having done so much to open up space in the city for creativity and having also watched that rich and fertile landscape change drastically in the past 5 - 10 years it was with excitement and gusto that I took on the build for Sparks alongside other invisible Circus crew and with rock solid build manager Danielle Sweetland as my Artner in crime.
It felt important to try and stake a claim in the city centre as the creative community I had helped to build was slowly being pushed out and working with the Artspace Lifespace and Global Goals Charities this felt empowering. despite having some fairly harsh health issues at the time I decided to take this on as probably my last major build project, nearly 2 years ago now.
This battle for space has been ever more present in my own world as we face eviction at Invisible Circus and another amazing arts venue I had helped open, The Loco Klub also had some struggles to stay afloat in the ever more challenging landscape as venues city wide seemed to be closing their doors.
It took quite a lot of time and money for me to set up my studio and a small performance space at Sparks, partly due to my health, where by a lung condition means everything takes a lot longer and i dont have the energy to spend so freely, but also financially, as ever being in that transitory meanwhile territory major funding eludes us and plus Im just not very good at paperwork!
So it was a slow burner but after a year things were finaly sorted, workspaces set up, huge tat pile finally sorted through and storage set up, alongside the art studio was a small office space and costume area / dressing room and out in the main space a sweet industrial theatre space. It was due to rivers running under Broadmead shopping area that the storage was on the 3rd floor, so i lovingly referred to it as my penthouse basement.
It was ideal as the studio had windows so good ventilation and the stage area was just adjacent, it was my intention to invite small audiences to see performances and also live stream them, as I am less able to go out and do shows than i was bringing the audience to me seemed a better idea and embracing the digital age with some online activity. everything was going swimmingly if slowly, and i was actually just about to fit the legs on the staging decks when we got the call to halt works as some surveys needed to be done on the roof. A couple of weeks they said.
This was nearly 6 months ago and I have been waiting in limbo ever since, though Sparks bless them have accommodated me with other space to work when needed it has def slowed down my creative practice at a time when i really need to try and get this side of things moving, unable as I am to seek as much external work as i used to. Alas the final outcome was that the floor was condemned and had to be closed down which is fairly devastating tbh, or was at least.
So now all the work done to set the space up has to be deconstructed and moved to another part of the building and set up again. Having invested everything I had in the space and since not been able to work it to raise any more funds i am faced with a monumental task and limited resources to achieve it. Though I know I can count on some good friends to lend a hand its not a job that can be achieved with a floating volunteer crew only.
for this reason I am raising funds here to try and assemble a rock steady core team to assist me in the major build elements of the work for a few days and pay them for their time. People have done me a lot of favors over the years and I really appreciate all of them, but I know there are a lot of people who would also be up for supporting the mission who aren't around Bristol so this is an opportunity for them to get involved too.
Initially I didn't want to do a crowdfunder, I feel there are so many other desperate and worthy causes to support in the world right now, also that its even a bit frivolous and self indulgent to be making art and theatre at times like these, that we need to be out there making more of a difference, but this is also what I do, and the world needs art and culture and conversation and community now more than ever. I also continue to support causes financially and artistically personally as I know do many others.
we do what we can - we share what we have.
Thank you for your support. x Doug