Totterdown Arts Trail comes into the light

For the thousands of visitors flocking to the area every year, there is a weekend in late November synonymous with the Totterdown Arts Trail. Yet, like all fixtures in the calendar, it’s had a year off, and is now returning on November 20-21, with new organisers Cai Burton and Luci Bearman at the helm. I caught up with Burton for a cuppa in my kitchen, looking out over the famed Totterdown skyline, and learned that for him, taking over the running of the much-loved trail seemed like the next logical step in a long association with the event.

“I have enjoyed being part of the arts trail for so many years, and it’s changed a lot throughout my life,” he reflects. “I grew up in Totterdown, and I remember going as a kid and a teenager, wandering round seeing friends. When I became an artist and started making work, the arts trail was one of the first places that I showed it all.”

Burton is an illustrator, based at Old Market’s Pennywell Studios, and producing “everything from design to murals to workshops, to artist support”. Since first participating in the arts trail in 2016, he has exhibited in various different houses over subsequent years, but this time around is concentrating squarely on supporting the wealth of artists who will be participating.

“I’m just doing it for the love of it this year,” he smiles. “It feels like the arts trail is a natural part of what I do. It’s supporting artists, it’s community, it’s creating fun events; to me it feel like it fits naturally with my practice.”

Burton is mindful that for many local artists, the last year has been an isolating one, without many of the usual opportunities to show, and sell, their work. In lockdown, he began to host online meetups for those seeking to rebuild lost connections, retrieving a bit of what he calls “that community collaborative spirit”.  These virtual gatherings are ongoing today, and remain very meaningful to the creatives taking part. “If you have to work harder for it to happen, it means more,” he says.

Totterdown houses from above. Photo: – Joshua Perrett

This year’s theme, ‘Into The Light’ was chosen very deliberately as a reflection of the hopeful and forward-looking ethos the trail will hope to foster within the local community. And for many visitors, the internal glow that comes with being invited into a warm house on a cold, crisp Autumnal day, perhaps with a mug of mulled cider in hand, is all part of the weekend’s particular magic. “It’s about bringing life back to the streets,” Burton explains. “It also gives the artists something to work with and bounce off, and gives a focus for any activities we want to run across the weekend.”

As ever, the breadth of art on show over the weekend promises to be vast, and for every familiar face, there will be someone new and surprising. “It’s going to be a really interesting trail to go to because in some ways it won’t be like any of the others,” ponders Burton. “The art will be new and fresh and different and the way that people host spaces and talk to you is going to be unique.” Indeed, for many art trail enthusiasts, it’s those more personal moments talking to artists over the weekend that really make it memorable. For others, it is the seemingly insurmountable quest to tick off all the locations on the map that characterises the experience.

Amongst the many special touches and embellishments to this year’s programme, there will be walkabout performances popping up around the trail, a mixture of indoor and outdoor workshops (some messier than others), musical performances and a variety of venues serving food and drink, including Totterdown favourites The Oxford, The Shakespeare, and The Sundial Kitchen. Burton is eager for community members and local businesses to get involved in any number of ways. “If people have things they want to run or do, let us know,” he urges. “If you want to run a workshop, or dance around the streets doing fire juggling, we’ll make sure that you’ve got a safe space to do that.”

The Oxford, Totterdown will be amongst the venues providing entertainment and refreshments on the trail. Photo: – Ellie Pipe

Safety is a recurrent theme in much of the decision-making Burton and Bearman have faced in recent weeks. Where welcoming visitors to the trail is concerned, “we want to meet people where they’re at,” says Burton. “That means providing a variety of different spaces. We want to give visitors all the information they need in order to go about the trail in a way that feels safe for them.”

The trail will feature a number of larger community spaces to exhibit, which it is hoped will reassure artists who may have yet to sign up. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the organisers with their requirements, in order to be matched with a venue that works for them. “There’s understandably a lot of hesitancy from people who may not feel ready to open their own home, or be in those sorts of spaces, and we want to really respect that. If it is a smaller trail this year, that’s ok. It doesn’t need to be the biggest all the time. What’s really important about the trail is that it’s about artists sharing work, and being creative together.”

For those people who may feel apprehensive about going into houses to view art, the organisers will be running a window trail to run concurrently over the weekend, and will be encouraging anyone and everyone in Totterdown to decorate their front door, window, and/or garden in preparation.

Stevens Crescent , Totterdown. Photo: – Martin Booth

Burton’s passion for the artistic community is unequivocal, and he believes that the art trail is the ideal vehicle through which to champion their talents. “As an artist, I know it’s really tricky sometimes to shout about your work, and share what you’re up to, but this is quite an easy and low stress way of doing that,” he enthuses.

As the artist registration deadline approaches, Burton is concentrating his efforts on making the entire experience as fun and positive as it can be. “I’m really invested in it. I want to make sure every artist gets attention and care and feels looked after and supported, because that’s what it’s about.”

For those who may not be able to make it on the weekend of November 20-21, Burton points out that the list of exhibiting artists on the Totterdown Arts Trail map would make for an amazing Christmas gift guide. And for all those visitors readying themselves for a vibrant weekend spent following their well-thumbed trail maps all over the neighbourhood, not least up and down a few wonderfully challenging hills along the way, Burton has one final thought on putting his home turf into the spotlight:

“The people of Totterdown are very creative, and if they’ve got ideas, we’re going to make it happen.”

Registration closes on Monday, October 18 – go to https://totterdownartstrail.org/ for details.

Totterdown Arts Trail welcomes any help that people may want to offer, from putting up marquees, tables and chairs, to generally getting the word out. Please get in touch with the Cai Burton and Luci Bearman via the event website.

Main image: – Cai Burton

Read more: West Bristol Arts Trail returns for 2021