Closer…

So, it’s only slightly graf related, but right place at the right time and all that, the blog was on hand to grab some photos of what looks like an eviction attempt literally half an hour ago, presumably following this. Here they are…

To be honest, it wasn’t a pretty sight. Loads of rather large and aggressive looking chaps trying to jemmy open the door, not looking like they were aiming to make some new friends. The unmarked white vans all about were interesting too. Who were the eviction company? What recourse would people have if injuries had been caused, however accidentally? The colour coding of the yellow and orange jackets presumably means something too, but what?

The last photo is the most sinister to this blog’s mind too, why were there additional private security people posted up and down a public right of way, away from the site of the eviction?

Anyway, this is presumably still going on now, and this is breaking news and stuff. Can’t say this blog will be shopping at Tesco anymore having seen how they treat peaceful protestors.

If anyone wants to use these photos by the way then feel free, just make sure they’re duly credited to here (ideally with a link) and all’s well.

If you’re not heading to the Bristol Gallery show tonight, or even if you are and you somehow happen to get round the quality work in a shortish time, then there’s something you should head over to at Metropolis.

It’s a fundraiser for a couple of charities in Haiti doing good work, and as ever the graf community has stepped up to help.

Amongst other things being auctioned, there’s work by 3rd Eye, Sepr and a special ‘friends only’ edition of an early Nick Walker Vandal print, donated by someone with a pedigree all of their own. There’s a small reserve on it natch, but if you’re into your Bristol graf, you could do much worse than be down there for a cheeky bid, you never know what will happen at auctions.

It’s compered by the inimitable Art Tart, and there’s all sorts of other antics going on too, burlesque, belly dancing and a dood playing a saw. Dubrovnik DJ set too, top stuff. Metropolis is an ace venue since they sorted the sound out, so why not warm up for the weekend and give some money to people who need it more than we can imagine right now?

£6 on the door, 7pm to 2am, you know it makes sense. More chat on Facebook if you need it.

So, it’s been a while since this blog covered up coming shows, but here’s one definitely worth checking out.

It’s down at ‘The Bristol Gallery‘, which is a newish place down by Millennium Square in the centre, here’s a map of sorts. The website seems pretty unintelligible, something to do with ‘real art’ or something…

One of the myriad ways with which one might begin to get a handle on what are difficult and challenging works of art is to think about some of the pre-histories of art-making that have brought us to the condition of contemporary art as it is practiced today.

…and that’s just the homepage.

Still though, there are some top people with work down there at a show opening this Thursday (4th March), including Sir Felix of Braun, Baron Inkie, Lord Ponk and the deadly combo of Andy Stott (D*Frost) and Jeffrow. Beezer and The Krah have got work in it too, which is very far indeed from being a bad thing.

So, filter through the pretentious art toss and get yourself down there for a beer (or maybe some snakebite, served ironically of course) and a look at some work by some proper talent. You know the score.

The Bristol Partnership is an august body of the great and good from this city’s public sector, working in partnership to energise key goals in a proactive strategy moving forward into blue sky envelopes kinda thing. They seem to do shiny web stuff though, and produce pretty reports as well, which is a welcome change from the stuff the council normally does.

They’ve done one about ‘The Bristol 20:20 Plan – Bristol’s Sustainable City Strategy‘, which amongst other things bigs up some of the good creative and cultural things that have come out of  and go on around Bristol. Banksy’s in there, obviously, and they’ve got a photo of some people painting in Stokes Croft too. Here it is.

Notice anything odd about it? It’s Cheo and 3Dom painting the piece that the council then promptly painted over in black paint, for which the council then had to apologise, in what became known as the ‘battle of the boards’. The back story on it’s here, here and here.

So, of all of the thousands of photos of this stuff they could have chosen, they chose that one. Comedy genius.

Ronnie Jotun and the blog editorial kru speak to Venue, yesterday.

Venue were good enough to ask our thoughts here on the film too, an exclusive no less. Of especial interest to Banksy hunters will be the fact that they’ve republished the interview he did with them in feb 2000 before the Severnshed show. We’ve got an original copy of it here, and it was always going to get scanned and blogged at some point, but now Venue are running it, it would seem off to post it up now. So, will blog that next week for interest. Someone will doubtless type it up verbatim somewhere online soon enough.

Anyway, Venue, definitely worth a look this week.

Well, actually, no it’s not. It a choon though innit. The start of this track’s probably more relevant to the blog at the start of this year.

So, the blog’s back. Thanks for all the emails and so forth, all will be being replied to in due course. Glad to know there’s a few readers out there.

Shed load’s gone on since Christmas (missed a Sickboy show in Bristol for god’s sake! I mean, wtf!), and it’s going to take a while to get back up to speed, and fill in the gaps in the archive too. This blog’s here for people in the future as well as people in the now after all.

Planning to make some changes and improvements to it too, if you’ve got any ideas for what you’d like to see then do shout.

First up though, if anyone fancies getting involved in some live painting (with markers) over in Bath soon, then check out this event, which is looking for people right now – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=301309752008&index=1. Only 10 minutes on the train from Bristol after all, and the quality of the eye candy is likely to be high, given it’s Bath an all.

So, hello again. What’s been going on in your world then?

Anyway, it’s christmas, so here’s your traditional festive reminder to get the hell off the internet and go and have fun with real people!

Happy christmas one and all…

…and it’s free to boot. With interviews with Andy Council, Acerone and lots of other goodness, have a wander over to the Weapon of Choice site to download yours now, or read it online indeed.

See FROM from this link. From.