Art / Rockaway Park
Rockaway Park to host a Queer Radiance fundraiser, the first Myth and Lore Zine & Literature Fest and an exclusive film screening in May
Just south of Bristol, tucked off the main road in Temple Cloud, is the “anarchist, politically-subversive and artistic space” of Rockaway Park.
This unique creative community is home to dozens of artists and makers, alongside its many studios, rehearsal and workshop spaces, a community forest garden, school of curiosity, vegan café and The Chapel of Unrest – now currently standing at over 2,000 members.
It is also home to a wide-ranging calendar of one-off and regular events, some led by studio holders at the former scrapyard, and others hosting artists, musicians, filmmakers, authors and performers from further afield.
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Bristol24/7 takes a look at some of the upcoming highlights:
Queer Radiance – Reclaim & Transform, May 11
A special event celebrating local queer talent, and fundraising for queer homelessness charity the Albert Kennedy Trust.
Hosted by Gender Criminal with tunes from DJs Bendy Wendy and Dunya Lamrhari, Reclaim & Transform will feature drag, storytelling and pole-dance performances, alongside a queer market and free mental health and wellbeing workshops from Normal Magic.
Myth & Lore Zine & Literature Fest, May 18
Finding solace in a supportive artistic environment that played a significant part in his recovery from a breakdown, Mark Ryan originated his own zine, Myth & Lore at Rockaway. He is now co-hosting this inaugural event, which puts art and community front and centre, and showcases zine artists “spanning DIY punk to manga, as well as typeface and everything in between”.
Opened by an outdoor stage reading from prize-winning author Tracy Heather Johnson, the afternoon will feature a series of workshops: in hand-carved prints with Bumble Punk Print; origami with a focus on upcycling with Kooky Book Craft; and zine-making with Forest of Zine.
Mark Ryan of Myth & Lore Zine
Cartoonist, author, activist and public speaker Kate Evans will also be hosting a talk about her life in cartoons, followed by a Q&A.
The huge array of traders will include the punk-inflected Dispress; the macabre and mythical illustrations on handmade khadi Indian paper, in Black and Bone; the introspective illustrations of Söber; and Gemma, featuring fungi-inspired, fantasy and folkloric art.
Dispress Zine – pages from edition #5
B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West Berlin 1979-1989, May 25
The latest film to be screened at Rockaway (following I Am Judah in March) is an exclusive screening of B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West-Berlin, 1979 – 1989, presented by Class & Culture Films, in co-operation with the Goethe-Institut.
The screening will take place at The Chapel of Unrest, and will be followed by a Q&A with Class & Culture’s Brandon Spivey, and the filmmaker, Mark Reeder – whose career as a musician and DJ has spanned over four decades, and innumerable anecdotes.
Vegan bratwurst meal tickets will be on offer in addition to this screening.
Carol Hodge and Julia Othmer: The Selenite Songs Tour, July 14
Looking to the summer, Huddersfield-based Carol Hodge and Kansas City’s Julia Othmer will be joining Rockaway for a special Sunday Session, sharing the story of their pen-pal style songwriting relationship across the Atlantic.
They will be performing songs created over the six-month Selenite Songs Project – in which all songs were written in two hours, in response to audience prompts, using only piano, vocals and found sounds. The pair will also be hosting a ticketed song-writing workshop to unlock the musical potential of their audience.
Rockaway Sunday Sessions, Carol Hodge and Julia Othmer, The Selenite Songs Tour
Rockaway Park presents: Queer Radiance – Reclaim & Transform on May 11 at 4-11pm (tickets available from www.headfirstbristol.co.uk); Myth & Lore Zine & Literature Fest on May 18 at 12-4pm (unticketed, £2 suggested donation); an exclusive film screening of B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West Berlin 1979-1989 and Q&A on May 25 at 6pm (limited tickets available); and Carol Hodge and Julia Othmer: The Selenite Songs Tour – a songwriting workshop and performance, on July 14 at 12.30 and 2.30pm (limited workshop tickets available).
The venue is fully accessible and has a quiet room/chill space. Visitors with any specific requirements are encouraged to get in touch.
For more information and links to all Rockaway events, workshops and courses, visit www.rockawaypark.co.uk, where you can also donate or become a member of The Chapel of Unrest.
All photos: Rockaway Park
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