IYP 2010-2011

Bristolite n              1 dweller and inhabitant of the Bristol area: I’ve been a Bristolite since I was born   
                 2temporary visitors to Bristol’s city centre, a person who feels engaged in its cultural and vibrant activities. [Coined by Faith of IYP, circa 2011]                     

Perhaps not the most usual way to begin a blog entry, but after last Saturday’s events at Bristol with IYP I seriously think Collins (and Oxford University Press) should consider this entry for their next edition of the dictionary.

As you can tell, IYP and I ventured forth to Bristol on June 11^th to have a rather eventful day down South. After (literally) sprinting down the escalator at New Street station at the crack of dawn to catch the 9 o’ Clock to Bristol Temple Meads station meant that we could catch the Arnolfini as it was just opening up for the day, and was fairly quiet. But what an atmosphere Bristol has! The sheer notion that a city can perfectly combine a vibrant city atmosphere with the tranquillity of the docks and marine life is rather incredible! (Actually, should just mention there that I have no qualms with Liverpool either…) Moreover, Temple Meads station is actually BEAUTIFUL. I recommend you all take a visit.

So strolling over to the Arnolfini we went, to meet Hannah and her YAACs. Hannah’s part of the Learning department there and YAAC (Young Arnolfini Artist Collective) are her group of young people who attend the local sixth form, who are all very much engaged in Bristol’s art scene. Being a Saturday we only met India, Anna, Connel and the two Charlies but they gave us an invaluable insight into how they operate as a youth programme working alongside a gallery space. We even had our very own bespoke exhibition tour, in which we became utterly perplexed with Onkar Kular and Noam Toran’s piece entitled The MacGuffin Library- so bizarre! Honestly, I’d try and explain it on here, but there wouldn’t be enough web space.

No, I guess this photo doesn’t give that last paragraph any justice. At all…

After a whistle-stop tour of the gallery spaces, we broke for a hummus, brie and baguette lunch (what else!) before rushing off to squeeze a dash of Spike Island in.

Approaching Spike Island.

I should add that before checking out Theatrum Orbis Terrarum at Spike Island we had a peek at the ‘Stripped’ exhibition at Bristol Diving School. Might have just been me, but Marjolijn’s exhibition at Spike Island was dwarfing! Perhaps I got a bit used to her photos at Ikon, which were half the size. Here’s us at the LUNÄ table down there, just so those of you who checked out her work when it was at Ikon get a bit more perspective…

 


NB: This photo also includes Yaac’s very own Connel, Anna and Charlie, just in case some of you wondered why IYP had spontaneously expanded.  

We found it quite interesting  that Marjolijn had chosen different photographs for parts of this exhibition, and that she included an additional video piece, which explored notions of utopia and idealisation of the world. Isn’t the Lunä table perfect for discussing these themes?!

 
Why wouldn’t you project images of tea? (UWE)

Following this, we checked out the UWE’s (University of the West of England) Fine Art/ Art & Visual Culture Degree Show, entitled Party Pieces. Utterly bizarre pieces, but interesting nonetheless! (Might be worth a mention here that the exhibition ended on June 16th). Then we ventured to upstairs at Spike Island, to mull over one or two of the artist studios there, I find it’s really insightful to watch the progression of an art work, and to see an unfinished piece, I like to believe you can engage with the thought processes of the artist to a much greater extent. We even saw some of Hannah’s own projection-based work on our way out!

Maybe this is starting to sound like a habit, but yeah- we dashed for the train back as well.

Vikki Jessop

Project Assistant

I feel so exhausted, but what a productive day it was! On Saturday 14^th May we joined BCNS members for several hours of  canal-clearing between Bumble Hole and Coombeswood Canal Trust based at Hawne Basin.

Although it’s only a 2 mile trek between the two, it took a whole 5 hours!

Lead by BCNS Chair Graham Whorton, we donned our fluorescent and très chic British Waterways ‘Volunteer’ vests and got set to work.

The day started off with picking litter out the waterways, which I suppose won’t sound too exciting until you realise exactly how much stuff is actually lurking in those canals. Within the space of 5 minutes we had found Ugg boots dangling in a large plant, and following soon after we discovered a beautiful bird’s nest which can be viewed below.

How amazing is it that so much wildlife actually inhabits itself within those Black Country waterways… Poppy grappled up a lorry tyre, which in itself is amazing, but even more so when we saw hundreds of freshwater mussels nested inside of it! Perhaps it’s also worth a mention that West Midlands based canals aren’t even that deep at all - possibly only a few feet at the most. The fact that we grappled up a… pushchair, lorry tyre, printer, massive corrugated iron fence, moped, bicycle, set of garden chairs, and an oil-can or two is rather astounding in my opinion. Oh, and a grapple is a sort of heavy anchor-like device which can hook onto objects that have fallen into the canal (in case you wondered!)

 
About half way into out stretch of canal wonders, and after we just about managed to prise Simon’s hands off the grappler device, we broke for a baguette and hummus snack over a discussion of Julia Bradbury’s ‘Canal Walks’- in particular the episode in which she walks through the Worcester and Birmingham stretch.

The day ended with Ivan and Graham teaching us how to steer the narrow boat, which wasn’t so bad to get to grips with! The boat also bumped into a huge parasol by the entrance to the Gorsty Hill Tunnel, which was a really odd tunnel to travel through - 509 meters never felt so long!

Vikki Jessop, Project Assistant

A number of IYP recently attendended Ikon’s music festival: Rites of Spring featuring IYP’s very own Poppy Tibbetts.

In their own words…

Thomas Parker:

The opening night of the Rites of Spring festival  (Thursday 7th April)  showcased undeniable talent as well as a peaceful, chilled vibe. Never before have I been to a fetvial/gig and sat on the floor (the alternative usually being pummelled from every direction by a crowd of drunken fans).

A lovely atmosphere bein enjoyed by a diverse following of all - aged people.

Acts I feel deserve mentioning? Poppy Tibbetts and Modified Toy Orchestra - not to deny any of the others the praise they truely deserve.

Poppy definately lived up to her ever-growing reputation of one of Birmingham’s most excitng live acts; the voice, the songs, the guitar all equally brilliant.

Alternatively, Modified Toy Orchestra acheived a much more contemporary sound and image which was also delivered superbly. The electronic sound was married with some extremely entertaining visuals both contributing to if anything, a very interesting performance.

The evening was far from dissapointing!

Sean Burns:

Awash with floral playsuits and jean turn ups; tonight Rights of Spring draws to a fitting end.

Since absconding from The Guillemots in 2010, Birmingham born Fyfe Dangerfield has been peddling alone.

Taking to the stage just after ten - “I haven’t written a set list”- this confession immediately endears an expectant audience.

A stint of gushy piano numbers give way to a very special talent. On guitar Dangerfield comes in to his own.

A minor digression in to the realms of twee-hand-held -keyboards, charming in these circumstance.

Closing with ‘She Needs Me,’ Dangerfield returns for an impromptu cover of Nick Lowe’s The Beast in Me, before leaving to rapturous applause.

So Long Eastside.
 
Thanks
Sean

Watch this space as we add more and more images taken during sessions and workshops over the coming months…

Vikki Jessop - Project Assistant

The following day we caught a bus that took us all the way down to The Black Country Living Museum in Dudley.

It is rather intriguing to think about how in fact you define the Black Country as it is not marked geographically on any map at all, and yet residents of Dudley and other places known as ‘the Black Country’ still refer to it as a distinct area or place.

On arrival, we went on a rather murky canal tour of the mines owned by the museum, which meant we all had to don (rather unflattering) helmets for an hour. Submerged into the pits of Dudley, we had the opportunity to touch the dank limestone covered canal walls and learn what a barge pole actually is, and how it was used when canals of Dudley first came to be. We even got stuck in what was essentially at the time, some narrow boat traffic- an odd experience altogether!

We then feasted on a large picnic, once more in the sunny weather, but this time we sat in front of a rather glorious fairground. After we’d eaten we took a stroll around the grounds of the museum, taking in its rather weird and wonderful open-air sights.

Seeing a blacksmith actually creating a chain in front of us was quite awesome, especially as every small aspect of the process is done by hand which is quite difficult to comprehend when considering how many links are actually in the chains at the museum.

Left to our own devices, some of us went to make sweets and others wandered through the old workers’ houses. A short time after, we basked in Britain’s glorious weather until it was almost closing time at the museum and it was once again time to catch a bus and head for the city.

Vikki Jessop - Project Assistant

As part of our Slow Boat project, we are interested in converting a narrow boat into a 21^st Century ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’, which will contain trinkets we’ve collected among our travels displayed in a grand showcase.

Of course, at Ikon, we don’t really ‘collect’ artefacts as the exhibitions are continually changing every few months or so. In light of this, we thought it would be a great idea to visit museums where intriguing collections are at their heart. Aside from the weather being fantastic, it was one of our most memorable events to date…

Joined by our Slow Boat artist Marjolijn Dijkman and fabricator Matthew Higginbottom, IYP made its way to Oxford to visit the Pitt Rivers and Ashmolean museums, both owned and managed by the University of Oxford.

 Our tour guide at the Ashmolean compared the museum to a cabinet of curiosity in itself which was really quite interesting. And what curiosities there were! Within 20 minutes we’d been introduced to a lamp owned by Guy Fawkes and a pair of delicate lacy gloves worn by Mary Queen of Scots.

The Ashmolean’s history was just as interesting as well - Elias Ashmole had decided to store all his objects and artefacts throughout the years and then  donated them to the University of Oxford in 1677, which theoretically makes the Ashmolean one of Britain’s oldest museums, as well as it being the first-ever university museum.

After a brief, self-led wander around the rest of the museum we were then due to be at The Pitt Rivers Museum to marvel at its wonders. Taking a short cut through the quaint cobbled back streets lead us straight into the Museum of Natural History’s front entrance, this had such a tranquil atmosphere.

The Pitt Rivers was absolutely overwhelming at first - the dim lighting conditions and the mass of objects made it seem as if the building was filled in every nook and cranny with some form of curiosity waiting to be discovered. Even the grand Victorian architecture made everything seem that little bit more intricate than if had been elsewhere. According to a guide we picked up, it houses nearly half a million objects!

We only had an hour there, so there certainly wasn’t enough time to see everything, but we got a good grasp of the how the museum works as a whole. One large totem pole and a few shrunken heads later it was almost time to depart back to Birmingham so we took a few moments to take in the vast scenery before making the grand journey north back to Brindley Place.

In the afternoon we then made a visit to Grand Union and spent time with artists Manu Luksch and Mukul Patel who talked to us in detail about their project Kayak Libre.

Their project is one in a series of open-residences and workshops. Please see http://www.grand-union.org.uk/ for more information about this programme.

We braved a rather grey day and made a trip to Hawne Basin where members of Coombeswood Canal Trust gave us a rather wonderful tour around the boat yard.

Drinking tea in the clubhouse.

Getting a closer look at some of the heritage boats owned and restored by the trust.

Ivor talked to us about traditional painting techniques and style.