Bristol Biennial 2012: Storytelling

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Bristol Biennial

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The inaugural Bristol Biennial Community Arts Festival is the coming together of the vibrant Bristol arts community in the first large-scale event of its kind in the South West from the 1st - 16th June, 2012.

The theme for this first year is Storytelling, and it's participants interpret this theme through visual arts, film and theatre. By operating outside of the traditional gallery space, this festival engages directly with the community by encouraging participation. Hosting an engaging programme of events, we invite the public to encounter creative activity in a friendly and fun atmosphere. Many of our events have a family friendly focus and offer the public and opportunity to contribute to the festival by sharing their stories with others.
New work from over 50 Bristol based contemporary artists explore Storytelling in the South Western English landscape, challenging notions of history and identity of place. Venues such as St John the Baptist church, empty retail spaces as well as Bristol Cathedral and Central Library ensure the festival experience is open to all. We will also host film screenings and events at the Watershed cinema and from the Biennial hub in College Green.
A dozen Bristol based independent arts institutions will present diverse line-up of group exhibitions, site-specific installations, open studios and events allowing the public unprecedented access to the practitioners and institutions that form the vanguard of Bristol's creative scene.
Storytelling exists in all facets of life: we tell stories and anecdotes to engage others and break down isolating barriers between individuals or groups. Storytelling can enrich our lives, it can be cathartic,
it can impart wisdom or illustrate values and customs.
International artists and curators have been invited participate in a programme of exhibitions exploring our theme from countries as diverse as Mexico, Australia, USA, Russia, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Ireland, Spain and Italy. By engendering a dialogue about the nature of identity and communication our festival ensures that the stories told in Bristol will find resonance on an international platform.