:: GussetBLOG ::

:: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 ::

Wildcats & Lashings

Wildcats & Lashings
Originally uploaded by gusset.

Labels: Bristol, Flickr

:: Dan 22.7.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Visitors only
Originally uploaded by knautia.

I love this.
[via bristolgraffiti.blogspot]

Labels: Bristol, Flickr, graffiti, Photography

:: Dan 20.7.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Filmed in Ashton Court, Bristol. Ah, I remember those tracks!
By Tom Mansfield

Jesus, how to give away too much personal information on the net! He really needs to edit that. Emailed.

Labels: Bike, Bristol, Film, ID, Video

:: Dan 4.7.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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oops 5
Originally uploaded by gusset.

Bristol city centre's temporary new fountain after an accident involving a council worker this morning. He made a couple of attempts to turn it off, throwing his key down in disgust each time he failed, and spent a lot of time on the phone before back-up arrived. Meanwhile, an office full of environmental engineers watch on in horror.

Labels: Bristol, Environment, Flickr

:: Dan 25.6.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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"Photography competition & exhibition in St Nic’s market.

Bristol snappers challenge us all to take a second look at our city.

An exciting new exhibition, in which members of the public can participate, is running in Bristol this summer.

The exhibition itself is being organised by Second Look, a local photographers’ collective, and will be hosted by Cyan Arts – a new local art gallery in St Nicholas Market. The Bristol snappers will be showing their ‘Second Looks’ at our fair city throughout August and will be inviting the public to send in their own photos for possible inclusion in the show.

‘The pictures we will be showing reflect each photographer’s personal views of the city. We want to use this event to encourage people to look around at their environment and think about their own views of it. Each week in August we will choose our favourites of the images sent in to join our own on the wall.’ (Lisa Furness, Chair/coordinator)

The Second Look photographers will be looking for pictures that show unnoticed aspects of Bristol, what we might otherwise pass by, the small things we might take for granted, details with hidden interest or beauty, places which people might not normally be able to see.

The competition will be running from July 21st to August 23rd, enter by bringing your prints down to Cyan Arts, 78 Covered Market, St Nicholas Market, Bristol, BS1, or emailing them to bristolasecondlook@hotmail.co.uk.

Full competition details will be available in the gallery or on the Second Look website: www.myspace.com/bristolasecondlook"

Labels: Bristol, Photography

:: Dan 17.6.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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New Steal From Work show. A group urban art show celebrating International Workers Day.

1st May – 11th May, 2008
Opening night - Thursday 1st May 7pm-10pm
Then open everyday 12pm-7pm (closed on Tue 6th)
The Old Motorcycle Workshop
15-19 Stokes Croft (opposite Pieminster), Bristol, UK

After the huge success of December’s ‘12 Days of Xmas' we bring you our next major group exhibition.

Lost behind the jangling of Morris Dancing and Maypoles, May 1st has long stood as the date to remember the common struggles and achievements of workers around the globe. ‘Not A Penny Off The Pay, Not A Second On The Day’ will be a celebration of the working classes, featuring a truly international line up of acclaimed urban artists

...and...



1st - 11th May 2008
Various venues, Bristol, UK

It's a lovely coincidence that the Not A Penny show coincides with this event, as it’s just round the corner so you can easily go to both!

Programme

Labels: Art, Bristol, graffiti, Politics

:: Dan 1.5.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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The Arts Council are investing public money in a ridiculous online vote to find that people think that London is Britain's most musical city. Obviously they will go through a pointless public voting system before declaring the winner to be the place where the largest population lives as everyone just votes for their home town, but its all gone fun along the way isn't it?

"Ten cities from across the country have been short-listed at www.mostmusicalcity.co.uk by the Arts Council's 'Take it away' scheme. Celebrity ambassadors for each city, including Sting, Jamelia, Richard Hawley and Engelbert Humperdinck, lead the debate for the Most Musical City until voting closes on 30 May 2008.

"The ten cities competing to win are: Birmingham; Brighton; Bristol; Colchester; Leicester; Liverpool; London; Manchester; Newcastle; and Sheffield. (The arts council are happy to comment on the reasons why a particular city has not been shortlisted)."

The celebrity ambassador for Bristol is DJ Krust. I presume the list of people they asked looked like this:


celeb ambassador
Originally uploaded by gusset.


Somehow I couldn't help myself from getting involved in the "debate." I wrote the following on the site:

This article seems to be a fairly typical under-researched effort at dropping in the names of all of the Bristol artists who have become known across the UK, but says little of how imaginative and vibrant up-and-coming artists from the city still are. I was pleased to see references in the comments to Big Joan, Kid Carpet, Gravenhurst, Angel Tech, Rose Kemp, The Heads, Joe Volk etc. I’d add Geisha to the list too. I was also pleased someone mentioned the criminally under-rated “King of Totterdown” (to quote PJ Harvey), John Parish.

From a personal perspective, when Breakcore hit its stride a few years ago it was Bristol that was the mecca for the whole of the UK, thanks in a large part to the legendary Toxic Dancehall parties and labels like Death$ucker Records, Cleancut and 1manarmy, who continue to push the boundaries of electronica whilst maintaining a crowd friendly danceability.

Now Dub-Step is in the same position, with some of the genre's most exciting names (eg Pinch, Appleblim, Shackleton, Atki2 etc) quietly beavering away, producing solid release after solid release and cross pollinating with the other scenes that all sit together so happily here.

As an example of the open mindedness that can be found, at the most recent Goatlab party (I have to hold my hand up here and say I promote it) General Disarray has just finished a hard as nails breakcore set and Syntheme was next up with her acid techno twiddlings. Before she started she felt the need to point out she’d be playing something different. A heckler from the crowd shouted back, "It's OK, we like everything!", which was followed by a small cheer from the rest of the crowd and another loan shout of "..except house!" and a laugh from everyone else.

We may have lost our ‘community festival’ last year (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashton_Court_festival) but look at the support that has risen up to make sure something replaces it (http://www.thebristolfestival.org/), with local musicians, promoters and venues all pulling together to put on fund raisers.

Independent music is alive and well in Bristol and award or not we're quite happy about it here.

Labels: Bristol, Flickr, Humour, Music

:: Dan 30.4.08 [Arc] [2 comments] [links to this post] ::
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wildwalk 02
Originally uploaded by gusset.


There is a passage in John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids where he decribes how quickly London was taken over by plant life once the human population had moved out. It seemed a little over the top to me when I first read it. Until I saw this. The closed down Wildwalk building in the centre of Bristol is still full of thriving plant life despite not being cared for. And in places it has broken through the façade to the outside, so it can hang it's branches in the sun and rain again. The building is being eaten alive from the inside. Unfortunaely it looks like it's going to be reopened (as an aquarium) so we're not going to be able to chart nature's conquest over it as I would like to see. Maybe in a few years we'll see it being torn apart from the inside by a giant squid. I look foward to that.

Labels: Bristol, Ecology, Environment, Urban Decay

:: Dan 15.4.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Cafe Culture – UK Style 2
Originally uploaded by gusset.

This shot typifies the UKs attempts at implementing European café culture into our drinking laws. Outside the Bay Horse, Bristol, on a Friday lunchtime, the seating is filled with builders in hi-vis jackets, hard-hats on the floor behind them, drinking Stella. How cosmopolitan. ;-]

Overheard conversation as I was taking the photo:
Two teenage girls pass pushing pushchairs. In a broad Bristolian accent one says, "...and 'e beat the shit out of 'im with a hammer..."
That's all of the conversation that was heard I'm afraid. I can't report on whether this was a reference to real life or a retelling of fiction or whether it was seen as a good thing or a bad thing. I'll let you make the rest up for yourself.

Labels: Bristol, Flickr

:: Dan 7.4.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Clockwork - Stokes Croft
Originally uploaded by Kristie....

Bristol's most fabulously orange venue is to close in May. =[

Labels: Bristol, Clubs, Flickr, News

:: Dan 5.2.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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12 Days of Xmas - Coppers
Originally uploaded by gusset.


My photos from the 12 Days of Christmas group show at The Old Bridewell Police Station in Bristol are online (at last) now.

Labels: Art, Bristol, Flickr, graffiti

:: Dan 24.12.07 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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LIGHT UP BRISTOL - 17th / 21st December

Next week, College Green will undergo a magical transformation into five nights of Winter Wonderland. Using 6 of the world's most powerful projectors to dress up the whole of the Council House with light, this very unique "visual feast" will feature a selection of short video animations by some of Bristol's leading creative talent.

Antivj is very proud and excited to have been asked to be part of this and Crustea [Antivj / Cuisine] will be the only one to do a live performance every night, at 9.40pm.

LIGHT UP BRISTOL
College Green, Bristol city center
Monday 17th to Friday 21st December
Every night 6.30 to 10pm. Free!

More info:
www.blog.antivj.com
www.lightupbristol.co.uk

Labels: Animation, Bristol, graffiti, Visuals, VJ

:: Dan 14.12.07 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Totterdown Art Trail 2007
17th & 18th November, various venues and people's houses.
I'll be there, and I'll also be sampling the Trail Ale.
Last year

Labels: Art, Bristol

:: Dan 6.11.07 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Bristol is in the early stages of establishing itself as the largest 'Sustainable Community in the land' and this 'Transition' label refers to the changes away from unsustainable practices into something more sound. Transition City Bristol is based on community action and follows a similar initiative that originated in Kinsale (Ireland), and has also taken off in Plymouth, Falmouth, Lewes and other places.

From the site:
A discussion on Radio 4's You and Yours about the scheme.
And what's with the nut obsession in Hallen?

Labels: Bristol, Environment

:: Dan 18.6.07 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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New Sickboy website

Labels: Art, Bristol, graffiti

:: Dan 12.6.07 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Random Function, the collective that puts on the brilliant free (as in entry) experimental electronica night at the Watershed every month, is applying for an Arts Council grant to buy their own PA (to save on hire costs). If they get it they also plan to make it free to hire to other people supporting experimental electronic music in the south west. If you think this is a good idea you can sign this partition that they will be using to support their application.

Labels: Bristol, Electronica, PA, RandomFunction

:: Dan 26.4.07 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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I dropped by the Burlesque Gorefest exhibition at Centrespace in Bristol yesterday. It's there until Thursday.



There wasn't as much stuff there as I hoped but it was all very good. I was glad to see some of Vicky Scott's work, been a fan for a while (since the Nude magazine article). And well done to local boy Chris Instinct, whose manipulated photography was possibly the stuff there.

Labels: Art, Bristol

:: Dan 17.4.07 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Does a week go by without a Banksy story in the news?

£100,000 Banksy painted over [Images]

"A group of bungling council workers have painted over one of the earliest surviving murals by guerrilla graffiti artist Banksy.

"The 25ft x 4ft design, thought to be worth more than £100,000*, was mistaken as vandalism by workmen who slapped thick black paint over it."

* The current record sale price for a Banksy work is £102k. Saying that everything he ever sprayed on the side of a garage is worth the same is pushing it. Good luck to the people wanting to sell one (with free house attached) for £200k.

"The artwork was sprayed onto the side of garages at Albion Road, in Easton, Bristol, about ten years ago.

"Locals are furious that the series of blue shapes, along with Banksy's trademark tag, has been lost forever.

"Bristol City Council [BCC], which has ordered all Banksy work to be preserved, launched a full investigation into the blunder yesterday."

It seems somewhat cynical of BCC to have a no-Banksy-removal policy AND a graffiti removal team. However, in the interest of more balanced journalism than most of the available sources and a less knee-jerk reaction that the forums, closer inspection shows that they actually have a no-mural removal policy, which I guess means the removal team focus on tagging. Obviously they aren't very good at drawing the distinction (even if it wasn't a very good Banksy mural).

That said, they do come down HARD on the tagging. The recent BCC community news letter that got dropped through my door seemed to have more column inches dedicated to graf removal than any other topic, and on every occasional referred to the "increased fear of crime" it causes in neighbourhoods.

It makes me wonder. Some graffiti artists are now recognised parts of the art establishment in their own right. They have worked their way up from simply tagging their names on ugly or abandoned buildings. Their work, even the older less impressive works, are now to be preserved. Yet people doing what they did when they started out are still criminals. How is the next generation to come through with this double standard?

The only way this can work fairly is if works are judged purely on their artist merits, so the less impressive or less interesting works get covered over and the only strong survive. It's what always happened in the street art scene anyway. Should councils be interfering and passing judgement or just letting people get on with it? I'd like to think they'll do the latter but know they never will as they would be giving up the power to censor what people may want to say (and potentially say about them), and they'll never do that.

To stray off the subject completely I'll finish my grumble about the council with a story. As you may know, I work in an environmental consultancy. I sit between the ecologists and the recycling consultants, who are sadly no-where near the bunch of hippies you would like to imagine them to be. One of them attended a launch lunch last week where BCC stood up and waffled for ages about the importance of locally sourcing materials. In the panel discussion afterwards someone asked them where the lunch that had been provided had been sourced / supplied from. No one knew.

All mouth and no trousers.

Labels: Art, banksy, Bristol, graffiti

:: Dan 13.3.07 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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