People / Breakfast with Bristol24/7
Breakfast with Bristol24/7: Doug Francisco
It’s been ten years since Doug Francisco and his Invisible Circus crew took over the former Old Bridewell police and fire station for Carny Ville events that have gone down in Bristol folklore. “I still can’t go out without someone telling me it was the best night they’ve ever had,” he says, sitting down for brunch under the canopy of Yurt Lush on a wet morning. “Ten years later people still stop me and say, ‘you’re that guy from that thing!’ – it is amazing.”
In that decade, Artspace Lifespace have turned Old Bridewell (now The Island) into a permanent base from where they plan their procurement of other derelict spaces – most recently working with Bristol City Council to open dilapidated Ashton Court Mansion to the public for community and creative events – and Doug has opened underground art venue the Loco Klub in a subterranean arch below Temple Meads station. But wrestling space for the arts in an ever more gentrified city is challenging, with many artists priced out despite their role in making Bristol appealing.
“We have stuck a few wedges in the cogs, and The Island turning into a youth project instead of a shopping centre is quite a significant thing, but it’s been more by chance than design,” Doug says after ordering a plate of bacon and eggs. “With councils and government, someone shows up with a million quid to develop a place and they just take the money. There’s not a great deal of thought that goes into it.
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“In the classic pattern of gentrification there is very little space for the underground creative scene that was so much a part of Bristol’s identity. The world is jealous of our creative output – everyone loves English art and music – but it’s weird because it’s not like the mainstream culture is supportive of that. Everyone who has made it has had to work really hard.
“It is possible that these two worlds can work together, but the biggest problems are around policy-making. It’s a convenient mechanism for developers to let artists make Bristol the coolest place in the country to move to, but once that’s done there’s no retaining any of the art scene. It’s not part of the strategy.”
The food arrives and Doug liberally adds ketchup. “We’ve retained the spaces that we have by taking on really difficult spaces, like the Loco Klub just around the corner, which is a listed building but it’s totally underground. Meanwhile you have places like this yurt cafe that’s all locally sourced, eco-friendly, a local business: what’s not to like? But obviously this could be seen as a gentrification signal.”
It’s a debate that is coming to a head on two major fronts, with a planning application pending acceptance on appeal to turn Block C of Hamilton House into flats, the resident artists having been evicted earlier this year, and an ongoing public consultation into a £3.5m renovation of the Bearpit that would see it become a ‘food innovation hub’ renamed The Circle.
“The Bearpit is an international icon. There’s endless streams of tourists turning up to photograph the graffiti; it attracts people,” Doug says, chewing a crust of toast. “But because it’s a safe haven for homeless people, which doesn’t work that well with cafes and diners, it’s tricky. So, what, you just socially cleanse it and turn it into something else and exclude those people that are most excluded in society? There are plenty of areas around Bristol where it could happen instead.
“There’s a lot to be said for trying to change up the offers, but if you’ve got somewhere that’s a hub for homeless people it would make sense to put some resources in to people who could deal with what is more or less a crisis. But then there have been such drastic cuts that those resources aren’t there. It should be that economic regeneration helps those issues because there’s more money being made, but it doesn’t.”
So, can art step in where money fails? “Art is a really powerful medium in terms of bridging gaps and starting conversations and creating spaces, but policy is so far away from that,” Doug says. “In my brief time working with the councils, I’ve realised how risk-averse they are, and also that they are under incredible pressure as a result of the current political power being driven by financial and economic incentives, as opposed to being more social or community-oriented.”
It’s a debate Doug is keen to continue, and he has plans to organise a conference next spring at Ashton Court Mansion, bringing together policy-makers, developers and planners for an open dialogue about creating space for the arts and making the consultation process on public spaces more transparent. “Most people wouldn’t know that there are consultations going out on the Bearpit at the moment, so it’s time to start engaging people,” Doug says.
“What’s good about Bristol is that it has retained some of its identity and it’s still a wicked place with a lot of amazing people. The sad thing is that there were opportunities to do things so differently and I feel that’s been missed. I’m an eternal optimist but it is depressing. It’s important to have conversations while there still is something to discuss.”
Illustration by Anna Higgie: www.annahiggie.co.uk
Read more: Breakfast with Bristol24/7: Nikesh Shukla
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