Ever noticed the ‘secret door’ in the wall? Or seagull’s feet pitter-pattering above your head as if through grains of sand, as you dine in the Spyglass? Or the hues of vibrant skies silhouetting Bristol’s bridges or solid, angular buildings? Ever noticed - the man lying unconscious by your feet, as you wait for your bus home?

These were just a few of the many visual moments captured by 80 entrants in the recent photography competition, ‘Bristol: A Second Look’, organised by Second Look, a local photography collective masterminded by Lisa Furness, and supported by Cyan Arts, a local photographic art gallery created by Gillian Stewart and Jade French. Cyan Arts and Second Look are inspired by the same vision – for local like-minded photographic artists to be able to meet and exhibit their work.

It was through Cyan Arts that Second Look were able to promote their first competition, ‘Bristol: A Second Look’, where local photographers were invited to capture the more concealed aspects of our city - the finer details which demand a little more awareness and a little more imagination to be noticed. The competition ran over the summer months and once all the entries, each of a very high quality, were narrowed down to the 16 finalists, 600 public votes were cast via the Cyan Arts Gallery and corresponding MySpaces until a winner emerged.

Congrats then to Shelley Abrahams, who’s ‘Escher’s Stairs’ - graffitied stairways of a dilapidated building in Stokes Croft – proves that taking a second look at sights we ordinarily take for granted, deem ugly or stride past deep in negligence, may reveal a veiled beauty or oddity.

The initiatives of the women behind Cyan Arts and Second Look have resulted in local artists being given the opportunity to exhibit their creativity with the competition proving to be a delightful mix of styles, techniques and effects – a visually stimulating showcase of local residents’ creative insights into our city.

www.myspace.com/cyanarts

www.myspace.com/bristolasecondlook

Fran McElhone

Photos: Juanma Arrabe