizzing past on my bike. I enjoyed the Susanne Kriemann’s Modelling (Construction School) exhibition, it brings a little of an “art- planning- environment” discussion into a contemporary art environment. The photographs of quarries were quite spectacular, many of the works are designed to provoke discussion on archives, and also problem solving in design education.
M-Shed could keep me amused for hours, it is full of all sorts of historical bits and pieces, I really did get lost in history. Interestingly for me, there was a whole section on Bristol people and families, saying “it’s important to know where you’ve come from so that you know where you’re going”… the question was posed “why did you leave?”.
M-Shed Family History Information Panel
In the case of my family I suspect it was for work as it would have to be a fairly major reason such as this to move to the opposite end of the country. There are themed galleries at M-Shed, Bristol people, Bristol life, Bristol places (and a special exhibition, currently on chocolate!), all of them have real objects to explore, some thought provoking interactive displays (I loved the one on “what makes a Bristolian”.. very funny mixtures of answers come out of that!), video and multimedia and also lots of transport to explore. No “please keep off” signs here. I am even starting to recognise the different Bristol districts, having passed through them by bike or bus at various points of my several visits over the years, it is nice to recognise things in a “technically not home” city! M-shed cafe is worth a visit, local produce, family friendly, vegan friendly and lovely views.
Oh, and did I mention the view from the roof terrace….
Crenellated Arts 