The Night of The Year: Review!

The second biannual Christmas Steps Arts Quarter, Night of the Year (as part of the Bristol Festival of Photography) took place on Saturday May 12th and was a huge success!

Starting the event at 7:30pm was a slight oversight as the projections weren't visible until 9pm as they were competing with the glorious sunshine!  Not that we're complaining!

When the outdoor cinema finally appeared the assembled crowd were treated to an old cowboy movie, a 1960s Public Information Film on the dangers of drugs and the Carey Grant rarity "Room For One More". Rumour has it the outdoor cinema could become a regular feature on the Steps in the summer months! 

The parade of projections were interspered with a food stall selling the best curry in town and a fun painting with light workshop. Revellers spilled from Jenny Life Gallery and SHOP's arts space topping up their plastic cups at the Bristol Cider Shop as they went.

Thank you to all participating exhibitors, Jenny Life Gallery, Odd and Eden and Lydia Beardmore, Martin Harris and Danny Griffin. And a special thank you to SHOP, Fotohaus and Geneva Stop for organising the whole thing. Also to Lynda and Cathy for the food and Pete and Nick at Bristol Cider Shop for providing the Bar.

A great community event organised by the Christmas Steps Arts Quarter community!

Hoisting the cinema screen into position.

Lydia Beardmore setting up the light painting workshop, with a portrait looking on!

Finally!  A screen!

Beautiful sunshine, we were lucky with weather.

Cider-men, at your service in the Official Bar.

Blacking out the street lamps, so that the projections could shine.

Taking a photo, of someone taking a photo, whoaaa! Jenny Life Gallery in the background having a busy night at her exhibition and projection (in the lovely garden)

The light is fading and the projections are starting to show themselves

Lydia Beardmore's image of the Christmas Steps Arch, at the entrance to The Night of the Year

One of a reel of projections by Fotohaus

More Fotohaus projections (wish there really was a big wheel on the Steps!)

Three generations: portraits by Diane Auckland

Eating chips under the arch!

By around half past nine, the darkness really allowed the projections to show themselves in their glory

SHOP's showreel was back projected onto their window, it was a showreel of images of the Arts Quarter, past and present

The chapel at the top of the Steps, moved down the steps in photo-form!

Photo-lamposts were popular!...

...As was the Bristol Cider Shop bar!

Odd and Eden (photographers) showcased their portfolio.

The cinema!

Food was provided by Lynda and Cathy's pop-up veggie cafe and it was DELISH!

60s PIF about the dangers of drug-taking, you have been warned!

We all sat on the Steps to watch the films - it's the perfect natural amphitheatre.

The projector was retro to match the films.

The Night of the Year 2012!

As a very creative corner of Bristol, the Christmas Steps Arts Quarter has again fully embraced the 2012 city-wide Bristol Festival of Photography, with many of the traders and residents in the area getting involved with events and many different and varied exhibitions. 

Image by Lydia Beardmore

For the 2010 Bristol Festival of Photography, the Christmas Steps community organised a street party, called the CSAQ Night of the Year. 

It was so successful that we are going to repeat it this year – only bigger and better.

This really fun street party will see the Steps buzzing with photography enthusiasts from all over the city.  The main events are:

·   a promenade of projections, with photo stills being beamed from various locations onto the 17^th Century architecture of the Christmas Steps. 

·        the outdoor cinema will return, the natural amphitheatre at the top of the Steps will provide seating on the Steps themselves and the cinema will be screening photography based films. Bring a rug, a blanket or a chair! 

·        four photography exhibitions can be found at the SHOP Arts Space, Fotohaus, Jenny Life Gallery and Geneva Stop.

·        There will be an outdoor bar provided by Bristol Cider Shop

·        music

·        street food

·        a photography market! 

CSAQ Secretary Brett Atkinson says of the event:

        

“We had such fun in 2010 with the Night of the Year that we were always planning on repeating it when the next Bristol Festival of Photography came around, but this year we are making sure we build on the previous success to make it an even bigger event.  Having so many great photographers in the area certainly makes it extra special and since 2010 we’ve had the addition of Geneva Stop who are the perfect neighbours to have when planning such an event!”

The Night of Year is on Saturday 12th May from 8pm onwards, all over The Christmas Steps.

FFI:

www.christmasstepsartsquarter.co.uk

www.twitter.com/CSArtsQuarter