Mild West Heroes is a Bristol-based, ethical t-shirt company that promotes the artwork of West Country illustrators. Started in 2007, the company is run by Jude and Mark Lawson who, after moving from London, fell in love with Bristol and felt inspired by its creative vibe. Whilst embracing the DIY attitude of the city, they also became more aware of its strong ethical and environmental views: “We wanted to create something that was fair for all, whilst also being as low impact and sustainable as possible. We thought promoting local artists and sharing any money made was a good place to start.”

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Friday 11th February 2011 @ Crash Mansion, Bristol

Mothboy, the innovative London producer, is releasing his latest and perhaps final EP entitled Yeild this week. To celebrate, Drawn Recordings are throwing one almighty launch party at Crash Mansion on Friday 11th February; Deep, Dark And Destined For The Dancefloor. Mothboy’s most famous works have been released through German electronic imprint, Ad Noiseam, where he has unleashed three stunning albums and two 12” singles that have enabled him to carve out a unique place for himself in the world of bass heavy electronic music. Expect a heady night of DJs, live bands, visual projections, a live illustrations showcase and, of course, a performance by Mothboy himself.

www.myspace.com/simonmothboy

www.drawnrecordings.com

Set up in 2008 and run by illustrators Lisa Hassell and Michelle Turton, Inkygoodness aim to provide a platform for new and emerging talent to showcase their work alongside more established artists, offering a unique opportunity to develop professional careers through self-promotion and networking. Although the group have a presence around the country, their roots firmly lie in Bristol and they are heavily involved in the art scene here.

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In each issue of Suit Yourself, Creative File goes behind-the-scenes to talk with Bristol creatives in their own working space. This issue, we’re chatting with local graffiti, illustration and design duo Richt and 45rpm at Richt’s home studio in the centre of Bristol.

So what do you do exactly?
If you’re creative you want to try everything, so we do. One week it can be editing and the next designing. It’s good to jump about and keep things fresh.

How did all of this start?
The crew started in 2002. We met through a mate, realised we were into the same style of work so collaborated from then on. Working as a crew means you can bounce ideas off each other and push your work further.
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UPFEST have opened a gallery at 198 North Street, Bedminster, displaying work from the arsenal of artists that are associated with them.

Otherwise known as the Urban Paint Festival, Upfest has experienced resounding success and growth since its inception in 2008. Starting off as a whimsical notion to host a free festival of urban art, the first event took place in October 2008 showcasing 50 artists and had around 1500 visitors. This year’s event on the first weekend in June saw nearly 200 artists performing live painting, drawing, stencilling and anything else you can imagine at the Tobacco Factory in Southville, accompanied by sound systems, DJs and other cool stuff. It has become a massive fixture in the cultural calendar of Bristol and the rest of the UK. It draws in artists from around the globe too, so I imagine world domination is only a few years away.
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11am until 4pm, Saturday 18th December 2010 @ Colston Hall, Bristol

The Made in Bristol Gift Fair returns for its second festive instalment,
showcasing the regions best local designers and locally created art. This is your chance to rediscover the fun in Christmas shopping whilst uncovering the very best in regional crafts including ceramics, glass, textiles, jewellery and furniture.

www.madeinbristol.wordpress.com

Starts Friday 3rd December 2010 @ Upfest Gallery, Bristol

www.upfest.co.uk

Wednesday 1st until Friday 24th December 2010 @ The Showroom, The Art Box, Park Street, Bristol

Jamaica Street Artists will be providing an alternative treat for shoppers on Bristol’s busy Park Street this Christmas with the opening of their pop-up shop and gallery; The Art Box. Launching with a grand opening on the 1st December, the shop will then be open until Christmas (offering special late night shopping every Thursday). Pop-up shops and temporary galleries have become an international trend and Bristol City Council has joined the movement by offering empty shop units to arts and cultural organisations across Bristol. Jamaica Street Artists have secured a term in The Showroom, which has already been home to a zombie game, puppet show and exhibition.

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Wednesday 1st until Sunday 5th December 2010 @ Arnolfini and Other Venues, Bristol

Inbetween Time Festival 2010 is an adventurous, breakneck festival of performative intrigue taking over the streets, sites and arts spaces of Bristol this December. Live, dance, digital, music, architectural and sculptural works by 130 artists from as far a field as Mexico, Australia, Austria, Germany, Kurdistan, Belgium and the US will be pervading all across the city in venues such as The Cube, Circomedia, Wickham Theatre, Bristol Old Vic and Bridewell Island, with the festival’s hub being Arnolfini.

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Friday 1st until Sunday 3rd and Thursday 7th until Sunday 10th October 2010 @ Bridewell Island, Bristol

And so as the last flaming tightrope is extinguished, the final remnants of thick make-up are removed, and the doorway to the crypts are closed and padlocked, Bristol finally waves goodbye to Carny-Ville, the Invisible Circus and Artspace Lifespace at Bridewell Island. It’s been a drawn-out and emotional farewell but now this is surely it. The arts initiative who tour the city inhabiting semi-derelict spaces, rejuvenating and managing them as active creation centres while throwing some of the best god damn parties Bristol has ever seen, even for them time is up.

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