An Art and Nature Weekend

There's almost too much going on to keep up

My original plan for the weekend was to get up relatively early on Saturday, take a bus up to Cribbs Causeway, a large shopping centre in the northern part of the city, and then walk to Wales. This was to be done more or less so I could say I walked to Wales. That and I wanted to see and cross the Second Severn Bridge. Luckily for my feet the weather was a bit dreary, which would have made for dull photographs. Sunday morning was nicer, but by that time I had done the calculations and realised the sheer physical task I was endeavouring to undertake. The round walking trip would have been about twenty-six kilometres, which is a good seven hour commitment.

My alternate plan was to take in some of the arty things going on in town for the weekend. I decided to check out a couple of the events whose details had come to my attention in the form of magically-appearing coffee table pamphlets. The first was a short film festival. There is a great new cinema down on the Bordeaux Quay called Watershed. This was the main venue of the Encounters Short Film Festival, an annual event in its thirteenth year. Many of the events were free and I had hoped to take in at least one of the shows.

My original plan was to head down there for 9:45am to catch the Mini Masterpieces show. This was a contest for people to make short YouTube videos. Unfortunately, Bristol's transit system is appallingly bad (something which I am tempted to write to the Council about... it will also likely be a great rant for a future blog post). The bus that was to get me to the cinema on time was not on time and as a result I returned to my house to formulate my next plan. I ended up catching a later bus into town in time to catch the Audi Channel Reel Talent Awards.

The Awards showcased three five-minute films that were funded as part of a project put on by The Hospital and Audi Channel. The filmmakers were given a budget of £10,000 to write and produce the films on a specific theme. After the screening, the filmmakers were asked about the process, which involved a week-long script development session with members of the other teams. I must say I did enjoy all of the films. One in particular was quite moving for such a short piece.

Upon entering the cinema, everyone was handed two free drink vouchers, which I decided was too good to waste, so after the show, I proceeded to the bar to see what was on the menu. Much to my delight, my blond Belgian princess, Leffe, was there. I was also impressed to see that it was served in a Leffe glass, in proper Belgian fashion.

I headed down the quay, stopping at some of the book booths along the way to see the titles on offer. Crossing Pero's Bridge, I found the Architecture Centre, which had great books, if not slightly overpriced and pretentious, and a little exhibit on sustainable materials. I then headed next door to the Arnolfini Gallery.

The Arnolfini is one of the things that makes Bristol great. It's like a mini Tate Gallery for the city. It's free to enter, and they are open most evenings until 8:00pm, and 10:00pm on weekends. They have a lot of film events and are currently featuring the work of German artist Hans Peter Feldman. I explored the five galleries of his work, and then stopped into the Dark Studio to see parts of 'Look What They Done to My Song,' a film/recording project featuring three Twentieth Century songs.

I explored Bristol a bit more after leaving the gallery. I found Thekla, a venue whose name I had read on posters the previous weekend at St. Nicholas Market. Some pretty big names had played there, but I had only now discovered that the venue is a boat floating in the harbour, not the only one of its kind in the city, but certainly the most well-known. I also noticed some shows on the roster that will be worth checking out.

I headed back toward the Watershed to enjoy my second drink (you gotta spread these things out), this time a Honeydew draught. I then began the walk up the hill toward home, getting a bit drenched along the way as it began to spit rain. Once back in my neighbourhood, I stopped in at a few spots mentioned on the second coffee table brochure, the North Bristol Art Trail. This reminded me a lot of the Garage Show in Regina that I had attended during the summer. Artists opened their homes to display and sell their works. I visited three houses one street over from my own. They featured pottery, painting, sculpture and photography. I even chatted with some of the friendly artist/homeowners, enjoying a complimentary glass of wine at one house (if you're keeping count that's three free drinks in one day. Appropriately enough it happened to be "International Buy Nothing Day." I'm happy to say that all I bought was one-way bus fare and a sandwich for a quid.)

On Sunday I decided to take the camera and head out to Leigh Woods, across the Clifton Suspension Bridge. The sun was shining and I was up for the walk. Not to Wales, but rather to North Somerset. Of course the day I decided to go for a walk was the day I found that I had let my sock laundry get ahead of me. And so, I set out sockless to Woolworth's on Whiteladies Road to buy some foot coverage before continuing toward the Downs. Of course when I got to Woolworth's I realised that my wallet was in my other jacket, so back I went to get it.

Once I returned a made my stocking purchase I found a quiet bench where I could sheath my feet and then continue my journey onto the Downs. This was all familiar territory, as it is in the environs of my workplace. But there are many little trails to be discovered. I headed down a few new ones and then got back on the road toward the bridge.

Crossing the bridge I found myself in the suburb of Leigh Woods, on the edge of the forest of the same name. The woods were protected in the early Nineteenth Century by Bristolian tobacco magnate George Alfred Wills who preserved the area to prevent it from being developed. The National Trust then bought another large piece of land adjacent and extended the protection zone even further. Today it is enjoyed by many people of the area, walking, cycling, and giving their dogs some leashless exercise.

I found the trailhead along North Road and entered the woods. I didn't feel worried about getting lost as there were many wide trails and scores of people out and about. As long as I didn't get too deep into the woods, I should be out by the time the sun goes down. I made the big circuit, finding some great sights and vistas over the Avon Gorge. The forest is full of oaks, sycamores, yews and holly. The smell was wonderful. It's incredible how close to the country I live, despite living in the city. Just outside of the woods there are villages and farms with cows grazing. All within a forty minute walk from my house.

When I got back to the Clifton Bridge, dusk was falling, and the tourists were trying to capture the evening scene with their cameras at the bridge lookouts. I was keen on getting some night shots of the bridge myself, so I hung around, waiting for the dark. It eventually came, and I got the pictures I wanted, before heading home to rest my feet. I might just take that Wales walk yet, perhaps once the solstice has passed and the sun is up beyond 4:00pm.

Cheers.