illuminate Longest Night

Just wrapping up my work on last December’s illuminate Longest Night, event, which kept me busy for the later part of 2010. Through illuminate I produce arts-based events that promote and reflect both the creativity and rich history of the area of South Bristol.  By engaging all communities illuminates aim is to generate interest and regeneration in the area.

Through using shop windows and disused properties to show work by nationally renowned Bristol based artists, illuminate hope to achieve two outcomes; i) to break down the barrier of getting people into traditional art galleries and ii) to give Bristol artists the opportunity to show in their home town.

ʻThe Longest Nightʼ built on the successful format of the illuminate ʻSpring Forwardʼ event by expanding into a five-day festive event that transform the lower end of North St into a festive spectacle with a series of shop windows created by Green Ginger, Kathy Hinde, Nathan Hughes, Luke Jerram and Joe Magee, plus a gallery/exhibition space and external projections by Ulf Pederson.

The event is thought to have been a great success – a community celebration to brighten up the winter nights that despite the sub-zero conditions was enjoyed by all…

0k, so 2009 there’s a recession on with businesses folding left, right and centre.  Just the right time to get into retail then?  Well, that’s what I’ve done!  For a few months I’ve been a partner in Retro Collectables, a shop in Bedminster, Bristol.  We sell unique collectables from the 1950’s to the 1980’s and a range of retro inspired clothing & accessories, books, vinyl, artist made cards, prints and jewellery.  I’m in the shop two days a week and every other Saturday, so it’s a bit of a shock to the system.  For the most part it’s fun, especially buying the stock – particularly the vinyl and sourcing the artwork, but can get a bit boring sometimes when you don’t see a customer for hours! Still great oaks from little acorns grow, so it’s onwards and upwards…

Having been involved in organising the South Bank Arts Trail for five years, I have been looking for a ways to develop new community arts based events.  The big difference being that I’d like to retain more creative control, be funded to do it and be able to pay artists to be involved. Jess Wright was in a similar situation, having run the South Bristol Business Awards for two years she was looking for a new challenge.  We share the same aims but come from different backgrounds:art and business. Seven months ago Jess and I started working on a new project called illuminate. Illuminate aims to produce arts-based events that promote and reflect both the creativity and rich history of South Bristol. Key elements of illuminate projects will be the use of disused properties to show art/moving image work, to reflect the community and history they are set in and to involve key creative organisations in the city of Bristol.

illuminates long-term aim is to produce a festive Christmas event that would transform multiple disused shops on North/East St by using projected films/light/artists installations. We will be piloting the illuminate concept at the end of March with Spring Forward, an event partnered with the Knowle West Media Centre and Picture This:

The weekend of March 27 to 29 will see two empty shops – numbers 26 and 28 in Bedminster’s North Street  – playing host to illuminate’s first event ‘Spring Forward’. Number 26 will feature a series of projected films made by Bristol based artists alongside an exhibition in the empty property (no.28) next door. The exhibition celebrates the past and present of Bedminster’s retail history.

For more information see the illuminate web site