‘Confluence’: four acclaimed artists interpret Bristol’s evolution in new MAYK residency project

Pioneering Bristol live art producers MAYK have been commissioned by Ginkgo Projects for Confluence, a brand-new residency project for The Glassworks in Redcliffe (managed by Fresh).

Featuring four very distinct artists, all with their own unique connections to the city: Asmaa Jama, Verity Standen, Travis Alabanza and Ryan Convery-Moroney, the project will showcase their personal interpretations in which the centre of Bristol is evolving.

Confluence is inspired by Bristol’s continued standing as a musical centre. Taking the idea of an album, each of the contributing artists will offer their own ‘track’ – be it performance, film, sound or photography – that distils their response to the city’s evolving demographic.

Water dances through Bristol. The city was built on the confluence of rivers – where the Avon and the Frome meet and begin their rush towards the sea. Smaller streams flow through each neighbourhood, often unseen in channels hidden by concrete.

Bristol is a place of change, with new ideas washing in and through – often very fast.
In a city that is constantly evolving, how do we find a moment to pause and reflect on this place? What are the stories we can tell each other of what it’s like to live here, or to have lived here, or to imagine living here in the future?

Asmaa Jama – Bristol-based multidisciplinary artist, writer and filmmaker

Reflecting on how stories can help us to deepen understanding of personal history, particularly from migrant communities who have made their homes in Bristol, Jama’s film, visual installation and written work has been seen in Bristol, London, Berlin, Venice and beyond.

Self portrait of Asmaa Jama – photo: courtesy of the artist

Verity Standen – award-winning artist, composer and choir leader

From concerts and theatre pieces to installations, film or community work, Standen’s wide-ranging projects always begin with the voice. Often exploring the relationship between music and intimacy, her pieces play with soundscapes and explore new, profound ways for people to experience music.

Verity Standen in front of her Polyphony installation, Mayfest 2022 – photo: Paul Blakemore

Travis Alabanza – Bristol-born award-winning writer, performer and theatre maker

Alabanza has made waves internationally with their theatre, writing and live art work surrounding gender, trans identity, race, and marginalised identities. Their debut show has toured far and wide, including venues in Germany and Brazil, and they have since gone on to become a hugely influential voice – recently listed in the Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ list.

Having recently moved back to their home city, Alabanza is fascinated by how Bristol is evolving, as well as the ways in which it will never change.

Travis Alabanza – photo: Griff Townsend

Ryan Convery-Moroney – Bristol-based young portrait and documentary photographer

Convery-Moroney works with both still and moving imagery, and is interested in social structure and the psychogeography and multifaceted use of spaces. First drawn to photography through BMX riding – which also gave rise to an appreciation for urban landscapes and concrete – he relocated to Bristol from Portsmouth where he was studying photography, and went on to become artist in residence with MAYK from 2021-22.

Graffiti artist spray paints a tag outside an O2 phone shop – photo: Ryan Convery-Moroney

“Confluence is such an exciting opportunity for MAYK to do what it does best,” says Matthew Austin, Co-Director of MAYK; “(to) explore bold, exciting new ideas with inspiring artists, but to do that within the wider context of a changing city.

“Bristol is at a turning point, where there is a real chance to seize the opportunities that regeneration offers to place culture at the heart of our future city. The ideas we’re developing with artists are fizzing with potential and offer provocative and meaningful contributions to this vital conversation.”

A free weekend programme of events to share the outcomes of Confluence will take place from December 1-3 at 14 St Thomas St, Redcliffe, from 6pm-9pm on Friday, 11am-6pm on Saturday and 11am-4pm on Friday.

Visit www.mayk.org.uk for further details and updates about the project, or follow @maykithappen.

Main photo: Marta Celio

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