Back in December, I did a little geeky outing in London where I basically wandered around for hours photographing the nice bits of type and signage that were dotted around. There was a fair bit of planning before that could happen though; trying to group together points of interest geographically so that I could see certain bits one day, then spread the rest out across the week.
I thoroughly enjoyed that and felt like it could be a potentially interesting way to discover more about a city from both a design and historical perspective. Logically, you'd think I would start with Cardiff as that's where I live, but I've been back and forth to Bristol quite a bit recently and I've collected quite a few photos of my outings.
Bristol has long been associated with having such a diverse arts scene, giving the world the likes of musicians Massive Attack, The Cortinas and Portishead, stand-up comic Russel Howard, and artists Damian Hirst and of course, Banksy.
When you say "art", one of the first things you visualise is a gallery with pictures adorning the walls, but the emergence of fresh, new art across all disciplines means that Bristol has something to offer everyone. From film screenings at the Watershed, which shows the freshest independent talent from Bristol’s film community, to the Tobacco Factory, mixing the experienced with the fledging, local art from new artists is never far away.
This is post is a culmination of the last couple of trips to Bristol I've had over the last month or so, and where possible I've listed the artist that produced the work.
The London Inn, Bedminster
Broad Quay House
I love pubs. Some might say I'm my father's son in that respect (and I'm sure he'd agree) so what better place to start that by admiring the stunning signage that welcomes you to the London Inn, Bedminster (pictured above-left). I'm reliably informed by a friend that lives pretty much opposite that it's actually a rather rough establishment, but I'm willing to overlook that for the gorgeous Art Nouveau relief letters.
Speaking of Nouveau, the photograph on the left is one of fifteen decorative terracotta friezes that were created by Philippa Threlfall and Kennedy Collings in 1982 for Broad Quay House, a year after the current building was completed. Each frieze features a roundel that celebrates an aspect of Bristol's industrial heritage, with the subject matter ranging from the Coulston family crest (a somewhat controversial topic recently), trade tokens, glass kilns and the SS Great Britain.
The panel I photographed represents the history of importing tobacco and features the figure of a black boy, which would have stood outside an 18th-century tobacconist's shop. According to Threlfall, there was a high level of anxiety here to avoid referencing either tobacco or slavery but since they were both very seminal to the trade history of Bristol, they managed to work them into this design.
Also, it said Shagg, which is what initially grabbed my attention. Yes, I'm childish, so what?
North Street, Bedminster
Even though it was a pretty shitty day when I took this photo (proper horizontal rainfall, the likes of which I've only ever experienced in Wales), the sheer vibrancy of the colours in this piece was enough to brighten up the darkest of days. There were a fair amount of beautiful works of art down North Street, and that's due to the annual art festival, Upfest.
Upfest is a large scale, multi-venue urban festival with the entire 1.3km stretch of North Street in Bedminster at its centre, connecting venues and painting locations. This diverse urban setting has given the festival it's transient feel, with visitors encouraged to explore and find whats around the next corner, which is what I love about these little type safaris.
Okay, back to the work above; the piece is by graffiti artist Voyder. He's a somewhat prolific graffiti artist with a wide range of work spread across the UK, and while many of his larger-scale pieces located in seemingly inaccessible areas like derelict building sites, it's quite a nice contrast to have something that's at eye-level in an area with relatively high footfall.
Judging by the Instagram and Twitter feedback from visitors to the festival in 2016, people were queuing up to take selfies and group pictures in front of this piece, making it kind of feel like the signature piece for Upfest.
Voyder also has a limited edition range of gorgeous prints of this piece in his online store (which I may purchase when I've got the funds...) in two different colourways.
The Elbow Room, Park Street
That's better!
Somewhat of a wildcard mention is this wonderful piece of signage for The Elbow Room on Park Street. Okay, it looks a wee bit grotty in my photo (I've read mixed reviews about the actual bar too) but I'm not here to judge the place, only its type, and what a beauty!
I find this quite reminiscent of Tom Carnase's lettering work with the upbeat, rhythmic composition and the letterforms with varied weights. It's got a real 70s feel to it. Okay, it's by no means perfect; the stem of the 'T' is too close to the stem of the 'h' in The, and although I suppose in a way that's part of the appeal, I just find it really distracting.
One saving grace though is that it certainly looks a whole lot more attractive when it's illuminated, really adding to that sexy 70s feel. However, I can't help but feel the signage has a completely different tone of voice to the actual venue. For me, the styling suggests something a little laid back, like a speakeasy, instead of the pool lounge/bar that plays "banging urban anthems" every Saturday night. I've tried scouring the vast reaches of the internet and I can't find any actual history about the bar itself, so I'm left wondering if at some point in the past few years the theme of the bar changed but they didn't change the branding, or if it's part of a chain...
Entry to the Bristol Hippodrome
I can't finish off this post without giving a mention to the glorious tiled facade of the Bristol Hippodrome. Designed by Frank Matcham, the theatre opened on 16 December 1912 and was designated a Grade II listed building by English Heritage in April 1999.
I've still not been to the theatre to see a show (any theatre for that matter, I know shameful) but I'd love to see something here as I've heard the interior is spectacular, as is the actual auditorium.
Short and sweet, this one, but it's something that I really need to experience properly the next time I'm on the other side of the Severn bridge.
Once the weather is solidly decent, and I've got a full day set aside where I'm not working, I'm going to start collecting references for the Cardiff edition of the type safari. I've got a few photos already filed away for that post, but there are some more points of personal interest that I want to explore a little as well.