Art / front room totterdown art trail
Totterdown ready to host its ever-popular Arts Trail weekend
Following 2023’s ‘doodles’, this year’s chosen theme for the annual Totterdown Arts Trail is, perhaps fittingly: umbrellas.
Taking place on the weekend of November 16-17, the trail will feature work by almost 150 artists, in homes and community venues across Upper and Lower Totterdown.
Providing refreshment to art enthusiasts as they make their way around, 20 local food and drink venues will be opening their doors across the weekend, including the multi-award winning Farrows, a pop up kitchen at Bruhaha, and food stands including local purveyors of artisan crumpets, The Crumporium.
is needed now More than ever
Temple of Convenience – photo: Sickboy
Other highlights of the weekend include leading Bristol street artist Sickboy‘s Temple of Convenience at The Pit gallery space in the former YMCA building.
As someone who spent many years in Totterdown, Sickboy is keen to give back to the community, and will be screenprinting on clothes that visitors bring along to raise money for the community space at Bushy Park.
Bristol24/7 asked some of the other participating artists about their practice, and what they have selected to show at the Arts Trail:
Barney Wharam – painter and mixed media artist
“I am really looking forward to showing people my latest paintings on the Arts Trail. I use really thick paint so they look so different in real life compared to on Instagram.
“I also really enjoy seeing how many families come out to enjoy the event every year, and meeting some budding artists.”
DJ Derek, painting by Barney Wharam – photo: courtesy of the artist
Emily Gibbard – stoneware sculptor
“I’m proud to be part of the Bristol arts scene – I run a community pottery studio in South Bristol called Windmill Clay and regularly take part in the Totterdown Arts Trail.
“My ceramic practice transforms vessels thrown on the potter’s wheel into biomorphic sculptural forms that explore body perception, identity and sexuality. While rooted in the traditions of the pottery craft, I play and experiment with vessels to create abstract body representations.
“Inspiration comes from my work in female empowerment, studies into prehistoric sculpture and my personal journey of body discovery.”
Emily Gibbard in her studio – photo: Andre Pattenden
Mat Miller – illustrator
“I’m looking forward to showing my physical prints as well as talking to Arts Trail patrons about my process and all of the different details in my work.
“I’m also excited to be around lots of other creatives from our community for the weekend, to find out more about them and their practices and generally soak up the great atmosphere that the Trail brings.”
Mat Miller, Nebulous, giclee print – photo: courtesy of the artist
Adam Bell – filmmaker and photographer
“I shoot instant film photography using vintage cameras and long expired Polaroid film. This combination leads to truly unique results as the aged chemistry creates a one-off physical instant photograph.
“At this year’s Arts Trail I’ll be sharing my prints in a house full of three other talented artists (a painter of abstracts, a children’s book author and an illustrator, painter and printmaker), and I’m really looking forward to chatting photography with our visitors over a coffee from the in-house Barista.”
Work by instant film photographer, Adam Bell – photo: courtesy of the artist
Totterdown Arts Trail 2024 is on the weekend of November 16-17, from 11am-6pm daily. Follow @totterdownarttrail for updates and featured artists; pick up the trail map in local venues across Totterdown, or access a digital version from www.totterdownartstrail.org.
Main photo: Zelensky, by Barney Wharam (courtesy of the artist)
Read next:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
