I’ve always been drawn to industrial processes, if only visually – I’m partial to cogs and gearwheels, cranes and grids! (Margaret Bourke-White was an early influence.) So I’ve enjoyed a couple of visits with a camera recently to some gritty, grainy, slimy and atmospheric locations – a tannery using traditional methods to convert animal hides to leather, and Bristol Foundry where some plaster hands were transformed into aluminium sculptures to be inserted into decorative railings in Weston-super-Mare (the first stage of this process can be seen on this post). There are further photographs from both venues over on flickr (tannery and the foundry) but my relationship with this type of work goes back Continue reading
Author Archives: Liz Milner
Wildlife Safari 2 – into the night
Local Journeys‘ second Wildlife Safari (see previous post about the first one) took place in the Ham Green area on 31st August and proved to be very popular with families. As part of the Local Journeys team I’d helped with organising and documenting the event, as well as preparing some moths – they had to be warned that Continue reading
World of Small – Portishead
On a sweltering hot day in mid July, Local Journeys, with support from Avon Wildlife Trust, took 60 children plus teachers and helpers from Portishead Primary School on a visit of investigation and imagination to Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve. This was part of another World of Small project – a complete contrast to the first one in Pill during the November 2012 flooding! The bird hide made a pleasantly shady temporary sculpture studio, while pond-dipping and explorations around Continue reading
A return to the origins of photography
Cyanotypes and ‘plant diary’ on display at the Lamplighter’s Marsh Riverside Festival
Although I’ve been aware of the cyanotype process since college days I’d never actually made any work in this way until last month when, working as part of Local Journeys, we were asked to produce an intergenerational project in Shirehampton that related to the riverside nature reserve Lamplighter’s Marsh. The area is one of several that have been included in Bristol City Council’s Wild City project – encouraging local communities to Continue reading
Wildlife Safari 1
A Local Journeys bid to get kids involved and engaged with the great play and wildlife resource on their doorsteps – the fields, ponds and copses that surround our village. Understandably parents have concerns about their children being exposed to dangers but we’ve been hearing first hand from teachers and adults that many children have a real anxiety about ‘failing’, taking risks, getting dirty; all things that can help you learn how to become a fully functioning adult. Continue reading
Bristol Mayorwatch – part 2
A follow-on from the previous citizen journalism project covering the election process for Bristol’s new Mayor. This time we (myself working freelance for Watershed, and Ujima Radio) were working with a new team of young people who were enthusiastic about using radio and citizen journalism techniques to track developments in the City’s transport and economic development since George Ferguson won the election in November. The workshop programme also included coverage of the local elections. For more details see my ‘News from Elsewhere’ blog documenting the project. Continue reading
School photo-surveys 1950s Bristol housing estate
Another Local Journeys project (see previous posts on World of Small and Kite making at Brean), this one was commissioned through the English Heritage Schools initiative to work with Year 3 and 4 children at Frome Vale Academy in March 2013 as part of their Community History project to investigate their Continue reading
Pop-up studio in Weston-super-Mare
There’s a small oval green space amongst some houses on an estate in Weston-super-Mare that needs some additional love and refurbishments so local residents can get the most out of it. Knightstone Housing Association along with other partners have commissioned an artist to devise some ideas for decorative railings that will add a sense of playfulness to the area, help to re-define its use and Continue reading
‘Forever in Your Debt’
A commission from The Theatre Orchard (formerly Theatre Orchard Project) to design, using and modifying their existing images, a DVD cover and poster for the premiere of a film they’ve co-produced with Homespun Films and the Bournville Community Theatre Company about loansharks and personal debt.
End of an era – start of the next
Just reached the end of an era – after four and half years my RELAYS contract with Watershed has come to an end. It’s the longest project I’ve worked on and one of the longest for Watershed too. I’d never intended to work on a sport themed topic with young people but sometimes these things work out pretty well and Continue reading
Liz Milner 