Mail, Maps and Motion in Bristol

 At the weekend I went to a one off event in Bristol combining projections, live music and film curated by Watershed. It was held in the Digby Wyatt Building at Bristol Temple Meads railway station, a big warehouse type space where Brunel's original train platforms are, that is now used as a car park. I really liked the urban location, it was dark inside so the projections looked great, the music was loud and with more than 2,000 people inside the atmosphere was a bit like a club. They rigged four giant screens from the roof of the building forming a rectangle, which meant that you could stand in the middle of the space and watch projections on all sides, (although it was very crowded in the middle so I saw most of it from the edge!)

Black and white archive films were projected illustrating Bristol's industrial heritage, along with some of Brunel’s original drawings and live iPad drawing from Bristol graffiti artist Inkie. The grand finale was a new commission bringing together Joanie Lemercier from AntiVJ (I've mentioned their projection work before on this blog), with Adrian Utley from the band Portishead and a host of other musicians, conducted by Charles Hazlewood.

The event was free as part of London 2012 Festival and See No Evil, an art project that brings together a selection of the world’s best street artists to create a huge outdoor gallery on Nelson Street in Bristol City centre. I'm so glad that I got to see it, it was an amazing experience and reminded me why I love big projections.

My day at the London 2012 Olympics

After years of anticipation I made it to the London 2012 Olympics on Friday. The weather was fantastic and we enjoyed a lovely day exploring the Olympic park in the sunshine. It's hard to believe that the park was industrial wasteland up until a few years ago. The transformation is huge and it's now a wonderful green space, full of beautiful trees, plants and flowers.

We followed a path along the river and came across the Gloriana moored on the river, a royal barge privately commissioned as a tribute to the Queen for her Diamond Jubilee, and the lead vessel in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.  The site was buzzing with people and every now and again we could hear huge roars coming from the crowds inside the stadium and the other venues.

 In the evening we watched the Men's Diving 10m Platform preliminaries held in the Aquatics Centre. The atmosphere was wonderful and there were extra loud cheers for Team GB divers Tom Daley and Pete Waterfield. The duo had narrowly missed out on a medal the previous week, coming fourth in the synchronised 10m Platform competition. However things went better for Tom Daley this time and he went on to win a bronze medal in the final the following day. 

There have been so many magical moments in the last couple of weeks. My personal favourites were the Opening Ceremony that exceeded every ones expectations, Jessica Ennis winning the heptathlon, Mo Farah's 10,000m and 5,000m triumphs and of course Tom Daley taking bronze. Sadly it's over all too soon but I'll remember the London 2012 Olympics for the rest of my life, and we still have the Paralympics to come!

Bristol Urban Sport Exhibition Opens at M Shed

Inside the Bristol Urban Sport exhibition

In October 2011 I started work on a unique project supporting five Bath Spa University History students to co-curate an exhibition called 'Bristol Urban Sport' at M Shed, in partnership with staff from Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives and Bristol City Council.

Eight months later after a lot of hard work the exhibition opened on 22 May, coinciding with the Olympic Torch's arrival in Bristol. We attended the private view on 1 June which was a fantastic way to celebrate the project with lots of people who had contributed in some way.

Bristol Urban Sport explores the relationship between the fabric of the city and sport over the last 200 years. The exhibition reveals how the people of Bristol have manipulated both the natural landscape and man-made architecture for sporting activity.

The students interviewed a range of people from local groups and clubs and identified photographs, memorabilia, objects and film that is featured in the exhibition. They uncovered some fascinating stories along the way e.g. the first modern bungee jump from the Clifton suspension bridge.

Students Sam, Bethan, Alice and Hannah (we were missing Alex that day)

It's been a fantastic opportunity for them to learn about how an exhibition is put together, and develop lots of new skills. The best bit for me was seeing how excited and proud the students were when they first got a glimpse of their work on display in the gallery. I also really enjoyed working with the team at M Shed, spending time there and learning about the history of the city. Bristol is such a special place!
 
The exhibition runs until 9 September 2012 and is free to attend. A programme of events, talks and family activities will run alongside the exhibition. Please visit the M Shed website for further information.

I took this photo from the M Shed balcony during the private view

The student team in front of one of M Shed's iconic cranes on the harbour side