Call out for VI ‘Journey Takers’ for Arnolfini city fellows

[Image description: a photograph of Bristol Temple Meads station in black and white is in the background. In the foreground in bold orange text is the City Fellows logo, beneath it is written: ‘Creating Projects born from Bristol, bringing together artists, thinkers and doers to re-imagine the city].

Do you have lived experience of visual impairment? Would you like to join us to share your perspective on city life while exploring possibilities for the future of Bristol?

Arnolfini and PECo theatre are looking for visually impaired (VI) people to join us for journeys into Bristol, uncovering how the city is experienced through multiple VI perspectives.

Could this be the place…? is co-created by PECo Theatre’s Rachel Aspinwall and Holly Thomas, collaborating as a sighted and a VI artist and is being designed with a core group of ten collaborators from the VI community, giving voice to the incredible value their contributions can and do bring to society.

Could this be the place…?​ will bring VI people together with sighted partners, who will travel together across six journeys in Bristol in early October 2019 and then return to share ideas – based on the collective findings of the journeys – for the future.

VI and sighted partners will use wearable tech to record and collect data about their experiences. The data collected will be analysed by research partner, Dr Ute Leonards from University of Bristol, who is internationally renowned for her research on how the visual environment impacts our health and wellbeing. This collaboration will allow the project to reach a more holistic understanding of the impact of city life on body and mind.

‘Could this be the place?’ will be looking for members of the VI community who would like to join PECo Theatre as journey takers, to share and reveal their perspectives on city life while exploring possibilities for the future.

Journey dates are: September: Monday 30th , October: Wednesday  2nd, Wednesday 9th, Friday 11th, Saturday 12th, Monday 14th, Wednesday 16th  

Register your interest by emailing: producer@partexchangeco.org.uk

About City Fellows

City Fellows are ambitious and experimental projects co-created by the people of Bristol. We exists to create projects born from Bristol and collectively build a city that better reflects the people who live here. Camel Meat and Tapes is being led by Fozia Ismail and Could this be the place…? has been initiated by Rachel Aspinwall and Holly Thomas.

City Fellows is made possible through generous support from Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

For more details about either project, please contact letty.clarke@arnolfini.org.uk

About Arnolfini

Woven into the fabric of Bristol since 1961, Arnolfini is a pioneer of interdisciplinary contemporary arts, presenting an ambitious programme of visual art, performance, dance, film and music. Housed in a Grade II listed, fully-accessible building at the heart of the harbourside, Arnolfini is an inspiring public space for contemporary arts and learning, welcoming half a million visitors each year and offering an innovative, inclusive and engaging experience for all. An internationally-renowned institution, Arnolfini supports and develops work by living artists, investigating their influences and aspirations, and celebrates the heritage and wide-reaching impact of the organization by sharing a 55 year archive of exhibition slides, publications and artist book collection with the public and artists, inspiring new commissions.

2019 is a year of new beginnings for Arnolfini as they re-open their spaces. Collaboration will be at the centre of this approach as they explore again their role as Bristol’s Centre for Contemporary Arts. They look forward to sharing and developing many new projects as the year progresses. Find out more about Arnolfini’s current programme visit www.arnolfini.org.uk​.
Arnolfini is supported by the University of West of England and Arts Council England.

About PECo Theatre

Led by Artistic Director Rachel Aspinwall, PECo theatre make award winning imaginative, theatrically driven experiences that explore innovative cross-art form collaborations and participatory approaches between artists, communities and sites. We prioritise socially engaged work that ensures agency for inspiring new voices and stories. The company has a strong track record for creating work site specific work that excels artistically and engages marginalised communities.

PECO’s recent work, ‘Dark City’ collaborated with VI co-creators to research and develop ideas for an immersive, multi sensory performance that combines creative technology and performance. Building on the relationships developed during this work, ‘Could this be the place?’ provides a welcome opportunity for Rachel, Holly and the team of co-creators to continue their creative explorations and connect the work to the City’s civic culture.