Accessible version

THEASTER
GATES

SANCTUM

29.10.15 – 21.11.15
 

About

This autumn, a remarkable structure will rise up from within the bombed out remains of Temple Church in Bristol. For 24 days, this 14th century site will be transformed into an intimate gathering place in which to hear the city like never before.

Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates was invited by Bristol arts producer, Situations, to create
his first public project in the UK as part of Bristol 2015 European Green Capital.

The artist has sought out discarded and dormant materials from former places of labour and religious devotion across Bristol to build an intimate and distinctive temporary structure at Temple Church. From 6pm on Thursday 29th October, Sanctum will host a continuous programme of performance over 552 hours until Saturday 21st November, sustained by Bristol’s performers, musicians and bands. Submissions to be a part of the programme have now closed.

You will be able to enter Sanctum day and night and whilst we’ll announce who the performers are on 28th September, the schedule will remain secret. You might encounter a headlining band or come across a gospel choir handing over to a spoken word artist. Capacity is limited, but if you’d like to guarantee a time to visit, you can reserve an entry time here.

Associate Events

Theaster Gates Performance Lecture
Saturday 31st October at 7pm
Book now £10 (£7.50) www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk.

Sanctum Takeover of Ujima Radio
2nd November from 4-6pm
Drive-time Old Skool Cruising show with Roger Griffith featuring interviews with Theaster Gates and some of the Sanctum musicians.
Tune in on 98FM or listen online at anytime www.ujimaradio.com

Public Art (Now) masterclass
Wednesday 18th November 2-4pm
Two-hour masterclass on the logistical, artistic and communications challenges of producing Sanctum. Part of Festival of the Future City.
Book now £8 (£6.50) www.publicartnowmasterclass.eventbrite.co.uk
Two Public Art (Now) £150 bursaries are available from Situations to attend the masterclass. Find out more at www.situations.org.uk

 

Theaster Gates

‘To make the thing that makes the thing.’

image
Archive House Library in Chicago, Illinois, 2014
image
Soul-food dinner at Archive House, Dorchester Avenue. Photography c Sara Pooley
image
Exterior of Dorchester Projects, August 2013, during B.A.R. (Black Artist Retreat), hosted by Theaster Gates
   

Theaster Gates is an artist, musician and activist based in Chicago. Gates trained as both a sculptor and an urban planner and his artworks are rooted in social responsibility as well as underpinned by a deep belief system. Gates often works with architects, researchers and performers to create artworks that stretch the idea of what we usually understand visual art to be. For his exhibition at Milwaukee Art Museum in 2010, for example, Gates invited a 250 strong gospel choir into the galleries to sing songs adapted from the inscriptions on pots by the famous 19th century slave and potter ‘Dave Drake’. In another recent exhibition at Seattle Art Museum, Gates transformed the gallery into an audio archive entitled ‘The Listening Room’, incorporating a hand-built DJ booth and a DJ who spinned selections from the now foreclosed Dr Wax record store in Chicago, formerly an influential hub for 60s, 70s and 80s music, in particular jazz, blues and R&B.

His most acclaimed work, Dorchester Projects, began in 2009 with Gates transforming a cluster of buildings on Chicago’s South Side into alternative cultural spaces. The artist used repurposed materials from across the city to rehouse retired collections of objects such as 14,000 books from the former Prairie Avenue Bookstore, glass slides from the art history department at the University of Chicago and 8,000 vinyl records from the now-closed Dr. Wax record store. Dorchester Projects has become a vibrant gathering point and place of work for many individuals from the neighbourhood.

Just as this South Side territory acts as a gathering point and resource for a set of on-going activities, so Dorchester Projects and Gates’ studio acts as the production nerve centre for a set of projects and exhibitions in the U.S. and worldwide. Gates is winner of the 2015 Artes Mundi prize, the founder of the non-profit Rebuild Foundation and currently Professor in the Department of Visual Arts, University of Chicago.

Read more

Visit the artist's page at the White Cube website

Read Mark Brown’s piece about Sanctum in The Guardian

Read Tim Adams’ feature article in The Observer

Watch Theaster Gates’ Ted Talk

 

Temple Church

Bristol’s Temple Church on Temple Street, off Victoria Street, was the first English parish church to be taken into ownership by the then Ministry of Works, and is today in the care of English Heritage. It is a Grade II listed building and scheduled monument and is popularly known as Temple Church because the original circular church was built by the Knights Templar, recalling the Church of the Holy Sepulchre that stands in Jerusalem.

Temple Church
Temple Church, Bristol Photo: Max McClure Courtesy Situations

It was one of the largest of only a dozen such churches in England and it appears that the Bristol Temple became the administrative centre for the order in the South West. By 1307, however, the order had fallen into disrepute and their lands were later confiscated and handed to the Knights Hospitaller. When the Knights Hospitaller were themselves suppressed by Henry VIII in 1540, the church was taken over by the parish.

In the 18th century the interior was refitted. The shape of the original Templar church is now marked out on the ground. The chancel is exceptionally long and flanked by the chapel of St Nicholas to the north and the chapel of St Catherine to the south. The famous tower leans 5 feet (1.6 metres) out of the vertical.

The church was bombed during the Second World War and gutted by the resulting fire. Only the shell of the building, dating mainly from the 14th century, remained after the bombing on 24th November 1940, 75 years prior to the arrival of Sanctum. Temple Church is not usually open to the public so this is a rare chance to step inside the building.

Find out more about the site here.

 

Performers

Announcing the hundreds of performers who will be taking part in Sanctum. The schedule will always remain secret until the end of each day, when we'll be reporting back on who played Sanctum.

Aaron Douglas
Aaron
Aaron Douglas

Aaron Douglas

Aaron Douglas is more than just “a guy with a guitar”. After cutting his teeth in Devon & Cornwall playing guitar & bass for Cosmo Jarvis, the (now Bristol based) singer-songwriter's blend of different genres, storytelling, looping and honest & passionate lyrics has allowed him to carve out a name of his own.

www.aarondouglasmusic.co.uk

African Sambistas
African
African  Sambistas

African Sambistas

African Sambistas are a samba drumming band and dance group with African-inspired moves and energetic carnival and Samba-reggae music. An enthusiastic blend of high energy, dynamically expressive performance illustrates the integral relationship between drummers, dancers and audience. African Sambistas are known for getting everyone dancing!

www.africansambistas.com

Alice Human
Alice
Alice Human
Photo. Jack Offord

Alice Human

Alice Human is a sonic artist and performance maker based in Bristol. A graduate from Dartington College of Arts in 2009 Theatre BA (Hons), Alice is interested in the merge between sonic arts and live theatre. Her performances have encompassed a variety of modes, including audio installations in a space or site, sonic walks or site tours on binaural headphones and the interaction of both live and recorded sound in theatre spaces.

www.cargocollective.com/alicehuman

Alma
Alma
Alma

Alma

The songs of Alma weave together a delicate tapestry of the poetics of nature and soul, drawing inspiration from the natural world, their music tells a story of reverence, longing & connection.

"Music is a reflection of nature, and a key part of how we perceive the world. Many of us are made to believe that music comes from us, in truth it comes though us at the best of times. As nature grows according to the environment, music emerges according to the musician." - Jack Jennings

www.facebook.com/almasounds

Angie Belcher
Angie
Angie Belcher
Photo. Derryn Vranch

Angie Belcher

Equally at home on the stand-up circuit as in a posh tent at a literature festival, Angie presents dirty stanzas and awkward stories. An accomplished comedy performer ‘Mythical Creature’ is her second Edinburgh show. “Like Pam Ayres but with attitude and an adult audience” - Bristol Evening Post

www.angiebelcher.wordpress.com

Annie Lilygreen
Annie
Annie Lilygreen

Annie Lilygreen

Acoustic, quiet, and thoughtful music from Annie Lilygreen, a 20-year-old art student from Kenya. She has been singing since she was able to and has wowed many a family member with soulful renditions of “Happy Birthday” and the FRIENDS theme song. She enjoys singing sad songs and moody covers, but has recently started dabbling in the ukulele. You won’t be seeing that though, she’s not very good at it.

www.nonotthemusical.weebly.com

ANTA
ANTA
ANTA

ANTA

ANTA formed in Bristol in 2010, and quickly set about establishing a reputation for continuous, explosive yet tightly composed live performances. Since then, the group have self-released several records and toured the UK extensively, performing everywhere from tiny pubs to enormous festival spaces. Entirely self-sufficient as a truly DIY act, the quartet have consistently overseen all aspects of the production of their work. Expect a performance in equal parts loud, visceral, imposing and intelligent.

www.anta.org.uk

Arcosanti Duo
Arcosanti
Arcosanti Duo

Arcosanti Duo

The Arcosanti String Duo was formed in 2004 and has performed throughout the UK and abroad. Cellist Tim Gilbert and Violinist/Violist Jo Hampson-Gilbert both studied at Trinity College of Music London and pursue busy careers as ensemble and orchestral performers. The Arco-santi Duo perform a selection of classical, modern and jazz repertoire.

www.arcosantimusic.co.uk

Arketta
Arketta
Arketta

Arketta

Eating, drinking and breathing music, that's how Bristol based Arketta have begun to carve their way through the UK music scene. Their sound is best described as honest, feel-good alternative rock with a focus on song craft and rich harmonies. The infectious rumble of melodic guitar and a booming rhythm section always draws a fun loving crowd.

www.arketta.com

Asteroid Deluxe
Asteroid
Asteroid Deluxe

Asteroid Deluxe

Asteroid Deluxe seek to expand the boundaries of consciousness with their ever evolving and highly dynamic sonic explorations with echoes of early psychedelia, German Kosmische and Space Rock. Featuring intergalactically renowned musicians with recent forays beyond Caligua and the Ceres ring system, and a recent residency on Gannymede. Asteroid Deluxe will create a spontaneous psychedelic soundtrack within the evocative setting of Sanctum.

www.asteroiddeluxe.com

Bards of Avalon
Bards
Bards  of Avalon

Bards of Avalon

Bea & Max
Bea & Max
Bea & Max

Bea & Max

Bea Roberts is a multi-award winning writer and performer with a background in comedy and a gift for storytelling. Max Johns is a freelance designer for performance who has designed productions for Bristol Old Vic, Tobacco Factory Theatres and the V&A. Bea and Max have been friends for ten years and Cher fans forever.

www.bearoberts.com

Brian Monahan
Brian
Brian Monahan

Brian Monahan

After graduating with a BA (Hons) in Contemporary World Jazz in 2008, Brian has performed with various ensembles throughout the 2000’s. Currently based in Bristol, he works at Baristas coffee shop whilst writing piano pieces for solo performance and film. In 2015 he was awarded the Opperheim Memorial Trust grant to work on a solo album.

www.twitter.com/brianpianist

Bristol Camerata
Bristol
Bristol Camerata

Bristol Camerata

The Bristol Camerata is a choir, assembled early this year by Shaun Wood, in his first year of reading Music at Bristol University. Shaun wanted to provide a platform for performing and recording fellow Young Composer’s Choral Works. Since its genesis, the Bristol Camerata has performed in the Colston Hall’s Foyer, as part of the Bristol University Music Society’s Lunchtime Chamber Music Series and on Remembrance Sunday in St Paul’s, Clifton; a concert that interspersed song with poetry.

www.facebook.com/bristolcamerata

Bristol Reggae Orchestra
Bristol Reggae Orchestra
Bristol Reggae Orchestra
Photo. Rachel Wall

Bristol Reggae Orchestra

Drawing influence from reggae, ska, jazz, and world music, this inspiring group of musicians, representing Bristol's diverse cultural heritage, plays arrangements of classics and original pieces with exuberance and panache, lead by respected music director, band leader, and composer, Norma Daykin.

www.bristolreggaeorchestra.com

Bristol Sacred Harp
Bristol Sacred Harp
Bristol Sacred Harp

Bristol Sacred Harp

Bristol Sacred Harp is a group of amateur singers that gathers every week in an old boathouse on the Floating Harbour to sing the strange, haunting a cappella shape note hymns of the American Deep South.

www.bristolsacredharp.org

Bristol Samba
Bristol Samba
Bristol Samba

Bristol Samba

Bristol Samba is a community band of drummers and dancers playing energetic Brazilian-based music for celebrating and dancing. The samba band and dancers perform at festivals, parties and events throughout the year, raising the roof and creating a vibrant atmosphere

www.bristolsamba.co.uk

Bristol Triratna Buddhist Community Chanters
Bristol Triratna
Bristol Triratna Buddhist Community Chanters

Bristol Triratna Buddhist Community Chanters

Bristol Triratna Buddhist Community Chanters are a group of practicing Buddhists who are particularly interested in mantra recitation. Chanting both traditional Buddhist mantras and also those adapted with more western melodies and harmonies.

BYOBaby Choir
BYOBaby Choir
BYOBaby Choir
Photo. Dot & Lucy Photography

BYOBaby Choir

BYOB is a choir for parents, carers or parents-to-be. As an adult choir BYOB don’t sing nursery rhymes but with little ones in tow sing a wide range of songs from Sam Cooke and Paul Simon to The Prodigy. Parents sing while the babies hang out and enjoy the sweet harmonies. Sharing their songs with the wider Bristol community the choir always invite audiences to join in for a song or two.

www.juliaturner.co.uk

Carter
Carter
Carter

Carter

Carter is the solo project of Bristol based electronic musician & home recording artist Neil Carter. Utilising synthesisers, guitar, tape loops and field recordings Carter looks to create pieces of hazy dream ambient. Awash with electronic warmth, digital noise, tape hiss and sculpted feedback drones. Loops that slowly, patiently evolve and degrade like a fading, half remembered dream.

www.sonicsdept/bandcamp.com

Cécile
Cécile
Cécile

Cécile

Bilingual bits of folkie tunes from across the Channel. Now Bristol-based, Cécile has just finished recording her debut EP Ten Past Twelve, a reflection on time and memories. Her distinctive vocals, touching melodies and acoustic guitar deliver gentle and honest live performances. If she's not thinking about flapjacks, you can find her busking on the harbourside most sunny days.

www.facebook.com/cecile.music.uk

Cheryl Morgan
Cheryl
Cheryl Morgan
Photo. Lou Abercrombie

Cheryl Morgan

Cheryl Morgan is a science fiction writer, and a four-time winner of the Hugo Award. She is also a regular presenter on the Women's Outlook show on Bristol's Ujima Radio. An out trans woman, Cheryl is closely involved in the campaign for transgender rights.

www.cheryl-morgan.com

Chewing // Gum
Chewing // Gum
Chewing // Gum

Chewing // Gum

Chewing // Gum sings songs about people he knows and songs about the people he has never met. They are sometimes one and the same. The words conjure up imagined lands and often explore what it means to be a man. Chewing // Gum, in its current state, is a solo project, but it is a solo project with big plans for the future. New music and an EP coming soon.

www.facebook.com/chewinggummusic

Claire Delaney
Claire
Claire Delaney

Claire Delaney

Claire Delaney is bursting onto the classical cross-over scene with exhilarating passion and has already delighted audiences throughout the UK. A soprano voice that has been described by critics as "haunting" and "bewitching", Claire is renowned for delivering strong character driven performances which has led her to work for Disney composer, Alan Menken.

www.clairedelaneymusic.com

CoMA Bristol
CoMA Bristol
CoMA Bristol

CoMA Bristol

CoMA Bristol is a lively group of musicians committed to performing music from the cutting edge. It includes players from a range of musical backgrounds and experience, who share a curiosity for the fuzzy edges and uncharted territory of new music.

www.coma.org/bristol

Cool Knife
Cool Knife
Cool Knife

Cool Knife

Formed in summer 2015 Cool Knife is Drew Barnicoat & Dan Johnson. Cool Knife aren’t genre specific, they place an emphasis on live improvisation, inspired by the potential of every performance. Both Drew and Dan are multi-instrumentalists who have been performing live in various groups since 2007.

www.facebook.com/coolknife1

Copper Sounds
Copper Sounds
Copper Sounds

Copper Sounds

Copper Sounds is an experimental Record Label and Manufacturer, set up by Isaac Stacey and Sonny Lee Lightfoot. It was started in 2015 as a vehicle for them to continue their research and experimentation into what sound is, how it can be reproduced and most importantly – how it can be stored. They will be performing a DJ set which consists entirely of records/physical sound pieces which they have fabricated. These records are made in a variety of different media, ranging from copper to clay.

www.coppersounds.tumblr.com

Count Bobo
Count Bobo
Count Bobo

Count Bobo

Count Bobo play traditional ska and rocksteady with the vintage analouge sound. Beautiful vocal harmonies, saxophone melodies and deep, wonky grooves. Based in Bristol they have toured the UK and Europe for the last 3 years and take influence from artist such as ‘The Skatalites’, ‘Lee Scratch Perry’ and ‘Roland Alphonso’. Their debut album ‘Bird of Paradise’ is out now on Vinyl, CD and digital download.

www.countbobo.com

Cousin Kula
Cousin Kula
Cousin Kula

Cousin Kula

Cousin Kula convey a sound creatively woven with a myriad of musical genres. Their fresh blend of indie rock and folk combines flavours of afro-beat, latin, nu jazz, psychedelia and trip hop. Born in Bristol, they deliver high energy live sets and are beginning to build a buzz – landing main stage festival slots, as well as national radio plays from the likes of Bob Harris on BBC 2, and Tom Robinson on BBC 6 Music.

www.forestears.com

David C Johnson
David C
David C Johnson

David C Johnson

David C Johnson is a witty performer of his observational poems. He is a multi-winner of poetry slams. He has performed and read his poems in festivals and poetry venues from New York to Newcastle and from Pensacola to Penzance; on Clifton Suspension Bridge; and on radio, at home and abroad.

www.davidcjohnsonpoet.com

Dead Space Chamber Music
Dead Space Chamber Music
Dead Space Chamber Music

Dead Space Chamber Music

Dead Space Chamber Music (Tom Bush, Ellen Southern) are an experimental duo combining voice, electric guitar and pre-recorded material to reinterpret songs from the 14th century onwards. For Sanctum, they will ‘sonically overlay’ sites, by incorporating vocal sound-scapes created at other regional religious English Heritage buildings, from Southern’s #SiteSinging project.

www.dscm.bandcamp.com

DJ Moody Groover & The Colour Wheels of Steel
DJ Moody Groover
DJ Moody Groover & The Colour Wheels of Steel

DJ Moody Groover & The Colour Wheels of Steel

Chris Fordwoh was born in London and completed his MA Fine Art at the University of the West of England. He currently lives and works in Gloucester and has exhibited nationally and internationally. Like a Cattelan/Hammons mash-up, Fordwoh’s eclectic practice attempts to furnish micro ‘utopias’ with suspicious beauty.

www.chrisfordwoh.com

Dob Dob Dob
Dob Dob Dob
Dob Dob Dob

Dob Dob Dob

Dob Dob Dob is described as "a low-fi melange of sweet singing, poetic words, rawness and racket" and "Dob Dob Dob emerges like a phoenix with a flame thrower! Honest, bold, take-no-prisoners songs disguising a wry, literate way with words". Think: love, grief, guitar, vocal loops, drum machine.

www.dobdobdob.co.uk/music

Domestic Sound Cupboard
Domestic Sound Cupboard
Domestic Sound Cupboard

Domestic Sound Cupboard

Domestic Sound Cupboard (DSC) is a collective of musicians and sound artists from varying musical backgrounds and disciplines, of varying ages, nationalities and abilities. All music performed by the group is improvised with no use of pre-written or recorded materials.

www.facebook.com/soundcupboard

Duncan Stagg
Duncan
Duncan Stagg

Duncan Stagg

Duncan Stagg presents Americana, by the way of Bristol, performed by a 20 something. Stories about captains and cats, projectionists and pieces of thread. Told with an acoustic guitar, or with a 7-piece band. Influenced by acts such as Ryan Adams, Iron & Wine, Two Gallants, Deer Tick and The Felice Brothers.

www.duncanstagg.com

Durga
Durga
Durga

Durga

Durga Ramakrishnan is a performing artist and qualified teacher in Carnatic Music, which is a South Indian classical style which Durga plays on the veena. She was raised and trained in Chennai, India and has been living in Bristol for 12 years.

www.durgaramakrishnan.webs.com

Edd Keene - The Green Man
Edd Keene -
Edd Keene - The Green Man

Edd Keene - The Green Man

Edd Keene - The Green Man is a multi instrumentalist Live Loop pedal artist. When performing live, using his loop pedal, he records and layers together Saxophone, Flute, Guitar, Bass, Percussion and Vocals, creating an eclectic range of styles from Dub, Reggae, Jazz, Folk and middle eastern tracks, all live and with no pre recordings.

www.eddkeene.co.uk

Edson Burton
Edson Burton
Edson Burton

Edson Burton

Dr Edson Burton is a writer, storyteller, & historian living and working in Bristol. Edson has written for radio, theater and screen and performed as writer and storyteller in festivals, schools, & events. His storytelling brings together his writing and historical interest in African diaspora & Bristol history. Robert Bekele is a composer, lead musician, & teacher with a broad theoretical and practical knowledge of a music forms from classical to jazz and Latin. Robert has performed with a number of London & Bristol bands including in Bristol, the African Blues Connection. Robert can hear and feel the connections between the music and stories of his native Ghana and the African Diaspora.

@EdsonBurton

Eleanor VS.
Eleanor VS.
Eleanor VS.

Eleanor VS.

Eleanor VS. is a singer, songwriter, musician and artist from Bristol. Engaged in music from a young age, she has grown to love and create a variety of styles, penning songs from a perspective of personal experiences. Her compositions are intimately crafted and her voice warm, defined and bright, expect genuine acoustic musical art, adorned with warmly articulated melodies.

www.soundcloud.com/eleanorvs

Emlyn
Emlyn
Emlyn

Emlyn

Emlyn is a 19-year-old Bristol-based artist who combines ambient guitar, soft vocals, driving synths and sampled beats to create music that has been described as everything from atmospheric alt-folk to electronic shoe-gaze.

Inspired by themes such as dreams, hallucinations and extra-terrestrial life, Emlyn’s music explores these subjects both musically and lyrically by using otherworldly, sometimes delicate effects and sounds whilst telling fictional stories of ghosts, mental afflictions and alien life forms.

http://www.facebook.com/emlynartist

eNDLESS eNDLESS
eNDLESS eNDLESS
eNDLESS eNDLESS

eNDLESS eNDLESS

eNDLESSeNDLESS come from a plane of acquisitions and subliminal visions. Exchanging white marble for broken modulations and distributing them on a linier spectrum of real world beings. Fellows since the first passing of the visitor an agreement was made to lock time in order deliver a conscious refinement of tonal feelings. Presented on extended fingers this cultural practice has been passed down using heavy golden rings invisible to the naked eye but audible to the shrouded ear.

Eric Sings
Eric Sings
Eric Sings
Photo. ThisisDA

Eric Sings

Eric Sings is an 18 year old singer-songwriter/guitarist who is based in Bristol. He started writing music in April of this year and recently recorded his debut Soft Rock EP ‘Nothing New’ which he released the following month. So far he has performed three times, the most recent being a performance at Mr. Wolf’s Songsmith event in August. Although he is still in the early days of his music career, he has already been likened to renowned musicians such as Lenny Kravitz, Kid Cudi & John Frusciante, as well as Bands including Oasis, Coldplay, Red Hot Chilli Peppers & Nirvana.

www.youtube.com/c/ericsings

F*ck The House Band
F*ck The House Band
F*ck The House Band

F*ck The House Band

An interactive punk performance relay. No rehearsals. No covers. F*ck the House Band are artists Rachael Clerke, Josephine Joy, Danny Prosser and Hannah Sullivan. In April they had a punk party where they formed bands and played for their friends. They made up some songs including ‘take a look at my bumhole david cameron’, ‘f*ck off it ain’t your birthday anymore’, and the hit classic ‘bananagrams’. It was the most fun they’d ever had, so they’re doing it again, and they’d like you to join in.

#fuckthehouseband

Faith Bekoe
Faith
Faith Bekoe

Faith Bekoe

Born in Zimbabwe and raised in Bristol, England Faith Bekoe is set to make her mark. She has worked with groups in the South of France, and performed in Zimbabwe, Ghana and Rwanda.

Her music is best described as fusion of electro, folk, RnB and Afrobeat. The fusion has proved to be a new sound and this is the backdrop for her thought provoking and catchy lyrics. With two singles already released there is more in store for this rising star.

www.faithbekoe.com

Feelgood Experiment
Feelgood Experiment
Feelgood Experiment
Photo. Lianne Mitchell

Feelgood Experiment

Feelgood Experiment is a collective of musicians formed out of the rich Bristol Jazz scene. Reflecting their roots, the band blends a fusion of R&B and Hip Hop with traditional and modern Jazz, creating a sound that’s fresh and vivid. The sextet delivers tight grooves that will get you moving, beneath exciting harmonic ideas and melodic embellishment. Their combined experiences range from smoky jazz bars across Europe to main stage Festival performances. This is music to make you feel good.

www.facebook.com/feelgoodexperiment

Flynn
Flynn
Flynn

Flynn

Flynn is an up and coming Singer / Songwriter From Ireland. He is now working on his music in London and Bristol continuously traveling from city to city and is currently recording his debut EP. Flynn's material ranges from Blues to acoustic soul.

www.facebook.com/FLYNN-503850052960218/

Forgery Lit
Forgery Lit
Forgery Lit

Forgery Lit

Forgery Lit are a three-piece band based in Bristol, UK. In 2013 they released a four track EP titled “Onomacritus” and in spring 2015 went on a UK tour as the main support for She Makes War. Forgery Lit have supported bands like Kate Nash, Dark Horses, She Makes War, Young Husbands, The St. Pierre Snake Invasion, Future of the Left, Pussycat and the Dirty Johnsons.

www.facebook.com/forgerylit

Freeguru
Freeguru
Freeguru

Freeguru

‘With a fresh punked up Flamenco sound infused with funk, soul and jazz Freeguru have something special to share. Not afraid to experiment with traditional forms and exploiting all the nuances of their instruments Freeguru’s strong original material instinctively turns heads, holds the listener and moves body and mind.'

http://www.freeguru.co.uk

FUTURE DUB ORCHESTRA
FUTURE DUB ORCHESTRA
FUTURE DUB ORCHESTRA

FUTURE DUB ORCHESTRA

Future Dub Orchestra is the flowering of musical talent that is the brainchild of songwriter, producer and Musician J.T. Clarke. Committed to pushing the musical boundaries to take music in new directions and cites influences as diverse as Dub, Electronica, Reggae, Cinematic Ambient Soundscapes, and Film Music. From the outset the ethos has been that the music should form the centre around which a creative collective can grow...

Future Dub Orchestra’s unique sound is the result of an evolutionary, but truly shared, process that continues through all the stages of composition – lyrics, instrumentation, backing vocals, right up to and including live performance.

http://futureduborchestra.co.uk/

Ghiachia
Ghiachia
Ghiachia

Ghiachia

Ghiachia meaning “we are together” from the Gouro speaking people of the Ivory Coast is a collective of local musicians with backgrounds in a wide variety of musical aspects from around the World. Ghiachia uses percussion, drum rhythms and voice to produce a unique sound which will touch your soul.

www.worldjungle.org.uk

Giant Swan & Aimsir
Giant Swan & Aimsir
Giant Swan & Aimsir

Giant Swan & Aimsir

Giant Swan is a duo of musicians and visual artists Robin Stewart and Harry Wright. Aimsir is the pseudonym of Lily Fannon, a multidisciplinary artist and vocalist with ties to Bristol’s Young Echo Collective. Together the trio will create atmospheric pieces paying respects to collective rhythm and mantra using a combination of electronics and the human voice. Expect collaborative concrete music by humans and machines, for the walls and demons of Temple Church.

@giantgiantswan

Goodchild & Flach
Goodchild & Flach
Goodchild & Flach

Goodchild & Flach

Paul Goodchild and Peter Flach will perform a semi-improvised site-specific soundscape celebrating the history of Temple Church. With over 60 year of combined musical experience Flach and Goodchild found common ground with recording and improvising to develop their sound. Flach plays piano, keyboards, bass, chapman stick and synthesisers, whilst Goodchild plays saxophone, guitars, bass and synthesisers.

www.goodchildandflach.com

Gurt Lush Choir
Gurt Lush Choir
Gurt Lush Choir

Gurt Lush Choir

The GLC is a large open-access choir split between four branches. They work hard & fast, but take anyone! GLC sing sell-out concerts at the Colston Hall twice a year, with collaborators such as Bristol Schools Philharmonia, The Gasworks Choirs, Opera Anywhere and The Gypsy Stars.

www.gurtlushchoir.com

Hadley burg
Hadleyburg
Hadleyburg

Hadleyburg

Hadleyburg, definition: species of jazz panda, eschewing solos in favour of a healthy collective experience. We are Bill Roberts and Gareth Pitt and any others that pass through our lives wanting to make joyful noise. Music is our teacher and our healer, and jazz the summit of the mountain of enlightenment. We pack our crampons and try and go there.

Hang Massive
Hang Massive
Hang Massive

Hang Massive

Hang Massive are a break-through act in the expanding world of hang based musicians. The Hang is a new instrument handmade in Switzerland since the year 2000. Only a small number of instruments have been made and, for now, they are very rare. With almost 20 million views on YouTube, an amazing new live album and many exiting new projects on the go, Hang Massive have established themselves as the worlds leading hang duo and promise to deliver many original and unique works in the future.

www.hangmusic.com

Hannah Sullivan
Hannah
Hannah Sullivan

Hannah Sullivan

Hannah Sullivan is a Bristol based Performance Maker creating honest reflections on contemporary existence with particular attention to emotional experience and individual creative agency. Hannah works with autobiography, contemporary movement and song.

Hannah's previous solo 'Echo Beach' was supported by Bristol Ferment, Ideas Tap and Arts Council England and toured to mayest, Bristol Old Vic, Battersea Arts Centre, The Place/London, ACT Festival/Bilboa, Z-Arts/Manchester, Performance Centre/Falmouth University and will visit Australia and New Zealand this Autumn. Hannah is a graduate of Darlington College of Arts in Theatre with Visual Practices BA and The University of Bristol in Performance Research MA and is a member of Interval, an artist-led support network and space.

http://www.hannahsullivan.co.uk

Harbour Winds
Harbour Winds
Harbour Winds

Harbour Winds

Harbour Winds is a Bristol-based classical ensemble known for their stimulating and engaging performances of 20th century wind quintet repertoire. The group have developed a reputation across the region for high quality performances, producing stimulating programmes and engaging audiences with their warmth and enthusiasm.

http://www.facebook.com/HarbourWinds

Holly Corfield Carr
Holly
Holly Corfield Carr

Holly Corfield Carr

Holly Corfield Carr is a poet based in Bristol where she has worked as writer-in-residence at Spike Island and the University of Bristol’s Poetry Institute. Often writing onsite in and around the city, her work has been performed underground in Bristol’s eighteenth-century crystal cave Goldney Grotto, aboard Bristol Ferry’s Matilda and can be heard in the Portwall Lane car park as part of MISSORTS (Situations, 2012). She received an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors in 2012 and is currently studying for a PhD on site-specific poetry at the University of Cambridge.

http://www.hollycorfieldcarr.co.uk

I Am Horse
I Am Horse
I Am Horse

I Am Horse

I Am Horse are a predominately female Bristol-based band playing theatrical, self-titled ‘chamber-poptronica’ with multiple instruments, and not a guitar in sight. They combine electronic instruments (synthesisers and loops) with strings, flute and piano, performing epic, emotive songs, with soaring vocals and carefully constructed harmonies. “I Am Horse are wonderfully weird, or is it weirdly wonderful” - BBC Introducing

www.iamhorse.co.uk

Isadora Vibes
Isadora
Isadora Vibes
Photo. Claudio Ahlers

Isadora Vibes

Isadora Vibes is an artist and poet leading a revolution in erotically charged feminist work. Exploring themes of gender, sexuality, relationships and mental health her performances are electrifying, her poetry transformative. Isadora is the artistic director and producer of Short Sharp Shock – an all female avant-garde performance company.

www.isadoravibes.co.uk

Iskri
Iskri
Iskri

Iskri

Iskri is a passionate indie folk-rock singer songwriter with beautiful songs. As a songwriter, Iskri doesn't think there is a hard-and-fast definition of what constitutes a really good song, although he knows one when he hears it. His music is clear, concise, compelling & creative in an interesting way.

www.iskri.co.uk

Isolde
Isolde
Isolde

Isolde

Isolde is a singer-songwriter/producer based in Bristol. Her songs are collages of found trinkets, field recordings and stories of the everyday, where the urban beats of her cityscape hypothesise with the forces of nature. Live, she portals you into her sonic fantasy with the aid of looped instruments and samples, and hydrates you in a warm bath of vocal harmonies. Isolde’s work has been compared to Tune-yards, Bjork and Coco Rosie, and has been flavoured as a twinkly dreamfolk-toytronica with jazz and world influences. 2015 saw the release of Isolde's debut EP, 'Seed Bud Bloom', which offers an un-disappointing picnic of sensual treats.

www.isoldemakesnoise.com

Jane Thomason
Jane Thomason
Jane Thomason

Jane Thomason

Jane Thomason is a writer, composer, performer and multi instrumentalist who creates evocative and profound works exploring the human condition. She has received awards and critical acclaim for her writing and her music and has been described as "A female bard living now". Her play “Sylvia” was directed by Ralph Fiennes at the RSC Festival.

www.jane-thomason.com

JENJEN
JENJEN
JENJEN

JENJEN

Singer, songwriter, DJ and producer JENJEN weaves etheric vocals, guitar, pantam, haunting strings, crystal singing bowls and dub/hiphop/breaks; reminiscent of Thom Yorke, Portishead, Liz Fraser, Enya, Kate Bush, Sandy Denny, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez. 'JENJEN's music is ahead of its time...a careful blend of true beauty.' - Mark Wolffe. 'I like what I'm hearing.' - John Peel

www.jenjen.co.uk

Jennifer Bell Company
Jennifer
Jennifer Bell Company

Jennifer Bell Company

Live recording of a collection of original songs by acclaimed Bristol-based composer Jennifer Bell, performed by a vocal ensemble, with lyrics based on interviews with parliamentarians - from a barista to Mr Speaker. “A ‘townscape’ of unadorned song, delivered in soaring a-cappella.” - Classic FM

www.jenniferbellcompany.com

Jilk
Jilk
Jilk
Photo. Pietro Di Nardo

Jilk

Jilk fuses a bewildering collage of home-found sounds with the ambient soundscapes of washy synths, insect-like clicks & cuts, and huge gorgeous waves of all encompassing experimental noise. A Bristol based producer who started out as one man and his laptop; 10 years later Jilk are now a collection of musicians whose live shows create a spectacle of electronic ethereality.

www.jilk.net

Jill Draper
Jill Draper
Jill Draper

Jill Draper

Jill Draper is a singer and actress who has sung with Basement Jaxx, The Spice Girls and played soul-singer ‘Adele Baptiste’ on BBC1’s Holby City. In 2013 Jill founded Sing With Soul, with the mission to ‘Empower Voices’, through music, song and spoken word.

http://www.singwithsoul.com

Jonni Slater
Jonni
Jonni Slater
Photo. Clem Samuel

Jonni Slater

Jonni Slater is a Bristol based indie/alternative singer-songwriter with a powerful yet soulful vocal delivery and intricate and atmospheric musical arrangements. His sound has echoes of Jeff Buckley, Peter Gabriel and David Bowie. Jonni will be performing a selection of songs from his acoustic set on piano and guitar with an atmospheric electronic backing linking them together.

www.jonnislater.com

Jordan & Simon
Jordan & Simon
Jordan & Simon

Jordan & Simon

Composer, Jordan O’Connor and Conductor, Simon Capet are a creative duo whose collaborative partnership has so far resulted in 3 symphonies, Beck covers and a number of short orchestral works. They are presently working on a ballet, and an opera based on the work of Charles Bukowski.

www.simoncapet.com www.jordanoconnor.com

Joshua Ward
Joshua Ward
Joshua Ward
Photo. Jonathan Gillespie

Joshua Ward

Joshua Ward is a music student and multi-instrumentalist whose live performance merges improvisation and the electronic manipulation of sounds with pre-composed material. Ranging from the ambient to the experimental, his interests lie in manipulating sonic material from scratch in a live environment.

www.joshuawardmusic.tumblr.com

Julia Turner
Julia
Julia Turner
Photo. Dot & Lucy Photography

Julia Turner

Jazz loving singer/songwriter Julia Turner studied jazz at Leeds College of Music and then flew halfway around the world to explore her paternal homeland of Australia. After romantic notions of being a waitress in Melbourne fell flat she busked her way out of a dead end job and wrote an album all about it. City Synchronicity was released in 2012. Back home in Bristol Julia continues to spin her stories through intricate vocal melodies and deft finger picking guitar. She is currently recording her second album with Bristol based musicians Annalise Lam, Pasquale Votino and Roberto Nappi.

www.juliaturner.co.uk

Just 3 Harmony
Just 3 Harmony
Just 3 Harmony

Just 3 Harmony

Just 3 Harmony are a tight vocal trio accompanied by acoustic guitar. Since 2006, the Bristol based trio have been performing to audiences all over the UK for festivals, weddings, parties and special events. Their repertoire is made up of a great mix of uplifting soul/motown, gospel, jazz and pop. They write their own arrangements of the songs utilising their beautiful three part harmonies. The group is made up of of some of the top singers/musicians in Bristol and there set is accessible to all ages. During May this year they put together the first official ‘Tea Room Tour’ playing in many delightful tearooms around the country and rating their tea and scones.

www.facebook.com/just3harmony

Kakure Baba
Kakure Baba
Kakure Baba

Kakure Baba

Booming drums and vocals, all-female, all-uncivilised. Kakure Babe use percussion, vocal harmonies and the intuition between good friends to create their unique sound. Their songs tell various stories including one about a grandma who hides in the bush, eating crickets and taking children who wander in the night.

Kayla Painter
Kayla
Kayla Painter

Kayla Painter

Bristol based musician, producer and visual artist Kayla Painter has spent the last few years carving a solid reputation herself around London and the South West.

Heavily influenced by Bristol’s legendary bass heritage, Kayla’s sound draws from techno, garage and post dub; she crafts her experimental soundscapes from intriguing and restless rhythms, surging deep bass lines and warm washes of cloudy ambience.

In 2014 Kayla expanded her live show to include a dual screen setup, creating beautiful and immersive depth. The hypnotising visual show, crafted with the help of Jason Baker, draws on themes and aesthetics seen in her artwork.

www.kaylapainter.com

Lambhorn
Lambhorn
Lambhorn

Lambhorn

Lambhorn deliver a stunning blend of glistening dual-guitar meets class-act rhythm section driven Instrumentsl "Surf Prog". Big ambient sounds, dance-able grooves. incredible live show. Lambhorn have a great mixture of influences and are capable of confidently contrasting different moods against one another whilst maintaining a characteristically narrative sound.

www.lambhorn.bandcamp.com

Laura Aish
Laura Aish
Laura Aish

Laura Aish

Laura Aish am an experimental artist based in Bristol. Her work utilises a multidisciplinary approach, often exploring intersections between filmmaking, sound design and live art performance practice.

www.laura-aish.tumblr.com/projects

Laura Jeffery & Pippa Craggs Flute Duo
Laura Jeffery & Pippa Craggs
Laura Jeffery & Pippa Craggs Flute Duo

Laura Jeffery & Pippa Craggs Flute Duo

Laura and Pippa met whilst studying music at the University of Birmingham in 1998 and were reunited in Bristol six or seven years after graduating through the Brunel Sinfonia – a Bristol-based orchestra. For Sanctum they will perform solo music for unaccompanied flute alternated with duets by a range of European composers, including Debussy, Mozart and Gluck.

Lewis Creaven & Patrick Farrell
Lewis Creaven & Patrick Farrell
Lewis Creaven & Patrick Farrell

Lewis Creaven & Patrick Farrell

Creaven knows his guitar inside out, man and guitar are inseparable. His music echoes Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Andy Irvine and Paul Brady. Patrick Farrell completes the music acoustically with Double Bass. This musical partnership makes the music what it is, lively, intricate, meaningful, and perhaps most importantly, fun. Expect dynamic acoustic folk rock originals and choice covers

www.lewiscreaven.co.uk

Light Falls Forward
Light Falls Forward
Light Falls Forward

Light Falls Forward

Light Falls Forward are an acoustic folk act, formed by Charlie Evans and Naomi Paget. Since releasing their debut EP, Songs and Shadows, in 2012 they have since taken their music far and wide with two European tours last year and several UK gigs from small folk venues to a 10,000 strong crowd.

www.lightfallsforward.com

Liminal G
Liminal G
Liminal G

Liminal G

Liminal G has been performing her own poetry and songs around Bristol and the south of England (Glastonbury and Ashton Court Festivals) for 25 years. Her creative journey has included jazz residencies, many poetry gigs and singing with some of Bristol's most respected DJs and producers, including Ras Muffet and Flora. Preferring to keep a low profile these days, she'll pop up to improvise at Reggae nights at Cosies, to exhibit poems in exhibitions, or to add some soulful vocals and words to Sanctum.

Lonely Tourist
Lonely Tourist
Lonely Tourist

Lonely Tourist

Lonely Tourist is a Bristol-based Glaswegian whose dry wit and self-deprecating persona has been acclaimed by the likes of 6 Music, yet his down to earth nature means you’re just as likely find him belting out a tune in the local pub as playing a festival stage.

He has played hundreds of shows all over the UK in the past 5 years and released 3 studio albums. 2013’s The Ballad Of Paul Tierney was one of Steve Lamacqs (6music) songs of the year.

www.facebook.com/lonelytouristmusic

Luke Nickel
Luke Nickel
Luke Nickel

Luke Nickel

Luke Nickel presents Literary Field (White Fang), a two hour installation featuring five performers reading books about Canadian landscapes. Luke is an award-winning Canadian interdisciplinary artist who explores the notions of musical notation, re-performance, loss of fidelity, and memory. He has worked with ensembles and organizations such as EXAUDI, the Bozzini Quartet, the Arnoflini Gallery, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.

www.lukenickel.com

Makala Cheung
Makala
Makala Cheung

Makala Cheung

Makala Cheung is a Singer/Songwriter/Producer from Knowle West, Bristol, making Oriental infused Electronic Pop - with R&B, Soul, Dubstep and D&B influences, and ‘reminiscent of Kate Bush’. A Bristol Woman cover girl and one of Bristol’s Happiness Champions, her global radio play includes BBC 1Xtra and BBC Introducing in the West. Performances include headline / main stage festival slots such as Bristol International Balloon Fiesta.

‘River’ released Chinese New Year 2014, was in Bristol Live’s 'albums of the month'. ‘Moon’ was is released September 27th 2015 for Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival at her Oriental ‘Mini Moon Festival’ at The Fleece.

www.makalacheung.com

Mankala
Mankala
Mankala

Mankala

Mankala have been performing this unique Pan-African-Coalition of Sounds across the lengths of the UK and beyond since 2003, from local bars, pubs, venues and streets of their home town of Bristol to the internationally renowned Jazz World Stage at Glastonbury Festival (now The West Holts), via the beautiful fields and stages of Shambala, Green Man, Sunrise, Mannifest, Secret Garden, Larmer Tree, Bestival and many more!

www.mankalaband.com

Marcus Gee
Marcus Gee
Marcus Gee

Marcus Gee

Marcus Gee is an accoustic bassist accompanied by vocals and violin playing who's been described as psycho-acoustic prog and acoustic metal. These solo compositions began as an outlet and experiment for technical bass playing. Vocals were added but the music remained bass focused and far darker than the often heard singer/songwriter folky sound.

www.marcusgeebass.com

Marcus Gogarty
Marcus Gogarty
Marcus Gogarty

Marcus Gogarty

Marcus Gogarty will be playing the Kamale Ngoni, an African bow lute. The Kamale Ngoni or "young man's harp" was invented by the musician Alata Brulaye in the 1960s. Marcus has been playing for over a decade, and lives on a boat on the River Avon.

Mark Hamilton
Mark
Mark Hamilton

Mark Hamilton

Mark Hamilton is a poet from Bristol who has published two collections of poetry, most recently ‘Love and Other Colours’. He has been published in a number of poetry magazines and performed at the Holloway Arts Festival in London this summer. His poetry is lyrical and accessible, covering love, spirituality, nature, and everything in between!

www.writehere.com/my-page/150131-6/mark-hamilton

Memory of Elephants
Memory
Memory of Elephants

Memory of Elephants

Blessed with just the right balance of testosterone fueled love of loudness and restrained, intelligent melodic sensibility. If you're a great calligrapher, writing in the conventional sense would only serve to bore you. Memory of Elephants are so proficient that they seem intent on ripping up the notepad and constructing origami with the debris

www.memoryofelephants.bandcamp.com

Mr. Dowland's Midnight
Mr. Dowland's Midnight
Mr. Dowland's Midnight

Mr. Dowland's Midnight

Mr Dowland's Midnight is a unique, imaginative and highly original band. Offering audiences a rich journey from West to East, from ancient to modern and back with plenty of improvisation on the way. As Britain's only oud, sax and guitar trio Mr. Dowland's Midnight plays intriguing and highly original instrumental music that somehow finds common ground between North African, Middle Eastern and early European themes whilst adding a touch of jazz exploration.

My Octopus Mind
My Octopus Mind
My Octopus Mind

My Octopus Mind

Bristol based trio comprising wayward Scottish traveler, Liam O'Connell, insomniac polyrhythmic fiend Charlie Sorenson and the relentless genius of Izy Ellis on the doubly bass; they found themselves drawn together by a brotherly love of complex rhythms and emotional absolutism. A sound once described as cathartic nautical dream time, it would be more accurate to say rhythmically complex and dynamic folk/post rock jazzface… They spend their down time drinking tea and contemplating the nature of stuff and things and occasionally screaming at.... THE EMPTINESS!

www.myoctopusmind.com

Mycophile
Mycophile
Mycophile

Mycophile

New Zealand musician / producer Mycophile performs solo, semi improvised psychedelic trip hop and dub, combining epic electronic beats with acoustic interments and vocals to create an epic musical journey through a land where the realms of digital and analogue fight it out to the death.

www.mycophilemusic.com

Nick Terrific
Nick Terrific
Nick Terrific

Nick Terrific

Niño Crudo
Niño Crudo
Niño Crudo

Niño Crudo

Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Niño Crudo writes instrumental pieces ranging from toy music to vals, from latin to jazz, adding speeches from different films as a collage. He has released two collections of these experiments, and is currently preparing a collection of songs, with musicians and singers from his travels.

http://www.ninocrudo.com

North Bristol Writers
North Bristol Writers
North Bristol Writers

North Bristol Writers

North Bristol Writers consists of published and unpublished writers with strong links to the BristolCon foundation Group members include: Pete Sutton, Kevlin Henney, Ian Millsted, Roz Clarke, Clare Dornan, Margaret Carruthers, Suzanne & Ian McConaghy, Piotr Swietlik, Joanne Hall, Myfanwy Rodman, Cavan Scott, John Hawkes-Reed and Alan Jackson.

http://www.petewsutton.com

Oh, The Guilt
Oh, The Guilt
Oh, The Guilt

Oh, The Guilt

Oh, The Guilt are a post-punk three-piece based in Bristol. Forming in November 2014 and immediately forming a strong musical bond, they quickly made a name for themselves on the Bristol Music Scene with a string of magnetic live shows.

Oh, The Guilt weave ice cold atmospherics, rousing crescendos and overwhelming volume into waves of swooning beauty. Drawing on the likes of Joy Division, A Place To Bury Strangers, Bauhaus and Slint, the band are respectful of their lineage, but have a desire to move past their influences to create a darkly distinctive sound.

http://www.facebook.com/OhTheGuiltMusic

Only The Skies Are Silent
Only The Skies Are Silent
Only The Skies Are Silent

Only The Skies Are Silent

OTSAS are a Violin and Guitar two-piece (Joe Williams and Marietta Kirkbride) who like to make music for people to dream to. They like to escape through their music and want to take a people with them. They write songs inspired by human responses to the natural world.

http://www.otsas.bandcamp.com

Orchestra Cube
Orchestra Cube
Orchestra Cube

Orchestra Cube

Orchestra Cube has been convening every week for over ten years, with an open invitation to all-comers to play improvised music at the Cube Microplex in the centre of Bristol. With no set agenda, musicians explore themes and ideas through listening and responding to each other.

www.orchestra.cubecinema.com

Original Sing
Original Sing
Original Sing

Original Sing

Original Sing is an amateur 10-piece A cappella group that sings a wide variety of songs from classical through jazz, pop and contemporary styles. They have sung together for many years and aim to delight their audiences with their songs.

http://www.originalsing.co.uk

Paul Purgas
Paul
Paul Purgas

Paul Purgas

Paul Purgas has a multi-disciplinary approach that brings together elements of sound and composition, architecture, industrial design, software programming and curating. Originally trained as an architect and a graduate from the Royal College of Art, he has since developed projects with Tate Modern, Whitechapel, De La Warr Pavilion and Frieze Art Fair and he is currently a 2015 artist in residence at Wysing Arts Centre.

Pink Noise Recorder Quintet
Pink Noise Recorder Quintet
Pink Noise Recorder Quintet
Photo. David Haring

Pink Noise Recorder Quintet

Pink Noise Recorder Quintet has been performing around Bristol since 2008. They play music from all periods, but have a particular interest in contemporary pieces for recorder. With different sizes of instrument from sopranino to contrabass, Pink Noise presents audiences with a new and surprising experience of the recorder sound.

www.pinknoise.org.uk

Pip Heywood
Pip Heywood
Pip Heywood

Pip Heywood

As a film editor and filmmaker, Pip has been telling other people’s stories for decades. Now Pip is telling his own story in this premiere of his new show, The Open Book. Expect a single voice, giving you carefully constructed storytelling, from the heart.

www.pipheywood.com

Potstop
Potstop
Potstop

Potstop

Potstop Pottery invites you to experience the sounds and stories of Bristol pottery past and present, featuring live pottery and a poetic cacophony of sound and performance. The Potstop Potters will give voice and resonance to the histories of the Temple Back Potteries.

www.potstop-pottery.co.uk

Presidents of Parp
Presidents of Parp
Presidents of Parp

Presidents of Parp

Formed in the spring of 2014 Presidents of Parp explore the beauty and majesty of the sound of brass. Tuba wielding Sardinian, Tomaso Azara, brought his Italian self to the Western shores to preach the message of the Quintet in its purest form. He enlisted some of Bristol's finest and embarked on an adventure around the musical seas. The Presidents mix up a little classical with some latin, jazz and a sprinkling of New Orleans. This is party music for the discerning.

www.presidentsofparp.co.uk

Proserpine
Proserpine
Proserpine

Proserpine

The duo collaborate via email and work towards one off performances. Previously based in Barcelona and Manchester, they now work between Bristol and London. Using a drum machine and an electric guitar they make minimalistic music which allows vocals to become the focal point. Each performance involves collaboration with a local musician, creating a distinctive performance

www.facebook.com/Proserpine-1410460479214713

Ralph Hoyte
Ralph
Ralph Hoyte

Ralph Hoyte

Ralph Hoyte is a Bristol-based poet, writer and artist who writes epic live-art works arising out of a walking practice, collaborates with other artists as well as sculptors, engages with academics to transmute their work into the artistic sphere, and creates GPS-triggered poemscripts for the smartphone.

www.ralphhoyte.com

Really the Blues
Really the Blues
Really the Blues

Really the Blues

Really the Blues is an electric country blues duo founded in 2009. Comprising of Moses T. Jones on harmonica and vocals and Michael Clark on guitar. An uncompromising, raw and primitive blues sound, expect soulful vocals, a twanging telecaster, and down and dirty harmonica.

Rebecca Tantony and Silver tortoise
Rebecca Tantony
Rebecca Tantony and Silvertortoise
Photo. Zombola Photography

Rebecca Tantony and Silvertortoise

Rebecca Tantony, an electric and mesmerising spoken word artist and the exceptional pianist Silvertortoise, offer a fusion of language and music designed to inspire, move and provoke. A tapestry of intricate sounds, improvised playing, bold writing and sublime musical responses, creating a lyrical conversation which speaks white hot truths straight to the heart.

www.rebecca-tantony.com

Red Deer Sleeping
Red Deer Sleeping
Red Deer Sleeping

Red Deer Sleeping

Red Deer Sleeping sings elemental nature inspired songs on ukulele and cuatro based on poems by the imagist poets of the early 20th Century - Amy Lowell, D H Lawrence, T.E Hulme; Victorian poets - Christina Rossetti, P.B Shelly; poems by Swampy Cree Indians of North America; love poems of Rumi and Haiku poems by Mastuo Basho (translated by Lucien Stryk).

"And now I wish the words to speak, & when they do I wish they all speak with your own voice. I wish you all to tell their story & your own." - Jerome Rothenberg January 1976 - The Wishing Bone Cycle

www.reddeersleeping.co.uk

Ree-Vo
Ree-Vo
Ree-Vo

Ree-Vo

Ree-Vo is a Bristol collaboration between Relly and Andy spaceland which features the likes of massive attacks Damon, Bristols Rob Smith, the Flys and more.

Relly providing intricate, lively lyrics and at times Simple but effective phrasing with a Bristolian ragga twinge! And Spacelands distinctive Bristol UK sound with bass heavy, atmospheric and danceable music, the sky is the limit.

@rellybrisblitz

Richard Hughes
Richard
Richard Hughes

Richard Hughes

Richard Hughes plays accordion and tuba, writing and performing music in a variety of settings and contexts. He performs solo and in ensembles, such as Dromedary, a trio playing Richard’s compositions as well as other tunes, many of which are from Eastern Europe.

www.richardhughes.org.uk

Roger Davie Webster
Roger
Roger Davie Webster

Roger Davie Webster

Poet, Piss Artist, Ponytrekker – Roger Davie Webster has been a research chemist, singer/songwriter, offset litho printer, pony trekking instructor, teacher, audio engineer, photographer, alcoholic, education consultant, concrete poet, yachtmaster, francophile, beatnik, bored, desperate and, now, retired.

Rory Smith
Rory
Rory Smith

Rory Smith

A Bristol based sound recordist and field recordist, Rory Smith records and edits audio for film and documentary. Interested in acoustic ecology and the power of sounds around us to influence our moods, thoughts and memories Rory will create an immersive sound installation evoking the past burning of Temple Church.

www.audio-vision.net

Rummaging Orchestra
Rummaging Orchestra
Rummaging Orchestra

Rummaging Orchestra

Henry Collins and Robin Foster make improvised music. Their practice of rummaging creates a microcosm of the dialogue created through improvisation: tension and release, rhythmic synchronicity and chaotic unpredictability. Gestures rise and fall, objects collide and separate. Rhythms and pitches cascade.

Physical noise music to immerse yourself in.

www.rummaging.org.uk

Sahasrara
Sahasrara
Sahasrara

Sahasrara

Sahasrara are a group of local performers from a number of projects with a broad variety of musical interests, collaborating specifically for this performance to explore devotional music within a contemporary sacred setting.

SALTINGS
SALTINGS
SALTINGS

SALTINGS

SALTINGS brings together three Bristol-based musicians from different nationalities and musical backgrounds. They met in Bristol and share a love of the city, and live performance. A shuddering mixture of cello, double bass and live programming, they aim to tentatively address the unknown areas of existence that lie just around the next turn, or beyond the corner of your eye. It is a controlled space of darkness, preying on its audience, luring them into a world full of drones and noise. Drawn from many influences, the resulting soundclash sucks you in and leaves you feeling equally elevated, shaken and craving more.

www.facebook.com/saltings1

SameSouls
SameSouls
SameSouls

SameSouls

Built out of an old Bristol based music project. SameSouls consists of Nick Allan (Acoustic & Vocals), Joe Evans (Cello & Vocals), Steve Twyning (Electric Guitar), Lewis Saunders (Piano/Keys), Heather Price (Cajon/Percussion & Drums) playing melodic alternative acoustic pop with a ton of influences.

Following an overall upbeat and positive vibe, the quintet take influence from Pop punk & alternative rock, acoustic, indie, folk, classical, blues, prog, ambient, rock and electronica. Writing music that inspires and as an outlet of the emotions of everyday life. Metaphors of growing up & lessons learned.

www.samesouls.co.uk

Sara Zaltash
Sara
Sara Zaltash
Photo. Shima Farahmand

Sara Zaltash

Sara Zaltash is an artist enacting an evolving engagement with political, philosophical and spiritual realities. Her work is disarmingly direct, enchantingly personable and prone to radicalism. Out of popular movements, digital lives and ancient practices, Sara seeks frontiers, pioneers and revolutions.

www.sarazaltash.com

Sarah Moody
Sarah Moody
Sarah Moody

Sarah Moody

Acclaimed cellist Sarah Moody will perform pieces for solo cello, voice and possibly fiddle using a combination of two loop boxes to build up layers of sound. It will be hypnotic, polyrhythmic and beautiful!

Sarah has worked for 18 years as a musician, music director and composer with theatre companies such as Kneehigh, Wildworks and Travelling Light. She co-created The Devil’s Violin, a critically acclaimed storytelling and music company that tours performances throughout the UK and Europe.

School -boy’s Death Trio
School -boy’s Death Trio
School -boy’s Death Trio

School -boy’s Death Trio

One day Schoolboy grew just a little bit older; and in doing so, realised that not everything lasts forever. Slowly he became obsessed with the matter of impermanence and since making art and music was his thing, it was only a matter of time before these concepts entered his writing.

Previously Schoolboy had been touring with a heavy funk outfit from Bristol, and now recruited two of his favourites from that project (fuzz bass and percussion), together with a Welsh lass who kicks ass on the drum kit to form the Death Trio - so named because of their music’s thematic content.

Sometimes SDT play the roles of super villains such as The Banker and War, but mostly they’re fighting the good fight as The Freedom Lovers.

www.schoolboysdeath.com

Shaun McCrindle
Shaun McCrindle
Shaun McCrindle

Shaun McCrindle

One time Blue Aeroplane and John Matthias collaborator, Shaun McCrindle has been writing songs and fronting bands in Bristol for over 20 years now. He has produced three self-released albums under his own name and currently performs with Mr Shaun. As an acoustic artist, Shaun’s focus shifts towards folk music, with a more overt sense of quiet mystery and spirituality.

www.shaunmccrindle.com

Skrilla UGQ
Skrilla UGQ
Skrilla UGQ

Skrilla UGQ

Skrilla UGQ * UnderGroundQueen* is a female artist from Bristol UK who first came on the scene in 2012 with the release of her mix ‘The Warm Up’, followed by her first official mixtape ‘Certified Queen’ in 2013, hosted by DJ Melody Kane. To date Skrilla UGQ has been featured on many established blogs and national/international mixtapes (sbtv homegrown mixtape, unsigned hype, new mobo music).

Sleepdogs
Sleepdogs
Sleepdogs
Photo. Paul Blakemore

Sleepdogs

The sounds of Bristol’s streets, wildlife, nightlife, vehicles, venues, homes, musicians and offices are looped, sieved, filtered, warped and stretched by Sleepdogs to make new, beautiful and perturbing music. Sleepdogs is a collaboration between director/producer Tanuja Amarasuriya and writer/composer Timothy X Atack. They make theatre, film and sound art. Their award winning work has been presented nationally and internationally, including at the National Theatre, Seattle International Film Festival, Bristol Old Vic, Manchester Royal Exchange and BBC Radio 4.

www.sleepdogs.org

SoLaR
SoLaR
SoLaR
Photo. Katerina Gasparyan

SoLaR

Jonny Collins, singer and songwriter from Modesty Blaise collaborates with Roger Huckle of Bristol Ensemble in a performance of intensely personal songs SoLaR (Songs of Loss and Regret).

www.jonnycollins.co.uk

Soulroots Acappella
Soulroots Acappella
Soulroots Acappella

Soulroots Acappella

SoulRoots Acappella is an intimate close-harmony collective of female voices who have sung together for the past two years. They sing songs of passion, power and soul, ranging across old and new style Gospel/Blues, and evocative songs from other cultures.

www.thesoundworks.ning.com

Sound- scape
Sound- scape
Sound- scape

Sound- scape

Celia has been working for a decade in Bristol with gongs and singing bowls for healing and performance. She has taken these resonant instruments into spaces including Cabot Circus (while under construction), St Nicks Market and the Bear Pit, soaking the surroundings in vibration with the intention of creating harmony.

These resonant instruments have the power to still the mind and relax the body, enabling moments of transcendence.

She has also worked as a planner, helping to create inclusive and sustainable spaces and places in Bristol.

www.soundscape.org.uk

Speakeasy Southwest
Speakeasy Southwest
Speakeasy Southwest

Speakeasy Southwest

Speakeasy Southwest members Edson Burton & Miles Chambers are curating a performance of special guests for Sanctum. Edson is a writer, storyteller, and historian who has supported Simon Armitage, Dana Bryant, Abdul Malik & Jan Blake. He has twice been selected as pick of the week on Radio 4. Edson is the author of poetry collection. Seasoned 'The essence of Edson Burton’s fine first collection is its struggle to unpack the trunk of history and come to terms with what that contains.' Helen Dunmore. Performance poet, broadcaster & chef Miles Chambers is a former South West Slam Champion, & winner of the US v Britain Slam. His commissions include a poem for the inauguration of US President Barak Obama (BBC) Rev Jessy Jackson Bristol visit welcome (Paul Stephenson) Lord Mayor's Banquet. Miles has performed his work for broadcast television with Jamie Oliver and Nigel Slater respectively.

www.facebook.com/Speakeasy-Southwest-1534187656856324/timeline www.facebook.com/lyrical.minded.7

Speaking Stones: A Chorus for Temple Church
Speaking Stones:
Speaking Stones: A Chorus for Temple Church

Speaking Stones: A Chorus for Temple Church

Rachael Boast, Edson Burton, Holly Corfield Carr, Andrew F Giles and Malaika Kegode are all poets resident in Bristol and are part of the City's thriving cultural scene, proactive in organising and participating in local events. In Speaking Stones they will create a 'listening space', each reading their own poems and jumping off an image in the previous to create a contemplative and concentrated space.

Stereocilia
Stereocilia
Stereocilia
Photo. Adam Reid

Stereocilia

Stereocilia is Bristol based guitarist and composer, John Scott. John uses his guitar, analog synths and live looping techniques to create dense, rich layers of sound. Over the past 10 years John has performed all over the UK and Europe with various projects. He has also presented work for live radio broadcasts, and regularly composes for short films.

www.stereociliamusic.com

Steve Graham
Steve Graham
Steve Graham

Steve Graham

Steve Graham is a singer-songwriter performing songs about friends, family and beyond. Steve was the guitarist on Roni Size’s 1997 drum & bass hit “Brown Paper Bag”, but he won’t be performing this in his set as it’s hard to get hold of paper bags these days. Steve can be regularly seen wandering up down Stokes Croft, moaning about speeding motorists and cyclists on pavements.

Suzanne Iuppa
Suzanne
Suzanne Iuppa

Suzanne Iuppa

Suzanne Iuppa is a poet and community worker who is inspired by day-to-day relationships and how these can be transformed by experiencing wilderness and sacred space.

She has published two series: On Track: Poems from Welsh Pilgrimage and Well Spring, exploring healing wells and their associated place in our landscape.

www.writeoutloud.net/profiles/suzanneiuppa

Tessa Deterding
Tessa
Tessa Deterding

Tessa Deterding

Operatic arias sung by mezzo-soprano - Tessa is a second year German and Italian student at the University of Bristol with a passion for opera. Her first year in the city involved numerous musical performances in a range of genres and she intends to persue a career in music after graduating.

The Bristol Suspen...
The Bristol
The Bristol  Suspensions

The Bristol Suspensions

The Bristol Suspensions are a 17-piece mixed a cappella group from Bristol University. Despite only being together since October last year, they have already sung live on BBC Radio Bristol, made the semi-finals of Voice Festival UK, made a music video, recorded a CD and been to the Edinburgh Fringe.

www.bristolsuspensions.co.uk

The Dead Astronaut
The Dead Astronaut
The Dead Astronaut

The Dead Astronaut

The Dead Astronaut is a pseudonym of Bristol based guitarist and songwriter James McKeown. The Dead Astronaut is a collection of highly personal, melodic/melancholic and emotive songs. Inner space walk, through the vacuum of your thoughts.

www.tonefloatrecords.blogspot.co.uk

The Dukes
The Dukes
The Dukes

The Dukes

The Dukes bring you a vivifying evening of classic rock and sultry soul music. Do they take requests? No. But the audience can win requests by beating a Duke at a game of their choice, be that Quoits, Hoopla or Bagatelle. Good luck, you’ll need it!

www,soundcloud.com/rufus-montoya/rocknsoul

The Elephant House Choir
The Elephant House Choir
The Elephant House Choir

The Elephant House Choir

A modern take on the pub sing-along, community singing at it’s best from The Elephant Choir. Formed in 2013 TEH Choir is a Bedminster based community pop-up. All the music is played live and the choir is given the words to the songs on the night and we play and sing and drink and drink and sing and play.

www.i8289.wix.com/the-elephant-house

The Fantasy Orchestra
The Fantasy Orchestra
The Fantasy Orchestra

The Fantasy Orchestra

The Fantasy Orchestra is a community project led by Jesse D Vernon, based in Bristol and also in Paris. The Orchestra (motto: 'more is more) brings together 40+ musicians, professional and amateur, to create a kaleidoscopic symphonic brigade. Their eclectic repertoire, gleaned from film soundtracks by Morricone, Rota, Barry and RD Burman, is bolstered by rock and pop favourites from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Queen and David Bowie. Expect the exotic: psychedelic loveliness, rousing choral noise, some choice costumes - and a musical saw.

www.fantasyorchestra.org

The Great Sea Choir
The Great Sea Choir
The Great Sea Choir
Photo. Camilla Adams

The Great Sea Choir

The Great Sea Choir formed in Bristol in 2012 and is directed by folk musician Heg Brignall. Based in Cotham in the heart of Bristol, the choir sing an array of folk-inspired songs, entirely a cappella.

The mostly original arrangements by Heg are exciting and theatrical giving this folk choir a unique edge as they sing everything from dark tales to uplifting shanties.

www.thegreatseachoir.co.uk

The Highly Strung Community Band
The Highly Strung Community Band
The Highly Strung Community Band

The Highly Strung Community Band

The Highly Strung Band is a group of up to 30 local traditional music enthusiasts playing a variety of instruments to guarantee foot tapping and jigging - Barn Dances, Music for Memories, Festival or Fete. The group meets weekly in Clapton in Gordano and some members have been playing together for over 15 years.

www.facebook.com/Highly-Strung-Community-Band-147727808899804

The Lochrian String Quartet and Mark Springer
The Lochrian String Quartet
The Lochrian String Quartet and Mark Springer

The Lochrian String Quartet and Mark Springer

The Lochrian Ensemble are a professional string quartet and chamber ensemble based in the South West of England. They are in great demand for concerts and recording across the South West of England and in Italy. They have an extensive discography and particularly enjoy working with modern composers. Their partnership with Bristol based pianist and composer Mark Springer (of post punk band Rip Rig and Panic) began 11 years ago. Over three CD's they have recorded his complete chamber works to date - BBC Music Magazine (2004) describes them as playing Springer's work "beautifully".

www.lochrianensemble.co.uk

The Neos Ensemble
The Neos Ensemble
The Neos Ensemble

The Neos Ensemble

The Neos Ensemble is the ensemble of the Bristol University Composition, Orchestration and Arranging Society. They will be performing libeslieder (love songs) written by undergraduates at the university.

The Perfect Cure Band
The Perfect Cure Band
The Perfect Cure Band

The Perfect Cure Band

The Perfect Cure Band is a trio of talented musicians specialising in Irish Dance Music with swing, lift and driving rhythm. Jill Elliot plays fiddle, with Mark Wallis on melodeon and Dave Lambert on guitar. Every week the Band plays at local pubs, restaurants, clubs, festivals and for private bookings.

www.theperfectcureband.com

The Polar Espresso
The Polar Espresso
The Polar Espresso

The Polar Espresso

Originally from opposite ends of Ireland and now based in Bristol, The Polar Espresso are a melodic acoustic duo who love to move people and tell stories. They have been a band for about two years now, but have been singing together for about seventeen on and off in other contexts. They write acoustic, folksy songs that will get stuck in your head for days.

@thepolarespresso

The Spoke
The Spoke
The Spoke
Photo. Chris Hill

The Spoke

The Spoke present ‘Seven Stars’, a celebration in poetry and music of inspiration drawn from a constellation of ancient Bristol churches. The Spoke are a quartet of Bristol-based, published and award-winning poets (Paul Deaton, Lizzie Parker, Claire Williamson and Bob Walton) who write and present top quality, exciting and thought-provoking poetry, accompanied by musicians.

www.facebook.com/thespokebristol

Tom Phillips
Tom
Tom Phillips

Tom Phillips

Tom Phillips’ poetry has been performed at venues across the South West and published in a wide variety of magazines and anthologies, as well as in the collection ‘Recreation Ground’. He co-runs the Anglo-Bulgarian art/text project Colourful Star and is co-founder of the SE European/UK creative network Culture Exchange Experiment.

www.recreationground.blogspot.co.uk/

toyface
toyface
toyface

toyface

toyface is the stage name of Tamsyn Fallows and her band who mix ethereal jazz and catchy pop hooks to create something both accessible and beautiful.

Densely lyrical songs steeped in tender longing and agitated catharsis - toyface will steal your heart, marinade it in tears and feed it back to you in a delicious, bittersweet pie.

www.toyfacemusic.com

Traces
Traces
Traces

Traces

Traces has evolved from making improvised live electronic music and visuals over the past couple of years, using multi-layered percussion and samples and not using any computers or pre-programmed sequencing. This performance will seek to respond to the building and surroundings.

www.tracesbristol.bandcamp.com

Tram Thirty-Three
Tram Thirty-Three
Tram Thirty-Three
Photo. Geert Noij

Tram Thirty-Three

Neo-cabaret troupe Tram Thirty-Three performs a mesmeric, multi-lingual set of superb songs dedicated to the seven deadly sins, from the bruised romance of Jacques Brel, through the lilting loveliness of Cole Porter to the dissolute lowlife of Leonard Cohen.

www.facebook.com/TramThirtyThree

Tribe Of Doris
Tribe Of Doris
Tribe Of Doris

Tribe Of Doris

Tribe of Doris have been bringing people together across all cultures to participate in music, dance and community ceremony, creating a unique celebratory and inclusive atmosphere to all that they do for over 20 years. Working with artists, teachers and communities since 1991 we have left indelible positive imprints on thousands of minds in young and old, inspired people to change life trajectories and become artists travellers teachers and cultural event organisers and feel a part of a vibrant sharing culture that represents all.

www.tribeofdoris.co.uk

Ushti Baba
Ushti Baba
Ushti Baba

Ushti Baba

Stomping Balkan rhythms and heart-wrenching Celtic melodies driven by live contemporary beats, Ushti Baba serve up original and traditional songs with panache. With influences as diverse as klezmer and Celtic, flamenco and dubstep, they produce a sound uniquely inspired and exuberantly delivered.

www.ushti-baba.bandcamp.com

Uther Moads
Uther
Uther Moads
Photo. Kamina Walton

Uther Moads

Uther Moads is a three-piece electronic songwriting project, syncopated and soulful, veering between existential protest music and intense introspection. Drawing on the rich heritage of underground dance music, from acid house to dub techno, and the craft of classic songwriters like Bjork and Kate Bush. These are slow-motion torch songs, filed under "cyber-soul" and "future-jazz", for those who believe that electronic music is our generation's folk music.

www.uthermoads.co.uk

Verity Standen
Verity
Verity Standen

Verity Standen

Verity Standen’s work as a composer, musical director and performer focuses primarily on the intricacies of the human voice. Verity’s immersive choral piece HUG, in which each audience member is blindfolded and hugged by a singer, has surprised and enchanted people around the UK and is now set to tour internationally. And her celebrated a cappella theatre piece Mmm Hmmm will return to Bristol in the New Year.

Verity’s work has been nominated for an Off West End Award, The Arches Brick Award and a Total Theatre Award. 'Sound rose and fell in waves until it felt as if I was drenched in music that had seeped its way into every organ in my body, and maybe even found my soul' – Lyn Gardner, Guardian

www.veritystanden.com

Whitebelt
Whitebelt
Whitebelt

Whitebelt

Wonky math-pop from Whitebelt – a Bristol 3-piece who promise danceable, juddering songs. With high-energy beats and tuneful melodies, they’re ‘what you might imagine Shellac and Kraftwerk mash up might sound like’.

www.whitebeltwhitebelt.bandcamp.com

Yamawara -shi
Yamawara -shi
Yamawara -shi

Yamawara -shi

Yamawarashi is Bristol-based Japanese musician Yoshino Shigihara's solo project, and has a dreamy and evocative sound with a dark edge. Accompanied by saxophone, drum and bass, Yoshino plays keyboard and sings songs in Japanese about mycelium and nuclear power stations. Yamawarashi means a small child-like spirit which lives in the mountains.

www.soundcloud.com/nemuri39

Reserve Entry

Entrance to Sanctum is free and you can visit at any time of day or night without pre-booking and come and go as you please. However, as capacity is limited you may wish to reserve your entry time here by pre-booking a ticket for a £5 admin fee. 10 reserved places are available per hour on a first-come-first-served basis. To really get a sense of Sanctum, we’d encourage visiting more than once because the programme will change with the rhythm of the day and over the 24 days. You can come back as often as you’d like, and pre-book as many different reserved places as you wish (subject to availability).
Visitor Information

Though the programme will go live from 28th September, the schedule will remain secret. What we can say is that the mood, volume of sound, type of performance and energy reflects the time of day - from early hours waking, through lunch-time debate and energy, to evening revelry. Parental guidance applies between 9pm and midnight.

Whatever time you visit, you'll be one of only a small number of people to see, feel and hear that moment in Sanctum's history. There's no live stream, so you have to be there.

Select a date and time

Select date
Select time
Just a moment...

The Story

We'll be reporting right here as the story unfolds from our first day on-site to construct Sanctum on 14th October. Come back for more info from then.

Visitor Information

When is Sanctum open?

Sanctum will be open from 6pm on Thursday 29th October to 6pm on Saturday 21st November, 24 hours a day.

Do I have to book a ticket?

Entrance to Sanctum is free and you can visit at any time of day or night without pre-booking. There is a limited capacity of 50 people, however, so at peak times (and particularly over the Art Weekender which runs from Fri 30th Oct to Sun 1st Nov) you might have to queue for a while. Keep an eye on our Twitter feed @situationsUK for information on peak times OR...

if you’d prefer to reserve a place (and particularly if you are travelling from afar), we’d advise pre-booking an hourly slot (for an administration fee of £5) on the Reserve Entry page. There are only 10 reserved places per hour.

How many times can I visit?

As many times as you wish. To really get a sense of Sanctum, we’d encourage visiting more than once because the programme will change with the rhythm of the day and over the 24 days. You can come back as often as you’d like, and pre-book as many different reserved places as you wish (subject to availability).

How do I get to Temple Church?

Temple Church is located at Temple Street, just off Victoria Street in central Bristol, BS1 6HY. The nearest train station is Bristol Temple Meads, just five minutes walk away and the nearest bus stop is on Victoria Street (1, 2, 38, 39, X39, 70, 71, 379, A1). There are cycle racks and a limited amount of on-street parking in and around Victoria Street. If you are travelling by car, we’d advise using one of the NCP car parks in central Bristol e.g. Broadmead, Queen Charlotte Street or Nelson Street.

Click here for a map

Please note Temple Church is not the ruined church in Castle Park (that’s St. Peter’s Church). You can find Temple Church nearby, off Victoria Street, in the direction of Bristol Temple Meads Station.

I’m visiting from outside Bristol, where can I stay?

Visit Bristol has information about a diversity of accommodation across Bristol

We are pleased to be able to offer visitors to the Art Weekender, a special Weekender accommodation rate with Hilton Garden Inn, Bristol. £89 single occupancy, £99 double, including breakfast (subject to availability). Use the code: GSWSP0117 925 1001 www.bit.ly/1UyX9JG

You might also like to know about Human Hotel.

What do I need to bring with me?

Whilst the structure is sheltered, we’d advise dressing for an outdoor performance in warm clothing. There is a minimal amount of seating within the space, and so you might like to bring along a cushion or blanket to sit in if you’re intending to sit for an extended period of time on the floor. If it's raining it would be worth bringing an umbrella just in case you have to queue.

Can I bring food and drink?

Yes, you’re welcome to bring in your own drinks and food, particularly if you’d like to share it around. Please take any litter home with you or recycle in the bins provided on site. The consumption of alcohol is not permitted on-site.

Who will be at Temple Church during the night?

Our hosts and security team will be looking after Sanctum round-the-clock throughout the 24 days, so there will always be someone at Temple Church to welcome you, along with a hot drink in the small hours.

Is Sanctum suitable for children?

Absolutely. Children of all ages are welcome. We will be scheduling adult appropriate performances between 9pm and midnight. For visitors with babies, a buggy park will operate by the information point in Temple Gardens with buggies left at the owner’s risk.

How do I find out who is performing?

The performers, musicians and participants will be announced in advance on 28th September, but the schedule will remain secret throughout, so you won’t know who you are going to hear at any one time.

Are there fixed times for each performance?

The length of performances will vary, so you might hear someone perform for 15 minutes, followed by a group performing for over an hour. Theaster has encouraged all performers to engage with each other, with each handover being kept informal and conversational.

Is Theaster Gates performing?

Yes, Theaster will be taking part in Sanctum at unannounced times during the first week. If you’d like to guarantee to hear Theaster talking about the project and his work, please book a ticket to his performance lecture at St. George's Bristol on Saturday 31 October at 7pm.

Can I attend if I have access requirements?

Yes, absolutely. The entrance to Sanctum has level access and large print versions of the programme are available on request. The hosts on-site will be happy to assist you and can offer audio-description to those with a visual impairment. A hearing loop is provided on-site also. Should you wish to discuss your access requirements prior to visiting, please call the Situations office on 0117 930 4282.

What facilities are available on site?

Bristol Street Food Collective (BEATS) will be providing food and drinks to buy on-site throughout the 24 days. Toilet facilities are available in Temple Gardens as well as an information point from which the programme and other special items are available to purchase.

Can I take photos, video etc.?

Yes and please do share on social media using the hashtag #sanctumbristol.

For any further enquiries, please contact

Situations
info@situations.org.uk
0117 930 4282

Get Involved

Volunteer as a Sanctum Host

We’re offering a unique chance to be part of a one time only public artwork in the city of Bristol. Witness the production of a grand-scale structure as it rises from the ruins, gain insight into technical set up of the inner sanctum stage, and experience the intricacies involved in programming a mammoth 24 day-long sound schedule. We want you to be part of the Sanctum story and join the team as a Sanctum Host. To find out more about what a host may do, the experience you can gain, and for information on how to apply, download the forms below.

Role description

Application form