'Christenings, weddings, civil partnerships, wakes, parties’...whether as a church or community arts venue, Trinity has always been a space of unique celebration and commemoration. Writes Dr Edson Burton in his introduction to our newest heritage publication 'A Centre For Celebration'. The booklet is part of our Heart &Soul heritage project and is a collection of conversations with the many people who have celebrated in one way or another at Trinity over the years.

Abi & Jack's Wedding at Trinity Centre

"Everybody wanted to get married there at that Trinity Church. My Auntie Marge and Auntie Iris got married there, I was bridesmaid there. What I do remember is where the vicar used to stand, it was a lovely eagle that he had the Bible on that he used to read the service from." Gloria, recorded on 22nd August 2018

Designed by our awesome intern Tess Sieling (who alongside her archive work has spent the year blogging about the Heart & Soul project) the booklet presents a sample of weddings, wakes and parties spanning the life of Trinity. View the booklet in its full glory here, or you can pick up one of the limited printed copies from Trinity. Previous heritage projects include What's Your Trinity Story and Vice & Virtue.

We welcomed Wilbert Smith from Heritage Lottery Fund to the celebration

Andy Council's Trinity Fox finds a home in the main hall

We opened up Trinity so all could have a look around - here participants from The Democratic Set check out The Visible Girls exhibition

Heart & Soul intern Tess chats with attendees at the celebration

Trinity member Stacey from Up Our Street places her vote

Trinity Centre Director Emma Harvey talks about the Heart & Soul project

Simi from Awaz, a weekly community group held at Trinity takes a moment to say thank you

Volunteer Rob's History of Trinity music set awed us all

Love this album? Then check out our Facebook for more photos.

Viki Browne during her residency at the University of Gloucester

I tend to work from what feels like the most difficult or sticky area of my thinking and whenever I’m like: ‘No, I’m not going there’, I’m like: ‘Oh, here we go! Viki Browne

Viki Browne is a performance artist who creates work about topics that are uncomfortable, risky or taboo.

As part of her 2018 IGNiTE artist residency, Viki focused on developing a new project Hyper Fem which considers whether the performance of femininity through drag can be as powerful, political or subversive when performed on a female identifying body.

The new piece was strongly inspired by some of her recent previous projects which involved wigs, Drag and performing as a "make up girl in a tiny dress".

Hyper Fem challenges restrictive gender norms dictated and commodified by the patriarchy.

How Viki describes her work:
“I thought: ‘I like that, I want that, I don’t know why it feels really naughty and forbidden. This is really difficult and feels very against my personal feminism. So I started making work about that. That’s what I’m bringing to IGNiTE – furthering my thinking about the performance of femininity and wether that can be a political and subversive performance, particularly if femininity is positioned on a female body”

IGNiTE resident Roxana Vilk shares her project during the induction day Sep 2018 photo @ Alexa Ledecky

“My hopes for the residency are that the idea will grow in a very collaborative, beautiful way into a piece that reflects the incredible diverse communities around us here and the heartfelt stories that bind us together as humans.” IGNiTE resident

We’re delighted to introduce the 2018 cohort of IGNiTE artists in residence. Over the next six months, these four Bristol based artists will develop exciting new work in collaboration with communities at Trinity.

Roxana Vilk will invite people to collectively celebrate heritage though lullabies sung at night in her project ‘Across Our City At Night’.

Ania Varez's invites people to experience emotional pain as a collective and across borders in her project ‘Guayabo’ (or, Grief Party).

Vicki Hearne’s ‘Practically Perfect’ is an intergenerational project exploring the common pressures felt by generations of women.

Viki Browne’s ‘Hyper Fem’ explores gender empowerment and the performance of femininity in a male dominated drag world.

Photographer Anita Corbin shares some thoughts with the 2018 cohort during their induction day photo @ Alexa Ledecky

Each artist has been chosen because their practice puts co-creation with communities at its core, aiming to connect to new audiences and sparking debate. Their projects tackle big issues to do with identity and our place in the world, exploring themes such as migration and gender empowerment.

Our  residency programme is now in its third year and aims to increase the diversity and representation of art, artists and audiences, whilst offering artists an opportunity to test out new ideas, reflect on their practice and make new connections.

Julia Thornycroft is a member of the IGNiTE programming forum, who collaboratively help select this years residents. Photo @ Alexa Ledecky

Whether artists are at the very beginning of an idea or taking a project they have already developed in a new direction, we encourage artists to use their time with us to take risks and experiment – all within a supportive environment.  All four artists will receive professional support, the use of Trinity’s performance space the Fyfe Hall, and a bursary. You can find out more about the featured artists and their projects by visiting their profile pages here.

Roxana, Ania and Vicky in the studio listening to music tutor Dave as he explained more about our Youth Music project, Making Tracks. Photo @ Alexa Ledecky

Through the year we will be blogging about Roxana, Ania, Vicki and Viki’s journeys and letting you know about sharing any opportunities for the public to take part. Sign up to our mailing list to keep updated.

We wish the artists all the luck and cannot wait to see their projects take shape, find out more about IGNiTE here, including our Autumn Season of shows.

About IGNiTE

IGNiTE is Trinity's in house programme of world-class, innovative theatre and dance about issues that matter to people now, starting conversations and sparking debate. IGNiTE is supported using public funding by Bristol City Council and by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

Jackie Hagan's This Is Not A Safe Space celebrates the weird, the wonky, the unruly, and the resilient (Oct 19)

Our Autumn 2018 season of our in house theatre and dance programme, IGNiTE , presents four shows whose themes ask: How far have we actually come?

"Politics, race, gender, sexuality, poverty, crime, austerity, pay gaps, #metoo our society seems deeply polarised. IGNiTE presents four shows that are in different ways providing a snapshot of our divided times and ask: how far have we come?” Rhiannon Jones Programme Manager

Launching on October 19 with award winning comedian and writer, Jackie Hagan’s This Is Not A Safe Space. Commissioned by Unlimited, Jackie conducted interviews with people from all over the country living on the fringes and the spaces in between. These are not sob stories - they are well rounded lives full of the spiky humor and the complicated weirdness of being human. Jackie weaves these narratives together with poetry and anecdotes, in a performance celebrating the weird, the wonky, the unruly, and the resilient.

An all female cast feature in The Forecast, by Limbik Theatre (Oct 20). Based on George Saunders’ short story The Semplica Girl Diaries. Set in the not too distant future, the latest must-have consumer craze and status symbol are Human Garden Ornaments; women, from developing countries, hoisted up in affluent backyards, thin wires through their brains connecting them to news, travel, weather. In The Forecast, we hear what life is like for the four of them in this dystopian theatre piece. It could never happen...could it?

Rachael Young and badass band of super-humans embrace Afrofuturism and the cult of Grace Jones in: Nightclubbing (Nov 2)

Next up, join award winning Rachael Young and her badass band of super-humans as they embrace Afrofuturism, the cult of Grace Jones and intergalactic visions to start a revolution in Nightclubbing (Nov 2). This explosive dance performance traces the connections between Grace Jones’ 1981 landmark album ‘Nightclubbing’ and a London club's refusal to admit three Black women on the grounds of race in 2015?

'It is more than OK to be this way' in Sardoville's For Only An Hour (Nov 24)

Tackling the continuing oppression of LGBTQ++ community, Sardoville’s one man romp For Only An Hour (Nov 24) is a queer manifesto told through dance, song, spoken word and performance art. Created in response to the 2017 persecution of the LGBTQ++ community in Chechnya, this show is about celebrating who we are, and offering support to a new generation by saying: it’s more than OK 'to be this way'.

Get involved

IGNiTE resident artist Vicki Browne will develop a new piece of work 'Hyper Fem'

Throughout the season there are opportunities for public to take part and get more involved. From joining in the conversation in one of our post show talk backs, dancing the night away at our post show club night following Nightclubbing’s to signing up to one of our Artist led workshops. Keep an eye on our website for updates.

As part of the IGNiTE programme Trinity will be supporting four resident artists across the year who will receiving professional support and developing work in Trinity’s performance space – Fyfe Hall. Bristol based artists Ania Varez, Roxana Vilk, Vicki Hearne and Viki Browne will all receive professional help and support, rehearsal space and a bursary to develop new work at Trinity.

Previous IGNITE residents include performance artist Caroline Williams, dance practitioners Ella Mesma,  Sara Dos Santos and Latisha Cesar, theatre makers Uninvited Guests and Back in 5 Minutes Squad who joined up with disability led arts organisation Art in Motion.

Tickets to all IGNiTE shows are priced at £11 standard and £9 for concessions and can be purchased online at trinitybristol.org.uk

IGNiTE is Trinity's in house programme of world-class, innovative theatre and dance about issues that matter to people now, starting conversations and sparking debate. IGNiTE is supported using public funding by Bristol City Council and by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

Clare and Sam's wedding Aug 5 2017

'We got together around New Year and just clicked and ended up living together.' His wake was actually held at the Trinity. It's where we went back to..It was a strange circularness - saying hello and goodbye at Trinity.' (anonymous)

Celebratory, poignant, both weddings, christenings, wakes, funerals, parties - as part of our Heritage Project Heart & Soul we are looking for stories of your big event at Trinity to include in our online archive and celebration event.

It might be that you met a life long friend, a partner, here at an event. If you have a story and pictures to share with us contact Edson@3ca.org.uk or call Trinity on 0117 9351200 and ask to speak to either Edson or Karina.

--

Silent Hobo and Mr Riks paint Trinity's reception in 2015

As part of our Heart & Soul project we are looking to commission artists to produce creative responses to key moments in Trinity’s history. The works created will be on semi permanent display in the building and become part of the indoor visual history trail that will be completed in Oct 2018.

Trinity already has a DJ Derek Stencil by artist Stewy, painted in celebration of a generous donation to our Youth Music project by Sweet Memory Sounds - a trust set up by Derek’s family and friends to keep Derek’s musical legacy going. We also have a mural painted by Bristol artists Silent Hobo and Mr Riks in our reception area, painted in 2015 during our last major capital works.

We imagine that the artwork could be a stencil or mural, painted, or sprayed, directly onto the walls:

- inspired by the history of the building

- appropriate to our audiences

- celebrating Trinity’s history

- Tells a story of Trinity

- Celebrates Trinity as the centre of community activity

We will work with artists to decide where the artworks will be and suggest artists come to the the site visit 21st Aug to have a tour of the building.  The total budget for all commissions is £2500 and could be spread across a few artists, or on a larger commission.

Artists can have full access to our archive – an extensive collection of images, flyers, posters, newspaper articles & oral interviews from the 1832 to the current day.

Download the full brief here

Deadline for submissions is Friday 31st August 2018, 12:00pm

Site visit Tuesday 21st August from 12:00pm - 7:00pm

The art work needs to be completed by Sunday 30th September 2018

The total commissioning budget is £2500 to include artists time and materials.

Have any questions? Then click here to send us an email

Fyfe Hall filled up for the penultimate talk in the series @Khali Ackford

There was a lot of excitement within the team about this event as we knew the panel members would be really interesting and bring good insight to Bristol’s current art scene. There was a last minute change so Daniel Balla from Coexist joined us in place of Greg Bond who was unable to attend. Michele Curtis and Doug Francis joined us as planned, and our own Dr Edson Burton chaired the evening.

Coexist’s Daniel started by explaining their approach to serving the community. He spoke about the way that cultural ecology is not fixed, it is constantly recreated. A central concern of gentrification has and always will be the displacement of people from the community that used to occupy that space, physically or spiritually, in society. Some art installations at Hamilton House have expressed this by communicating the unpredictable nature of the facade and behind by having volunteers speak about their lives behind a screen for attendees to listen to. He mentioned that national newspapers such as The Guardian site Stokes Croft as the epitome of gentrification, so Coexist have a big responsibility to critique their own actions and what other organisations do to serve their community.

"Should we be calling this gentrification at all or rather redevelopment? What defines gentrification could simply be the monetisation of the social world."

One of the main subjects of conversation throughout the evening was the need to conform with capitalist needs while making art, in order to succeed. These organisations have rent to pay and therefore have had to learn how to generate capital through a variety of means. In the case of Coexist, they have hosted activist groups such as the Bristol Drugs Project as well as commercial income from artist studios, dance studios, and desk space. The model has to be reactive to the community, for example after engaging with the community to see where the need was, they set up a Somali kitchen.

On the panel from left to right, Coexit's Daniel Balla, Trinity'sDr Edson Burton, ASLS's Doug Francis and visual artist Michele Curtis @Khali Ackford

There were also questions raised about the use of language- should we be calling this gentrification at all or rather redevelopment? What defines gentrification could simply be the monetisation of the social world. In terms of where Coexist sits- the future is uncertain. The organisation always assumed it would be able to buy the building when the time was right, however this year their landlords have quadrupled the rent, throwing all future plans into the air. This has motivated the team to think about Coexist’s future. They critiqued the system and they now want to make a network between arts organisations so that they can support and stand up for one another like a union.

Michele Curtis’s career in visual art began in 2015 in St Paul’s with a mural and walking tour project. She wanted to communicate the local history visually by painting large murals, and proposed this idea to somebody, who strongly advised to act immediately. Michele described how at the time she did not consider why, but that with hindsight she believes he gave this advice because he could see the area was changing and in the near future, people living there would not want massive murals of black people’s portraits. She projected to the audience a feeling of motivation, encouraging artists to act on their ideas and make art happen.

"...the power lies with artists, therefore we must continue to make art, and fight for arts organisations."

Doug Francis comes from a long art background, originally doing events in the Portobello Road area of London before moving to Bristol where there was still opportunity. In this instance, Doug talks about opportunity in terms of buildings that can still be used to hold raves, parties and art events cheaply or for free. He said that he did not look forward to anticipate what would be happening now. With friends, he occupied garages up Cheltenham Road, and what they did differently from other groups of artists was they opened up their squat to invite the local community in. Doug is also the ringmaster of The Invisible Circus, with outrageous costumes, props and staging. When Artspace Lifespace took The Island over from Urban Splash, with enormous pride he described it as the clowns taking over the police station, the lunatics taking over the asylum. Other venues they have around Bristol include the Loco Club under Temple Meads, the Vestibules at the Council House on College Green, and most recently acquired, Ashton Court.

He has made art in many ways and in lots of different places and media. Recently he even had a job in the Somerset council, trying to re-purpose the Tropicana Centre after Banksy’s Dismaland residency. The feeling we were left with was that the power lies with artists, therefore we must continue to make art, and fight for arts organisations.

Questions from the floor created lively debate about gentrification in Bristol. Photo @Khali Ackford

After each panellist had spoken about their work individually, the floor was open to questions. There was a good mixture of debate, and a sense that the audience was in it together, fighting for the same side. The amount of knowledge sharing was inspiring, for example an audience member made us all aware about the Living in Vehicles consultation which is happening at Bristol City Council.

The panel made it a richly interesting, energetic evening of discussion, for which we thank them.  Catch the last talk in our series on the 31st July at 7pm, ‘Reconstructing Trinity: From Disrepair to Glory’. It will be another panel discussion featuring Trinity members past and present, don’t miss out.

These notes are written by Tess Sieling, who is the project intern on the Heart & Soul heritage project. Read more of her notes on our Tuesday talk series - Father Paul, Fidel Meraz, A Million Bricks of Love, and Same Building, Different Meaning. Our talk series explores the challenges and achievements of transforming and preserving historic buildings and is programmed in collaboration with Bristol's Architecture Centre and the University of West England (UWE).

Music student plays at the Garden Part at Trinty

Young musicians from Trinity, Basement Studios & Aspiration Creation Elevation (ACE@Docklands) set to take the stage at this years St Paul’s Carnival.

Performing on the Unity Stage, hosted by ACE, young musicians will be given a chance to shine in this years Carnival – performing alongside some of Bristol’s most popular artists. On these experience Cherelle Grant, Music Tutor at ACE said, "these talented young people have been working hard each week to create, prepare, and rehearse songs for St Pauls Carnival. Making Tracks has provided a focused environment, with skilled tutors to help them set objectives that will see them elevate their creativity and confidence."

The young people are supported by the Making Tracks project – a two year collaborative project between Trinity, Basement and ACE. Making Tracks offers young people the chance to take part in a wide range of life changing music making activities alongside 121 and group tutoring young people benefit from mentoring, peer learning and joint-project activity.

Catch the performances through out the day at the Unity Stage at St Paul’s Carnival, Bristol Saturday July 8.

People gather outside Trinity at the start of the walks

This year we have four free guided walks around Trinity and Old Market. The walks are part of Heat & Soul  – a year long programme of heritage events, talks, and workshops. The guided walks, led by Dr Edson Burton are an opportunity for people to find out more about the history, and present of Trinity and Old Market.  Tess, our excellent heritage intern – joined Edson on the second instalment of the walks.

People gather in Trinity's main hall photo@Khali Ackford

The walk began inside Trinity’s main hall. Edson talked us through the history of Trinity from when it was a Church, through to desconscreation and first transformation as community arts venue  managed by the Caribbean Community Association  through to its current custodians, since 2004 Trinity Community Arts.

A visual timeline of Trinity past, present and future hangs in the main hall photo @Khali Ackford

Trinity has a covenant on it stating its purpose must be for social good whether that is education or community. Therefore a thread which has run through Trinity’s history is its use as a vocational skills education centre. Alongside this, Trinity is known for its music history – and has been host to the likes of Public Enemy, The Prodigy, U2, Madness, the Specials and the home of the Bristol Sound.

Funded was secured to transform Ffye Hall into a performance space  photo @Khali Ackford

We then headed upstairs to Fyfe Hall, named after one of its founder members of TCA Nick Fyfe. As part of TCA’s commitment to repairing and conserving the building funding was secured that built on earlier renovation work. The second floor was transformed into a beautiful dance/theatre/wedding space with sprung floor and underfloor heating.

Learning about the not so pleasant Amelia Dyer... photo @Khali Ackford

Before leaving Trinity's gates Edson told us a little of the story of Trinity Road. Some of the local history isn’t particularly pleasant such as Amelia Dyer who lived a stone’s throw from Trinity. Over thirty years during the 1800s she took money to re-home babies unwanted babies. To  ‘make an angel’ to use the expression. She was found to have killed an estimated 200-400 baby deaths caused by many babies across the UK. Amelia was hanged in 1896.

Even over grown gardens have a story to tell in Old Market photo @Khali Ackford

Edson started the walk down Braggs Lane so that we would begin the tour at the bottom of the Old Market. Edson pointed out various places of that were part of the meat trade a major industry in the Old Market area. This area used to be home to an abattoir, tannery and lard factory. We emerged at the Old Market roundabout where Edson spoke about the Empire Theater. Hollywood star Bristol born Cary Grant started his career working at the Empire. His friends remembered him having a broad Bristolian accent, not the transatlantic one he became famous for.

Building Temple Way changed the look of Old Market forever photo @Khali Ackford

We continued walking down Old Market Street and West Street, with fascinating snippets about the history of Kings Cinema, the Stag and Hounds pub and John Barstaple's almshouses, the Drill Hall and Kingsley Hall. As well as explaining passing on dates that the buildings were built Edson explained the changing fortunes of the street for example the decision to knock down a third of Old Market in order to create Temple Way. These explanations helped us to understand why some of the most iconic spaces in the street closed and how the Gay Quarter developed during the street's decline. The attendees added memories and family anecdotes of weddings, relations, working and socialising.

Our next heritage walk is July 31, places are free but you need to book online. We also have an online interactive archive of Trinity and Old Market, have an explore.

Heart & Soul: celebrating major life events at Trinity is a year long project running alongside our current works to repair and protect the Trinity building. You can find out more about the project here or find out about the building works, including how to support our current fundraising campaign, raising funds to secure Trinity's past, future and present.

Help secure Trinity's past, present & future

Many people attending the dance had connections with Trinity and Old Market

On Friday 20th April we opened up Trinity’s doors for "A Waltz Down Memory Lane" – an afternoon of dancing, cakes, memory sharing and good company.

Over 40 people came – amongst them many regulars from Gentle Dance, a weekly dance session for people over 55 at Trinity.  It was a great to see that many people who came had a connection with Trinity or the Old Market area.

Throughout the afternoon many, if not everyone, took their turn on the dance floor

A lovely time was had by all –  Dr Edson Burton was in attendance and spoke to many people at the dance about their memories of Old Market and Trinity.  Mark - who has lived around the area for half his life, shared his earliest memory – of bombing and fires and shared with Edson how he remembers using horses as transport!

We loved the many memories of major life events.  From Tony and Val’s memories of their first date in Old Market to Lynda sharing how her grandparents were married at Trinity.  Marilyn shared with us her memories of attending mass at Trinity, getting married here and also having her children Christened here.

Local band - Norma's Groovers entertained guests throughout the event

It was an absolutely lush afternoon and we are certainly excited about the next Waltz Down Memory Lane on Friday 8th June.  The event is open to anyone over 55 who likes to socialise, dance, meet new people and would like to share their memories of Trinity and Old Market. No need to book, just turn up!

A Waltz to Down Memory Lane is part of  Heart & Soul: celebrating major life events at Trinity Bristol. Throughout 2018 there will workshops, talks and heritage activities for all ages. The project runs along side our most recent capital works and has been made possible with the help of these funders.

Help us secure Trinity's past, present and future

Clay, Stained Glass and Woodcarving workshops

Do you want to learn some of the craft skills that built Trinity? Would you like to have your work permanently displayed in Trinity? Would you like to make new friends from different walks of life? We are offering a new block of free workshops in Clay, Stained Glass and Woodcarving on Tuesdays between 3 Apr to 22 May.

Everyone is welcome to take part but older people, members of Bristol's BME communities and residents of BS5 & BS2 are particularly welcomed.

Please note these are NOT drop-in or taster sessions. You will get the most benefit from your workshop if you are able to complete all the sessions. All the workshops are delivered on the same day and time, so please select and commit to your preference in advance.

To find out more about the second block of workshops and reserve your place, please visit the What's On page of the Hearth & Soul section or click on one of the following links:

Clay with Joanna Espinner - Tuesdays, 11am-1pm from 3 April to 22 May (8 sessions)

Stained Glass with Liz Barton - Tuesdays, 11am-1pm from 10 Apr to 8 May (5 sessions)

Woodcarving with Daniel Bendel - Tuesdays, 11am-1pm from 10 Apr to 1 May (4 sessions)

About the project

Heart and Soul: Trinity in the Community is a celebration of big life events at Trinity. Throughout 2018 there will workshops, talks and heritage activities for all ages. The project runs along side our most recent capital works and has been made possible with the help of these funders.

You can find out more about Heart and Soul: Trinity in the Community here, including how to get involved and how to contribute archive material here.

Fidel Meraz delivers his talk about re-using historic buildings. Image credit @Khali Photography

Our Heart & Soul project celebrated people's major life events at Trinity and ran alongside our current building conservation works. As part of the project we wanted to explore further the challenges and achievements of transforming and preserving historic buildings. The project included a series of talks, inviting both national and international speakers to share their knowledge and experience on the positives and pitfalls of re-imaging historic buildings.

Speaking from an architecture perspective about how a space can be adapted to better serve the community, Trinity Trustee and UWE Senior Lecturer Fidel Meraz delivered the first talk of this programme, and talked about buildings around the world where the function has changed over time, Feb 27 2018...

Most churches were originally built to hold a service once a week - by giving them a second life, the building accommodates for a far larger audience.

What was really compelling about Fidel’s talk was that he spoke in metaphors of the human life, about the way buildings are born as beautiful and well attended sacred buildings, then decline over time until finally they are not active. He used the example that when an elderly person struggles to walk, we give them crutches, and this is also the way he likes elderly buildings to be treated.

An interesting point was made that most churches were originally built to hold a service once a week, therefore in some cases by giving them a second life, the building accommodates for a far larger audience.

When we approach a church we have a predetermined view of what will be inside, Meraz explained, so it is exciting to be surprised by what we find. In Asturias, Spain, the Santa Barbara Church was abandoned and crumbling until the community took action. They raised money and with sponsorship from Red Bull too, it was converted into a vibrantly colourful indoor skate park.

Through time the architectural intention has changed from a place of worship to a space of activity, but the purpose of the building as a space to serve the community remains. He compared the Santa Barbara Church with the Trinity Centre because in both cases what you find on the inside is unexpected and fun.

A lively discussion began after Fidel's talk around Old Market and gentrification. Image credit @Khali Photography

From Fidel’s talk I learned that the world is full amazing ideas of how to reuse spaces. Tess Sieling, project intern

After the talk, Edson Burton invited a discussion between the audience and Meraz, in which the future of the Trinity Centre, Old Market and Bristol were spoken about. Concerns were voiced about the gentrification of Old Market area, which highlights the role the Trinity Centre plays in serving communities.

There is a sense that it is now in a crucial era where the Trinity Centre’s responsibility is to remain accessible to all communities without judgement and, from, Fidel’s talk I learned that the world is full amazing ideas of how to reuse spaces.

This write up was by Tess Sieling, who was the project intern on the Heart & Soul heritage project. The talk was part of a series exploring the challenges and achievements of transforming and preserving historic buildings and was programmed in collaboration with Bristol's Architecture Centre and the University of West England (UWE).

How to get involved

Click here to sign the Hotwells and Cliftonwood petition to Save Jacobs Wells Baths

Further reading

Read more from our Heart & Soul talk series - Father Paul, - Dr Katie McClymont, and A Million Bricks of Love.

Read more about the Save Jacobs Wells Campaign here.

Heart & Soul project volunteer Lowie Trevena works part time with the Scouts, but  wanted to get more involved in the community in their spare time, and learn about the heritage and community surrounding such an important building. We got them to catch up with Davontay Benjamin, one of two intern’s on Trinity’s heritage and conservation project to find out more about what he is up to.

The internships were created to offer professional skills, experience and opportunity to young people from Bristol who may not have otherwise had access to employment or training. Through his internship, Davontay is gaining hands on training to learn the fundamental aspects of conservation work.

How did you find out about the internship and why did you apply?

I found out from my mother Natahsa Benjamin who runs Hype Dance, a weekly street dance classes for young people. Karina Castro, Projects Manager at Trinity told her about the internship because she knows I do construction at college.

Is there more to the internship than just making tea and coffee for everyone in the office? What is the best thing you’ve done so far?

Yes! The best thing so far has been learning how to do stone work and learning about the history of the building. I've found out a lot about how the building was orginally built - and lots about the bands that and the musians and bands that have played here.

What are you looking forward to during the rest of the internship?

Learning to fit windows because it will help me in the future.

What new skills have you learned?

All about different cement mixes and tools you have to use.

Lastly, would you recommend an internship at Trinity to other young people in Bristol?

Yes!

The two internships run alongside the final major-works phase relating to the repair and conservation of the historic fabric of the Trinity. With full scaffolding in place unforeseen historic damage to the building was uncovered; the stained glass windows were found to be no longer watertight, and the metal cramps, holding the historic Bath Stone in place, were found to be critically corroded, leading to an additional £200,000 of costs.

Historic England has backed Trinity with a pledge of £68k towards the critical works; we still; need to raise £130,000 to safeguard the future of the building. and we need your help, or Trinity will face closure.

The Trinity Centre is at risk, and you can help to safeguard it’s future.

Lowie Trevena volunteers on our Heart & Soul project and while she is not helping out on the project she works for the Girl Guides. We asked her to chat to Maia, who is currently studying creative arts therapy at college and is at Trinity for a placement as part of her course.

As part of our Heart & Soul project we are collecting images, stories and archive material and Maia is going to be collecting stories from young people (18 - 30).

Hi Maia, what do you know about Trinity and have you been here before?

Trinity is a venue that does lots of music events, I have been here a Thali wedding in 2015 and Benjamin Zeph, who was really good.

Tell us more about Benjamin Zeph!

My mate got me a ticket and when I got to the Trinity Centre, half my family and friends were already here. It was fun; there was a great energy and I really enjoyed the spoken word. It was powerful, inspiring and I like to write poetry myself, so it was great. There was a mixed crowd, older and younger. It felt like my community was there; I’m from St Paul’s and I’m Bristol born and raised.

How old are you?

26, I’m going to be 27 soon.

Tell us a bit more about yourself

I write poetry, I draw, and I like read: the last book I read was the House of Games by Chris Johnston but my favourite book is How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. I like punk, drum and bass and rock music. After finishing school, I did a diploma in Media and I really enjoyed the course, so I then did a two-year Media and Moving Image course, and since then I have been making short films for different organisations.

What are you currently studying? I am studying a degree in creative art therapy, so I’m doing lots of drama, dance and working with children in mental health - it is the use of creative arts in a positive and therapeutic way. I chose it as I have always been a creative person. My house mate suggested this evening course which was a taster of the course I do now and I enjoyed it so much that I gave up my full time job in a coffee shop and started studying. That job felt like groundhog day!

What is important to you?

In myself, I am confident and happy, and I want to use my own abilities to help other people to be free, and in the future I want a job where every day is different. It is important to be happy confident and respectful and to work in cohesion with other people. I love being part of a team and being able to get involved and meet new people.

Why did you choose to volunteer at Trinity?

I started off as I have to do a placement to help support a project that is running as part of my course. I went to a networking event at a hotel in Redcliffe and I met a lady called Sally from Macmillan Cancer, and she put me in touch with Karina [Castro, Projects Manager at Trinity] and then it went from there.

Who do you want to interview?

I am looking to reach out to young people from 18 - 30 to ask them questions such as what their your favourite club night is, their best gig and why people like coming to Trinity. I’ll be asking people to be on camera and I’ll be going to lots of gigs and events to speak to people.

If you would like to share your memories of Trinity or speak to Maia, email: tess@3ca.org.uk or call Trinity 0117 9351200 to speak to a member of the Heritage team.

Help us secure Trinity's past, present and future

This season of in house Theatre and Dance programme - IGNiTE we are talking about and celebrating change- changes in people's rights and changes in people's opinions and identities.

Our IGNiTE programming decisions are made in collaboration with our Programming Forum, who share their thoughts on potential shows. For this season, it was clear from the start that we had a great selection of strong female led companies interested in bringing their work to Trinity. All three shows are well crafted performances that tackle intimate themes, telling personal stories that have a universal reach. Having just celebrated International Women's day we are really quite proud to have Man on the Moon, by Keisha Thompson (March 23) , Ladylike by Ella Mesma (March 24) and The Headwrap diaries by Uchenna Dance (April 13) on the horizon.

Ella Mesma Company's show Ladylike challenges the representation of women, particualy the notion of what it is like to be 'ladylike'. We asked Ella ahead of her March 24 show at Trinity, to tell us a little more about her show and why she created it:

What drove you to make Ladylike?

We all need real life superheros who reflect and inspire us. Seeing someone who you can fit the shoes of just speaks in a different way. I had a dream to make Ladylike, a piece that reflected real women, latin women, black women, mixed women, break-women, superhero women. In the media: the women I was seeing were beautiful, but they were not heroes, they were ‘sidechicks’ without much script, and they weren’t doing the saving but being rescued… I wanted to make a piece where the women were dealing with the real life day to day… but fighting back like warriors!

Who is Ladylike for?

I think Ladylike is for everyone: all women! real women, latin women, black women, mixed women, break-women, superhero women… but also for men too… Last night I dreamt that one of the roles was played by a male friend of mine… and he smashed it! I think the story could equally be applied to men: It is about smashing the patriarchy (which all men should be on board with!)

What are the benefits of making a dance theatre piece?

I think dance theatre is about healing, speaking up, having a voice,… and so I think it is also a cleansing experience… a ritual, both for the performers and those watching

Catch Ladylike by Ella Mesma Company March 23. 7.30pm at The Trinity Centre. For tickets and more, head to IGNiTE's what's on.

Help us secure Trinity's past, present and future

Talks include looking at the changing nature of marriage photo @ Khali Ackford

2018 Talk Series

Programmed as part of our Heart & Soul heritage project we will be welcoming national and international speakers to our evening talks, devised in collaboration with Bristol's Architecture Centre and the University of West England (UWE).

The series looks at the challenges and achievements of transforming and preserving historic buildings.

Speakers include: renown Architect Tim Rolands (20 March), known for his development of Jacksons Lane Arts Centre, who will share his unique perspective on transforming historic buildings; Mexican Architect and UWE Senior Lecturer Fidel Meraz (27 Feb) will share his experience of the challenges and successes of transforming a range of disused churches into community hubs; Marcus Hammond, curator of Linconshire's arts centre Slumgothic x-church (17 April) who will draw upon personal experience to explore how 'unfinished' spaces attract new audiences.

Not all transformations end in success, former Drum Art Centre employee Mukhtar Dar, will consider the rise and fall of the Drum (Birmingham) in his talk The Life & Death of an Arts Centre (1 May)

Prof. Brian Heaphy will explore the diversity of marital union in Britain today in his talk From Weddings To Civil Partnerships (29 May) and UWE's Senior Lecturer in Planning Dr Katie McClymont (19 June) will consider how historic buildings, particularly former churches, are now used as sites of secular worship and as community hubs.

Vanguard of Gentrification (10 July) draws together a panel of commentators to explore one of the most contentious and relevant issues in Bristol today. We will close the series of talks with a panel of Trinity's former and current management members, who will discuss the pitfalls and successes of Reconstructing Trinity from Disrepair to Glory (31 July)

Find out more about the talks and how to reserve your free place here and read Heritage intern Tess' notes on our Tuesday talk series.

About the project

Heart and Soul: Trinity in the Community is a celebration of big life events at Trinity. Throughout 2018 there will workshops, talks and heritage activities for all ages. The project runs along side our most recent capital works and has been made possible with the help of these funders.

You can find out more about Heart and Soul: Trinity in the Community here, including how to get involved and how to contribute archive material here.

Thanks to the support of our funders all events in our Heart & Soul project are free. We suggest donation of £2 that will go directly back into Trinity's charitable work.

Help us secure Trinity's past, present and future

Keisha Thompson's Afrofuturistic Man on the Moon

Trinity’s new season of Theatre and Dance is all about celebrating change and features a strong cast of female led  performances - launching with Keisha Thompson’s Afro futuristic journey of displacement and family relationships, Man on the Moon (March 23) and Ella Mesma’s emotionally charged fusion of hip hop and latin dance, Ladylike (24 March).

Thompson’s Man on the Moon is a bruk down journey, through space and time, fuelled by love and fear. Using poetry, looped sounds and story-telling, Keisha’s intimate performance explores the Black British experience of mental health and how that can impact the family dynamic. While Ella’s Ladylike fuses Afro Cuban, Breaking, Rocking and Contemporary dance theatre to fight & undress preconceptions of what it is to be ‘Ladylike’.

Uchenna Dance’s The Head Wrap Dairies (13 April) is “ an amazing piece that I know that a lot of people have been dying to see” says Natasha Benjamin who runs the award winning weekly urban dance group Hype at Trinity.

“I think Head Wrap Diaries really embraces the struggle that the Afro Caribbean community is going through at the moment, especially young girls and women, for many years of growing up not knowing when or where the natural form of their hair will be accepted, so I think seeing this piece will be an eye opener to those that may not be aware or may not understand the struggle of this issue.”

Natasha, sits on Trinity’s programming forum – who share their thoughts on possible shows for our in-house programme. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do, so asking communities to help us shape our programme means the work we bring here is relevant to our audiences.

IGNiTE Launches with Man on the Moon, March 23. 7.30pm at The Trinity Centre. For tickets and more, head to IGNiTE's what's on.

About IGNiTE

Trinity's in house programme of world-class, innovative theatre and dance about issues that matter to people now, starting conversations and sparking debate. IGNiTE is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

Student writes lyrics during a youth music session

“The Trinity Centre has a proven track record of helping young people channel their energy into music, young people who may have struggled to find their way in school and have a raw musical talent but no way of developing this. We’re delighted to be partnering with Basement Studios and ACE for this important youth music project.” Emma Harvey, Trinity’s Centre Director

We are really excited to announce that we have join forces with Basement Studio at The Station and ACE at Docklands Youth Centre to provide life-changing music-making experiences for young people in Bristol.

Funded by Youth Music, Making Tracks is a two year collaborative partnership that offers young people from the inner city communities of Easton, Lawrence Hill and Ashley and Central Bristol to take their first steps into their music making journey. Young people can take part in music-making sessions, workshops and showcase events and will have access to 1-2-1 support and performance opportunities - to take the next steps in their own music-making journey.

Young people will have the chance to take part in a range of activities: tailored 121 and small group music making sessions mentoring, peer learning and joint-project activity showcase events and performances live-learning Q&As with artists & industry professionals.

Are you an aspiring musician wanting to get involved ? Would you like to refer a young person? Find out more here or email davet@3ca.org.uk.

My name is Imoleayo and I live in Bristol. Before I started the Youth Music sessions at Trinity I wasn't doing very much, I was doing okay at school and doing some music sessions in a group - but not really learning very much.

I came here to get guidance and help so that by the time I get back to school I wouldn’t be lost. I would know what I’m doing, so yeah, Trinity really helped out.

My Mum found out about Trinity by searching online and we though that Trinity's courses would suit me the best, they are local and the people seemed really nice.

When I first came I was really shy, so my Mum came along and I just forgot she was there. I got totally involved in the session and it was like heaven. My confidence has grown and now I am like; ‘okay, if I can do it through music then I must be able to do it through just speaking to someone or meeting new people’.

Since being at Trinity I joined the BFI Film Academy and made a documentary! I've also been on Ujima, the communtiy radio based in Bristol, have gained work experience with a few companies and I am studying for my A Levels.