CITYIST

THE CITYist

TALENT NEEDED

StoryTrails, a unique immersive storytelling experience, is coming to Bristol, as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, a ground-breaking UK-wide celebration of creativity in 2022. StoryTrails will bring untold stories to life through the magic of the 3D internet using augmented and virtual reality to reanimate public spaces in towns and cities. This free, entertaining and playful family-friendly experience will visit just 15 locations, including Bristol in August.

StoryTrails is currently recruiting a cohort of new creative talent to run this amazing project. Creative professionals interested in working with new technology such as 3D modelling software, games engines, augmented and virtual reality are encouraged to apply now to tell the stories of their local community. Applicants will receive funding to join a team of high profile creative partners. Full training in immersive technology will be provided alongside access to state of the art equipment, production support and production credits for the work.

StoryTrails is led by StoryFutures and delivered in partnership with the British Film Institute, broadcaster and filmmaker, David Olusoga, the BBC, Uplands Television, and leading immersive specialists ISO Design and Nexus Studios.

Professor David Olusoga, executive producer of StoryTrails, said: “I am thrilled to be working with StoryFutures to help bring about change in the diversity of our creative industries. By enabling 50 diverse creative voices to create compelling stories that combine past, present and future through the magic of immersive technologies, we’ll be mapping a new path for creativity in this country. StoryTrails will set the public’s imagination alight with experiences that use the poetry of history to inspire a new vision of our future.”

My BRISTOL

Meet illustrator and designer, Jasmine Thompson

I moved to Bristol in 2012 for university, and

after graduation I just stuck around. I studied illustration, and as an artist looking to start working in the creative industry, Bristol offered a lot. There was a sense of community, support, opportunities for growth and place to explore my creative identity. I still feel that way today.

I love Bristol because there is literally something

for everyone here. Regardless of your interests and hobbies it caters to a lot of people. And it’s small, so everyone is so connected! It definitely made it easier to settle in and find other people doing the things I like to do.

My mural in Bristol Museum and Art Gallery

was created in June in response to the Black Lives Matter movement and the events of the past year. It’s a huge drawing on a wall in the foyer and touches upon the BLM movement as a whole, and the context behind what we saw last year with George Floyd, which sadly wasn’t an isolated incident. I wanted to draw attention to the underlying issues and use illustration as a platform to start a conversation in a part of the city where those conversations might not be had enough. Google Arts and Culture have also done a feature on it for Black History Month which can be found under “A Movement Not A Moment”, where the cultural references within the artwork are explained and explored. The mural will be on display at least until the end of this year, and hopefully beyond!

It’s been a busy summer of mural installs, so I’m

trying to get back to smaller projects over the autumn months, which is nice. I’m currently working on some tour posters for a UK Comedian which are yet to be released, and some live illustration work with arts organisations across Bristol. I’m also hoping to do an exhibition this winter of my own work, as it’s been six years since I last exhibited.

I hope to continue being able to do projects that I

love in 2022, and collaborate with more incredible artists and creatives in this city. After a long 18 months of being quite disconnected through the pandemic, reconnecting with people and working in collectives is something I want to be a focus next year. I also want to work with more brands.

There are so many people that deserve a shout-

out this year! First of all fellow illustrators Lucy Turner and Parys Gardener, who have taken their work to a whole new level this last year, the trajectory has been incredible. Khali Ackford is a talented photographer who is using his work to not only showcase the black community in Bristol and our voices, but runs workshops and creates spaces for conversation and the community to come together. Sophia Harari is a producer and musician, and has been working on some incredible events within the creative scene here, giving so much back to the people of Bristol.

I’m reading a book called Braving The

Wilderness by Brene Brown, which explores community and culture predominantly through the lens of ‘belonging’, and what that means. It’s shifting my outlook on all of these things, and forcing me to reevaluate how they play out in my own life in a really positive way. She does some great Ted Talks too.

Caribbean Croft will always get a shout-out!

They’re a rum bar too and big VIBES always. Souk Kitchen is also an amazing place to dine, they don’t ever miss the mark. In terms of culture and entertainment, there’s some really cool spots here. Strange Brew is one to check out, they only came onto my radar recently and have hosted some great gigs and events for creatives here.

If I could have dinner with anyone it would be

Anderson Paak! I love that guy and his whole energy. I’ve seen him live a few times and he always delivers, so having the chance to sit down with him and see what he’s all about would be amazing. Lewis Hamilton would also be up there, I’m a big F1 fan and what he’s doing within the sport this last year has been incredible. He’s the goat, literally.

A garden that took home the coveted Best in Show prize at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show has been gifted to Bristol and will be rebuilt at the University of Bristol's Botanic Garden in the coming months. The Guangzhou Garden was gifted by the city Guangzhou in southern China, which has been twinned with Bristol since 2001, and will be unveiled in the early summer.

The Guangzhou Garden was designed by Peter Chmiel with Chin-Jung Chen, and was inspired by a philosophy of reconnecting people and nature, while also highlighting the benefits of responsible city planning.

Inspired by the holistic landscape stewardship programme of environmental planners in Guangzhou, the garden features a pool of water, trees, shrubs, shelters, green foliage, and white, blue and yellow perennials. The garden also highlights the benefits of responsible city planning and how planners must work in harmony with nature to better connect people with the natural world. With a focus on climate change, it's an eco-garden with an aim to make a difference.

Peter Chmiel, one of the garden's designers and Landscape Architect at Grant Associates, said: “It is great news to hear the garden will be returning to the West Country and continue to support the botanical links with Guangzhou. “It was amazing that the garden was so well-received at the Chelsea Flower Show. I believe that the planting concepts were appreciated beyond just the visual beauty and serenity but, also for its sustainability credentials, wildlife value and other benefits to people and nature. I would like to think of our garden as a landscape or blueprint to inspire the green infrastructure for our much-needed future ‘landscape cities’.”

• botanic-garden.bristol.ac.uk

NEW PILATES STUDIO OPENS IN CLIFTON

Continuing the success of The Physio & Pilates Centre based in Clevedon, Karen Pearce and Sarah Sessa have expanded their established business, opening a further studio located on Whiteladies Road in Clifton. The specialist equipment-based studio is fully equipped with reformers, towers, trapezes and combo chair machines and is offering classes, physio-led pilates and teacher training.

Karen, a former ballet dancer, trained with Alan Herdman –one of the world's foremost experts on pilates –and has been running a studio for over 20 years whilst developing teacher training programmes affiliated with Herdman.

Sarah initially qualified as a physiotherapist and then as a pilates instructor, later completing a Masters in Inter-Professional Development at the University of the West of England, where much of the focus was on neuroscience and the use of pilates in neurological conditions. Sarah is now a senior neuro-rehabilitation lecturer at UWE on the Physiotherapy degree course.

After working together for many years, Karen and Sarah joined forces in 2015. Both are fully qualified to teach mat and machine-based pilates and share an interest in the rehabilitation and individualising exercise for clients with differing needs.

DESERT MILES

Visuable, a female-owned and led creative agency based in Bristol, has embarked on a mission to raise awareness about the need to help more girls access education. Its campaign, Desert Miles for Girls’ Dreams, which runs until December, was launched to fundraise money for CAMFED (Campaign for Female Education). The agency’s team has pledged to walk 3,000 miles (the length of the Sahara Desert) in 90 days and is asking anyone, anywhere in the world, to join in by sharing pictures of them walking, alongside a hashtag #visuabledesertwalk to help the campaign reach as many people as possible.

CAMFED expands educational opportunities for girls in sub-Saharan Africa and empowers young women to become change agents. According to Unicef, there are 129 million girls out of school due to barriers, including poverty, child marriage, and gender bias (Girls Education, 2021). A donation of just 10 Pounds, Dollars, or Euros can provide a girl with essential supplies so that she can go to school without having to worry.

Lidia, creative director of Visuable, says: “Our agency has a real ethos of collaborative learning, and a social mission to expand opportunities for those who need a chance in life. We love giving back by offering internships to inexperienced graduates, mentoring young entrepreneurs towards success, and now through our latest campaign, we’re striving to enable any and every girl to gain access to education so that they can fulfill their potential and reach for their dreams. We want to live in a world where every girl can follow, achieve and live her dream.” ■