Introduction

Living in Bristol makes it easy to attend some fantastic art events from from which to learn, as the local creative scene is booming and varied. From large to very small, some permanent and some pop-up arts projects, festivals and events happen all the time. Since I work at Watershed, I often attend events as a representative for the organisation or in my own time.  Being involved in our ever changing roster of events, films and festivals is a good way of keeping up my interests and getting involved with the ins and outs of how different events are run. I am especially interested in community and family events, youth projects, installation work and art exhibitions. I hope that by attending events that interest me in terms of my own arts practice and career development, and then reflecting on these experiences as a trainee-producer, I can build on my experience and extend my knowledge. Above all, it is important to keep searching out inspiration and like-minded people.

St Pauls Carnival – Community Music and Culture – Sat 6 July 2013

Last weekend I attended the much anticipated St Paul’s Carnival, Bristol’s annual celebration of all things Afro Caribbean. Alongside the other estimated 80,000 people who descended on the city to be a part of this huge street party, I meandered through the roads of St Pauls and soaked up the atmosphere before heading to meet friends, catch the vibrant parade, track down some tasty Caribbean food and see some of the top homegrown and international reggae, dub, drum and bass, garage and hip hop talent on show. It was a fantastic sunny day which definitely added to the already relaxed and friendly atmosphere, as young and old soaked up the good vibes side by side, the party lasting late into the night.

Attending the event was helpful for seeing how you could produce such a huge event right in the centre of an already busy city. This event is especially interesting because St Paul’s Carnival is a registered charity sponsored by Bristol City Council and Arts Council which also relies heavily on donations from attenders to bring the next year’s festival to life. The organisers of 2013 had a strong campaign for collecting donations – using the standard collection buckets, but you could also text to donate. Everywhere you went, stewards and mcs were reminding us how easy it was to donate and what the money would mean for the festival next year and I think it was an effective way of fundraising on a grassroots level. Considering that 2012’s carnival was called off, everyone seemed extra happy that the festival was back on and as big and colourful as ever.

I thought a lot about how you’d go about arranging something so big on a shoestring – and what you noticed walking around and talking to people was the number of different groups working together to make it a success. Everyone was sharing their skills, equipment and space. One lady I talked to said she thought there were over 1,000 people collaborating to make it all possible: this included local organisations such as Ujima Radio and local businesses like Cosie’s on Portland Square, many musicians and artists, sound system owners, children from local primary schools and their parents, local sports groups, circus groups, and officials.

The St Paul’s community had been involved in Mas (masquerade) camps in the run up to the festival where they made costumes and floats together. During the festival, residents could pay a small fee to the organisers so they could sell food and drink from their front gardens, many families and friends also set up small sound systems, adding to the atmosphere. Everyone stopped to enjoy (or join in!) the parade, which included dancing, circus acts, music, and drumming, as it wound its way through the neighbourhood. There was a real sense of community spirit, and I believe this not only came from so many people coming from far away to support and enjoy the festivities, but also from the local residents who were involved throughout the festival in numerous ways. 

This spirit of all coming together to make something special happen also applied to the artists, many of whom performed for free or waived fees in order to support the event and the area. Live graffiti artists provided an instant welcome as you walked through Stokes Croft from the centre up to the festival. Here’s a short time-lapse video of the day’s work by Inkie, Silent Hobo and Leon.

Fringe events have also provided a promotional platform and context for the carnival and they will continue for the rest of the month, with art exhibitions, shows of historical collections, and talks. That evening many venues held official Carnival after parties to continue the fun and help raise more funds.

I found the whole event very inspirational as an aspiring producer: the atmosphere was incredible (despite some stigma which has surrounded the event in the past), I loved that the whole family could enjoy the festivities all day long but there were dedicated after parties for those who wanted to continue celebrating, and most significantly, I liked that there was a real sense of it being a festival for and by the community. It’s definitely something I would like to be involved in next year, especially with the Mas Camps (I love doing hand embroidery and can make a mean headdress) and I can see that its an integral way of involving the community from the outset, and having lots of fun getting creative.

Redfest – Celebrating the Local – Sat 3 August 2013

Welcome to the Wilderness! Or St. George’s Park – an expansive Victorian landscaped park found just down my local high street in Redfield, Bristol, taken over for a second year running this Saturday by Redfest, the area’s lively independent free art and music festival. More than just a lively all-dayer, Redfest proper spanned from Wed 31 July – Sun 4 Aug, and encompassed more live music, cabaret, art and kids activities themed around ‘The Wilderness’ than you could shake a stick at. All this was happening in the park itself and across local venues such as Cafe Grounded and St George’s Community Centre, as well as local pubs The Red Lion and favourite, The Old Stillage (which put on a brilliant after party with live dub at the weekend).

I’m going to focus on the main festival day held on Sat 3 Aug, which I attended with a group of friends. The first thing to mention is that lots of people don’t know much about the area I live in and people from other areas of the city don’t really come to visit. Redfield is an up and coming area, with a high street that’s got lots of great amenities and pubs along it, a train station, local shops and supermarkets. Although some of the area is a little run down, it’s got loads going for it and the people who live around here are genuinely friendly.

It was important for me that my friends come down and witness how good Redfield and the surrounding area is – and with this free music and art day to attract them, they happily came and explored a place they may not have considered visiting before. Perfect. From a producer’s point of view this is great, because if a local area can promote itself through free, fun events which showcase the area in a good light and attract different people to the area, then real positive experiences can replace any negative preconceptions. Certainly, my friends were impressed and had no idea we had such a lovely park, or that I lived amidst a community so interested in having fun all together and so keen to celebrate Redfield and the East of the city.

From the moment I entered the park, there was a fantastic atmosphere, with small stalls selling artisan products and food lining the pathway past the acoustic stage and then down to the main stage where the familiar fronds of a pink and blue tentacled monster clung on. It was a stroke of genius to involve Filthy Luker, the now world-renowned Bristol graffiti and installation artist whose blow up creatures and contraptions are instantly recognisable as a Bristol festival staple and which generate feelings of playfulness and fun.

Stretching out along the avenue of trees to the right was an adventure area with activities for children and a Kid’s Village tent, where families could join in with dancing and music making, painting and crafting, circus skills, games, theatre and more. Talk about a great quality, packed programme for the family – an audience group which I am particularly interested in and hope I can work with during the Future Producers programme. I will also look in to getting involved in the Redfest Kid’s Village next year if possible as I think this would be great experience, arranging a programme of arts activities for families on a small budget.

Families enjoyed the sun and little children, teenagers, young adults, parents and even a granny or two sat and enjoyed the music by the main stage in the afternoon as local acts and small bands played on stages supported by music makers and players Jelli Records, Ujima Radio and BCFM. Even when the rain threatened to clear the park, most festival goers stayed on, proving the resilience of the event. The music, market and activities went on until about 9pm, after which we could go to various live music events going on in pubs around Redfield and neighbouring Easton.

Redfest 2013 was a fantastic example of how to run a small, local festival that effectively showcases the best of a perhaps otherwise lesser-known area; gives a platform to small local businesses and start-ups via market and fringe events; and engages people of all walks of life and backgrounds, and especially those, like myself, who make up part of the local community, giving us an opportunity to come together and celebrate our area and the people who live here.

There were many volunteers with branded t-shirts and excellent costumes providing friendly information and festival programmes, and it was great to see so many different people involved in the running of the event. Without the support of sponsors and partners (see below) this free, independent festival would not exist, and funding from Bristol City Council and Arts Council England is integral for arts activities and paying local artists.

Here is a really interesting document which I have just come across after writing this post. It clearly lays out on the first page what Redfest 2013’s aims were, and I honestly feel that they achieved what they wanted. I really did find this event encouraging as an aspiring producer and it confirmed to me that this is the kind of event I would like to work on in the future as it is an effective platform for getting art into the community, helping local artists, amplifying pride of the area and boosting the local economy.

 

DESH Launch Event – A South Asian Youth Project – Tue 29 Oct 2013

Last night I attended the Asian Arts Agency’s launch event for their DESH Project – it was not a public event but since it was being held at Watershed, I asked if I could attend as an organisation representative so that I could meet the people running this interesting project.

Desh, meaning Homeland or Motherland in Hindi, is a project aimed at helping young people from the South Asian Community in Bristol to record and reinterpret their family stories and traditions. By talking to elders and learning about South Asian folk arts and oral traditions and then working with professional artists, participants (aged 18 – 24 years old) will be encouraged to develop their own work in response to what they’ve learnt. They’ll have the opportunity to use different animation techniques, digital story telling and music production, and then their works will become part of an interactive touring exhibition in the South West in March. More details can be found in this DESH Lauch Event handout.

My grandmother is originally from Goa, and so this project really appealed to me. Not only is it facilitating intergenerational dialogue, but it is also helping a generation of South Asians in Britain like myself, learn about or revisit elements of their Indian culture. It also helps this community to gain new skills and experience and providing them with a a creative outlet for their own interpretation of their family’s memories of the ‘homeland’ and gives them an opportunity to reflect on what ‘home’ might really mean to them. The fact that participants’ work will be shown to others outside of the South Asian Community is also very important, as this project needs to be outward looking as much as it is inward looking, so that it can inspire other communities, be they Polish, Somali, British or other to do the same. The DESH project will run from Jan – Mar 2014 at The Station, which is a youth-led creative-hub and one-stop shop for youth services in the Bristol centre, a great location where participants will be able to build a creative peer network. The project will also form part of the Creative Youth Links Network. Safe to say, I was excited to see what the organisers and others attending the event had to say about the project.

The event itself began with a screening of Ravi Shankar in Portrait: Between Two Worlds introduced by its director Mark Kidel, Polly from the Asian Arts Agency and a representative from Arts Council England who had awarded funding to DESH. I found the latter’s speech really moving, as she stressed that the project immediately jumped out at the board due to its multifaceted approach to engaging different communities with art and culture (through input from different generations, creation of new work, and then exhibition of this work).

Mark Kidel, who is a Mark Kidel is a film-maker and writer specialising in the arts and music, talked about making the film and his experience of meeting the legendary sitar player and his incredible life story (which included hanging out with American film stars when he was still a boy). He also discussed the importance of South Asian and other cultures for him (and I have since found out that he helped to set up WOMAD festival in the 1980s). The film itself was fantastic and very interesting, as the music, performances and relationships that made him famous were contextualised with archive footage and interviews. Ravi Shankar’s sitar playing was given pride of place, with lots of long, interrupted footage of him playing on stage and his teaching and pupils featuring throughout the film. As we hear Ravi’s stories from across the globe, which span both South Asian folk art and Western hippy culture, we are brought tantalisingly close to the star and his beliefs. The film was as moving as it was informative, and it was very human: we meet Ravi’s family and pupils, and see the beginnings of his new dream house in India.

At the drinks reception after the film, I chatted to Mark some more about his new film and his work as a director. He said that he especially enjoyed meeting Ravi because he was easy to talk to and came across brilliantly on film. We talked about his work in France and then chatted about when I lived in Italy and what cultural life was like over there compared to the UK.

Tom, One of the artists that the DESH participants would be working with chatted to me about his work as an animator/illustrator and said he was looking forward to helping the participants to visualise their stories in animation. I also spoke to the project co-ordinators, Polly and her team at the Asian Arts Agency. They were really excited about the project and we’re hoping to get a wide range of participants with different artistic interests including digital, illustration, storytelling, music and theatre to create a really dynamic course and resulting exhibition. The recruitment process was beginning, they had a flyer and posters as well as the course being shared by networks online. I said we could put it in our weekly email, as its exactly the kind of cross-art form youth project that Watershed supports. I am sure that they’ll find lots of help through The Station (part of The Creative Youth Network), who have a large following on Facebook and Twitter.

Those that I talked to also encouraged me to talk to my nana at Christmas, which I will definitely do. I find the issues of ethnicity, identity and memory really interesting, but I’m yet to properly explore this theme in my own illustration.

At Christmas, I did talk to my nana and made some sketches in response to our discussion about her early life and then as an immigrant dress maker in the UK.

The Drowned Man – Expecting the Unexpected – Fri 15 Dec 2013

In December, as part of Watershed’s Cultural Development Programme, I went with a group of colleagues to see The Drowned Man – A Hollywood Fable in London. It was a co-production by The National Theatre and renowned theatre company Punch Drunk. They came onto the scene in 2000 and since then have been pioneering new approaches to immersive theatre, combining slick physical performance with award-winning set design in unconventional spaces for an audience that roams (or runs!) around during the entire production. I had never been to an immersive theatre event like this and I was incredibly excited, even a little nervous.

Below is the blurb that I read online before the production (I don’t want to explain the story as the show is still running):

Have you ever seen nature inside out? When the sun stands at midday and it’s as if the world was going up in flames?

Step into the world of Temple Pictures where the Hollywood studio system meets a forgotten hinterland filled with dreamers who exist at the fringes of the movie industry. Here, celluloid fantasy clings to desperate realism and certainty dissolves into a hallucinatory world.

Inspired by Buchner’s fractured masterpiece Woyzeck, this theatrical journey follows its protagonists along the precipice between illusion and reality.

Upon entering the building, we were given a small slip of paper with a story printed on each side. Along with a small introduction to the main characters in the lift by a suave yet subtly menacing maitre-de of sorts this was pretty much the only ‘spoon-fed’ narrative fodder on offer. If you wanted to know more about what was going on then you had two choices. You could either meander around and nit-pick through the many seemingly empty rooms, streets, and spaces to find clues to characters’ stories, past, present and future, left lurking in objects. The mis-en-scene was mind-blowing and the attention to detail phenomenal – you really could find out a lot about what was going on this way. The other option was to descend on characters as they performed scenes, and then chase one of the sub-groups or individuals from these scenes as they inevitably dashed off to another part of the building and another part of the story. Most people chose to do the latter, meaning that following the characters at a pace was a challenge, and a little rough. Yyes, contending with sharp elbows and arms that pushed you back felt quite normal by the end of the three hour long show. And if hounding the actors or tip toeing around the creepy corridors did get too much, then there was a themed bar complete with cabaret and everything you needed to lift the spirits.

Perhaps the fact that all audience members had to wear strange white monkey-like masks and were therefore stripped of their usual identity made them more ferocious than they would be on the street? When I did manage to get right to the front of a scene and see the actors, it was very arresting. As the only ones in the spaces without masks, they stood out from the anonymous crowd surrounding them and I especially appreciated the choreography which harked back to the movements of old movie stars and conveyed love and pain without words.

Trying to follow The Drowned Man narrative was really difficult, which initially frustrated me. After about an hour and half, I decided that if I wanted to really enjoy the show then I needed to stop trying to fill in the gaps or understand who was who. It was still going to be possible to draw parallels between different characters even if I didn’t know their back story and I was sure that I would find out other stories, if not the main ones.

I can see why this process might leave some feeling a little indifferent or dissatisfied. It did feel as though the narrative was always running away from you, but disregarding it in this way was also a strangely liberating experience. It was interesting just enjoying the ride, as the action seemingly dried up and then engulfed you unexpectedly in waves of song, dance, dreaming, screaming, scheming and awe-inspiring technical effects. The finale was incredible, and did tie up a few questions I had, but more than anything it was an all-out spectacle, and felt like stepping into the most dramatic scene of a Hollywood movie.

Being let loose in Temple Pictures Studios and the Hollywood hinterland was both entertaining and nerve-wracking. The cinematic nature of the production was transportive and mesmerising, at times it felt exciting, at times it all filled me with a genuine sense of dread. It evoked in me a real sense of adventure and I felt the whole way through the show that anything was possible and anything could happen. I loved having control over what to watch and where to explore next, even though this freedom initially had me confused and disgruntled. The Drowned Man theatre production was an unprecedented experience for me and I will not forget it, although in all, I think it did feel more like I was immersed in a vast and impressive installation rather than in a story or show.

In terms of producing a show like this, I can only imagine that it takes months and months of preparation to iron out all of the innumerable details. They must have a rigorously rehearsed production plan and schedule for all scenes and the complex lighting and technical effects. The actors would have to have impeccable timing and discipline as they moved in and out of spaces, making way for new scenes to be played out. I kept thinking throughout the production that the actors must find the experience really intense, and immensely enjoyable – having a whole building as a stage would be very exciting. The actors had to make sure that as many people as possible were lead back to the final scene, before the audience was ushered out of the building.

The set design team must spend months sourcing props and creating the installation within the disused building. Then there are the many masks that they must collect and redistribute after each performance. There were lots of ushers, who wore black masks, who were integral for the production. They made sure the scenes could proceed as needed, moving people out of the way of dance routines and making sure everyone kept their mask on so as not to spoil the illusion. Training this troupe of helpers would take a lot of time.

In terms of health and safety, I can imagine it was a nightmare to do a risk assessment for. Many places were pitch black or had very low lighting, and as mentioned, the audience was mostly charging about, up and down stairs and over uneven ground.

In terms of promoting the event, I doubt that Punchdrunk had any problems as they are a very famous theatre company and their reputation proceeds them. Their shows are consistently sold out and they frequently extend runs. The challenge would be living up to the hype and expectation of an audience that always wants more. The ticket price would have been around £50 and I think that considering the high production value of this show, this is a fair price, though it doesn’t make the show accessible to culture-lovers on a low-income.

It was great to be able to attend an event of this calibre with Watershed as part of its staff Cultural Development programme and it has given me an insight into another style of theatre and producing. This experience has inspired me to find out more about Punchdrunk and whether they do engagement work and what this might look like if they do.

Reading more about Punchdrunk after the show has been really helpful to understand more about how they work and their motivations behind it. They specialise in what they call ‘enrichment’ (or engagement). I was especially interested in a project that I read about from 2008 where they would turn an area of a primary school into a mysterious shop which became a magical learning resource (stories were told in this space). Here is a video about Punchdrunk’s Under The Eiderdown project which toured to over 30 schools in London. 

I’d love to work on something like this. I especially love experiences where you are free to explore an installed environment in an individual imaginative journey and can rediscover a childlike excitement and anticipation of exploring the unknown. I think being able to offer these experiences to children is also important, especially if learning, enjoyment of arts and culture, or being encouraged to run with their imaginations can form part of the project. I started to research other companies and organisations which work in experiential events for children and came across London-based Land of Kids who also have an exciting programme of events for kids. I also came across The Imagine Festival at Southbank Centre, The Spark Festival, Imaginate in Edinborough, and Bath Kids Literature Festival closer to home. This article is also a good source from which to start some more detailed research.

Further Research + Reflection on Arts Events + Arts Practitioners

I have also attended amongst other things:

Black History Month: I Am The Gorgon + Intro + Q&A – Thu 10 Oct at Watershed

A fantastic event where Bunny Lee Striker (reggae and dub legend) came to launch a new film about his life and the roots of reggae music to a full house at Watershed as part of our Black History Month season. It was excellent – it was really informative about how the music developed and why, it gave me an insight into songs by providing more context about the people involved, and the animation and (music of course!) was fantastic. I really enjoyed listening to Bunny and his son talk after the screening and I chatted to them briefly in the bar as we listened to some reggae. What an amazing night that brought together Bristol’s music community with a real legend! I brought friends along who had not been to an event at Watershed like this so it was fun to show them what else we offer. From a producer’s point of view it would be important to work with partners on events like this to reach different networks and ‘on the night’ it would be really important to take good care of the artist and have a good mc (in this case it was a famous Bristol DJ) to help introduce the film and the guest, and give the event a local feel.

Totterdown Art Trail – Sat 16 Nov 2013

A great day-time mooch around local makers, artists and creative types in Totterdown. It was lovely to chat to people about their work and share ideas. I gained lots of confidence seeing how other people (and friends) could sell their art works and took some notes and sketches for inspiration for a later date of little things to make – perhaps for a Christmas market.

The Shining Immersive Night – Fri 29 Nov 2013

A one-off immersive cinema night at Watershed by Future Producers based around cult-classic The Shining. It was inspiring! I would have loved to help at this event but I had already organised to go along with lots of friends. We had a great time and I especially enjoyed the extended film edit, the doctor’s creepy show and the actor playing Jack who was up for interacting. This was a very impressive event that took lots of liaising across all departments, planning, organising and run-throughs.

Summary of what I have learnt and how these events will impact on my career

I believe that by attending any events or interacting with art, artists and the arts industries in any number of ways can give me invaluable insight into what to do next in my career and what I would like to be involved in. When I like something I really like it, will rave about it and mull it over and over in my mind, especially if it has given me lots of ideas. When I attend certain events or find out about certain projects (e.g. Redfest / Under The Eiderdown) and I think – “this is exactly what I’d like to help with” – it motivates me to get the right experience as and when I can around my full time job and make progress in these areas.

I am looking forward to carrying on attending arts events and I think I will try to talk (where possible) to the people running or performing at the events to find out more about their perspective and processes undertaken. I will also now aim to keep a record of any thoughts and insights I have along the way in one place so that I can refer back to it.