City of Beacons
Connecting and amplifying voices of marginalised communities in Bristol
Our City of Beacons programme takes inspiration from Bristol Beacon’s diverse heritage, inviting communities to work alongside specially-commissioned artists to co-curate unique pieces of work.
We commissioned the four local artists to each devise work for City of Beacons projects with specific communities in Bristol that they are passionate about.
Together, the artists and participants from across Bristol will find creative freedom and a platform to shine their own light.
Open call out for artistic response
May 2022
We held a city wide call out for creatives in the city to develop and lead the City of Beacons projects. Four artists were selected and commissioned – given funding and support to develop their ideas.
Project development
Summer/Autumn 2022
Four artists were selected and commissioned, then given funding and support to develop their ideas
Discovering Bristol Beacon’s heritage
February 2023
The creatives joined artist Cathy Mager at Bristol Archives to explore Bristol Beacon’s archive. It was an opportunity to discover the history of music and creativity in the city, and crucially, address the underrepresented communities within.
Project Development
Spring 2023
The artists then developed and co-created their projects alongside aspiring performers, charities, schools and community groups across Bristol.
Sharing with our city
Summer/Autumn 2023
As each project developed, each artist has facilitated a series of collaborative workshops and artistic responses, giving space for creative expression, exploration and reflection.
Supported by the Creative Lead, all the artists have drawn their community responses together into a community led, creative piece. To mark the reopening of Bristol Beacon, the projects will celebrate their unique perspectives of life in our city through workshops, recordings and films, as a legacy for the project.
Artists and projects
Connecting people with hidden disabilities
Artist lead: Amber-Ruth Watson (she/her)
About the project
Amber-Ruth will bring together a choir of women and non-binary people with hidden disabilities who will co-create a new piece of music composed by Amber-Ruth over a series of workshops. The piece will be performed as part of Bristol Beacon’s Housewarming event in December 2023.
I want to bring joy to people and an excitement for being part of something where they can feel connected, but also hold on to what is unique to them.”
About the artist
Amber-Ruth is a Bristol born and bred multi-disciplinary artist, producer and writer. Using art as a vital tool to heal, connect and claim space, working mostly with sound, as a musician, radio presenter and audio producer. She’s also exploring expression through visual art forms such as collage, textiles and mixed-media.
As an artist, she brings a gentleness and empathy to spaces, preferring to meet people where they are at. Amber-Ruth believes that some of the best work is created through overcoming difficult situations, creating with honesty and openness that enables others to be themselves.
Developing queer performance artists
Artist lead: Astro-Zenica / James Crawley (they/them)
About the project
James has centred on facilitating workshops on clowning and accessibility for trans/non-binary artists aged 18-30, including providing professional photography and video for their performances. The group will be able to connect, collaborate, train professionally and celebrate themselves as emerging trans-queer artists within Bristol. The project will connect with grassroots trans-queer-femme organisations, including PHAT Welfare and Security and music from T4T.
A mid-point showcase will be held at Bristol Beacon as part of Bristol Pride. Performers will then reflect on their experiences, with further workshops and performances later in 2023. They hope City of Beacons is the beginning of greater service to and connection with the Bristol queer community who are a huge part of the culture of our city.
We hope Bristol Beacon will continue to do the hard work of engaging in critical self-reflection and improvement so that our community may continue to grow, thrive and flourish”
About the artist
Astro-Zenica is a radical performance artist – combining drag, clown, stand up improvised comedy and immersive theatre.
Mother and Artistic Director of The House of Savalon, Astro’s work explores our culture and what we can become as humans should we learn to cooperate, learning to love both the similarities and differences, moving beyond competition to a more cooperative way of living. They are a creation of the artist James Crawley.
Engaging young people of colour
Artist lead: Montel Brown (he/him)
About the project
Montel will be working with his old primary school in Easton, Bannerman Road, to inspire and engage young people of colour, giving them access to music and unlocking their creative potential. He believes that there are many talented young people who may not have access to making music.
Using his lived experience and knowledge of music, he will work with young people to showcase their creativity in the city.
If you want something to happen, you have the ability to do that”
About the artist
Montel is a multi-disciplinary sound artist, music producer and sound engineer, with experience in live music and on location sound as well as studio recording and mixing. He hosts a monthly radio show on 1020 Radio, live showcasing emerging artists from across the UK.
Montel has worked in collaboration with creatives across numerous industries to deliver high quality sound and mixing for film, live events and hybrid projects.
Everything I do has a little bit of Stevie Wonder in it…”
Female empowerment and personal disovery
Artist lead: Willow Vidal-Hall (she/her)
About the project
Willow is co-creating a piece with Next Link domestic abuse support charity, connecting with women from across Bristol to offer a platform for expression, creativity and personal discovery through a series of creative workshops.
This will be shared as part of Bristol Beacon’s Housewarming event in December 2023.
Once you have created the space where people feel able to be present with you and you are then able to witness that and be present with that, it’s just pure joy. And it’s magic. That’s where the magic comes from.”
About the artist
Willow works as an artist, performer and facilitator with a wide range of ages and groups across Bristol. People focused; she believes that at the core of all things is the human being. Years of performance experience has offered her the ability to connect with people in a genuine and compassionate manner.
Willow deeply understands the power and impact of performance as a tool for healing and empowering voices.
She creates spaces where people feel safe, valued and can grow their confidence. Using multiple techniques including, yoga, creative movement and creative writing and speech, Willow intuitively responds to participants, placing their vision at the centre of the co-creation process.
Read more about our work with communities:
Live at The Hive: Sharing music and joy with adults with learning disabilities
- Blog
- Photos
Creating our 18-month long artist mentoring programme
- Blog
- Guest blog
Care-experienced Young People's Album Project recognised at Creative Lives Awards
- Bristol Beacon News