Monday 28 February 2011

MARCH EVENTS AT SHOP!

28th Feb – 5th March / 12pm – 6pm / FREE

8 Drawings

by Matthew Douglas

Matthew Douglas has been making temporary work since 2002, his output has taken the form of sculptures, actions and installations. His most recent work, including work on steel (Bristol/London) and sculptures (Berlin) have only existed for the duration of their exhibition.

The works exhibited in EIGHT DRAWINGS were produced during the latter months of 2010 and form some of his most industrious and intricate work to date.

Thursday 3rd March / 7.15pm – 8.15pm / FREE

Lights Off, Radio On

Airing: a BBC radio play adaptation set in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (59 minutes)

Join us sitting in SHOP, in the dark, to listen to a radio play as selected by the ‘Lights Off, Radio On’ team. As the visual is rendered invisible, instead let your imaginations explore the dystopian corporate world of Metropolis.

No talking, loud eating, or jogging/aerobics, please. Hot beverages will be on offer to sit with you through the proceedings.

Saturday 5th March / 11am – 4pm / FREE

Christmas Steps Community Artisan Market

This monthly market runs every first Saturday of the month throughout the year. You can expect the wonderful teetering charm of the artisan stalls and the same high standard of beautiful crafts and wares as always, as well as the lovely shops and cafes surrounding the market.

To book a stall email: christmasstepsartsquarter@yahoo.co.uk

7th – 12th March / 12pm – 6pm / FREE

Oneman Travelplan

By Daniel le Mesurier

In March 2008 Daniel le Mesurier left Britain to spend several months traveling across west africa, this experience yielded a wealth of material : hundreds of photographs and drawings, an enriched travel diary and weeks of video footage.

In ONEMAN TRAVELPLAN, Le Mesurier and Matthew Douglas present a selection of this archive including an edited film, original drawings and limited edition photographs.

Thursday 10th March / 7.30pm / £2

‘Ten’

by Simon Parkin

In 2010 Simon Parkin filmed ten seconds of every single day. The film Ten is the result. An hour long documentation of a year in the life.

There’s a preview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh0UX6T5RRI And Simon himself will be along on the 10th March, to introduce it himself.

For further info, lookey here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ten/164232810288933

Saturday 12th March / 7.30pm – 10pm / £2

37th Chamber

The regular 37th Chamber Film Night at SHOP - expect the usual grind-house and kung-fu classics from these Arts Space regulars.

18th – 24th March / 12pm – 6pm / FREE

Abstract Nightmares

by Aaron Boys and Nathan Nicholson

‘Abstract Nightmares' explores the human condition through painting and illustration.

Tuesday 22nd March / 8pm / FREE

Record Club

The second Bristol Record Club is here!

Record Club is a chance to sit down and dedicate the time needed to enjoy important music with other fans. On the night, 2 LP’s will be played - these records might be old classics, forgotten gems or brand spanking new. The records will be nominated by the people in the club (via a comment on the blog or our twitter account) and voted on in the week before the night.

If you love a record nominate it, the records that win the vote will be the ones we play, so send them over to the log now!

SHOP will be open at 7.30pm and we’ll aim to start playing the first record at 8pm. Feel free to bring some nibbles and drinks along.

Saturday 26 February 2011

February Events Round Up

We've been extremely slack with blogging here at SHOP towers this month. We're willing to blame the ancient SHOP camera which has decided to only take a picture every 4th attempt, but we're certainly not blaming the quality and general aceness of those events we have failed to blog! No sirree! So here's a little round of February and we'll be reporting for blog-duty during March, no fear!

SOFT CABARET
The Bard of Windmill Hill and Fakir Darren arrived at SHOP on Thursday the 18th February ready for their performance with nothing but a mysterious suitcase, giving away no clue as to what the evening had in store.

However, with the benefit of a linear time system, we can tell you. The Bard of Windmill Hill performed poems on the theme of love, which were touching and highly amusing in equal measure. Particular favourites here at SHOP were the comparison of companionship with tennis balls and a love ode to mother nature complete with slurping noises.

The multi-talented Fakir Darren performed a mixture of story telling, stand up, magic and feats of daring all in our little 'ol arts space! Such feats included lying on a bed of nails whilst having a bowling ball dropped on his wedding tackle! Oooh, that makes for a memorable Valentine's Day performance, we can tell thee! And unbelievable tricks like passing himself through himself, we kid you not.

We certainly hope to welcome both the Bard and the Fakir back to SHOP in the very near future and shall pass this knowledge onto you, reader.

'NEVER MORE THAN A METRE AWAY'
Tim Ulewicz kicked off his solo show in good stylee with a barrel of cider and porky pig sweeties for everyone! The real highlight though was Tim's work of course, which really impressed everyone who attended. It marked the start of a really busy week for Tim and he had so many people stopping by to look at his work, talk to him and buy a piece of their own that he fair ran out of porky pigs and had to switch to eclairs and mini eggs.

A much better review (with pictures!) can be found on Tim's own website here

RECORD CLUB
Bristol's first Record Club took place at SHOP on Thursday 24th. After three weeks of preparation; nominating records, then collecting votes, we were all left breathless with anticipation at which records would come out on top. We needn't have wasted our breath however and could have had 20 B&H instead, as it was a five way tie and we had to have a re-vote on the night! It was a really popular event and we have already scheduled Record Club No. 2 for the 22nd March!

Find out more here

THE END
So, that's the end of February, March's newsletter will be hitting the blog on Monday!

Bye y'all!

Monday 14 February 2011

Ode of Love to SHOP

SHOP surveyed 100% of two people and asked for their favourite love songs. The result was this mish mash of love-lyrics made into a touching/douchy love poem to, or about SHOP, we can't really tell:

****************************************************************************

My hair is turning grey, my dreams are fading fast away.

The teardrops fall as I write to you, as my words come falling onto the page

Through streets and avenues, won’t you come back to your lover?

The hours are slipping up behind you, as the sweetest days of life go by.

Could this be the end, are you the one I've been waiting for?

I will celebrate my love for you with a pint of beer and a new tattoo

and the people that once passed you by, will turn their heads round.

You're my reason to get out of bed before noon, you incite me to, chorus.

‘Cus I love you for the things you couldn't change, though you've tried.

We’ll get by on the shelter of each other. Maybe, we’ll fall in love again.

Let that feeling overtake me, a groovy kind of love,

as it seems tonight, time after each time - SHOP, you are my funny Valentine.


Tuesday 1 February 2011

FEBRUARY AT SHOP!

EVENTS

Saturday 12th February / 11am – 4pm / Free

Valentine’s Artisan Market

This monthly market runs every first Saturday of the month throughout the year. You can expect the wonderful teetering charm of the artisan stalls and the same high standard of beautiful crafts and wares as always, as well as the lovely shops and cafes surrounding the market. February’s market will be the perfect opportunity for people to get their hands on special one off gifts for Valentines!

To book a stall email: christmasstepsartsquarter@yahoo.co.uk

Saturday 12th February / 7.30pm – 10pm / £2

37th Chamber: Vampire Girl v Frankenstein Girl

The regular 37th Chamber Film Night at SHOP are going all gooey and romantic! You can still expect the usual grind-house and kung-fu classics from these Arts Space regulars, however.

FFI: Search ‘37th Chamber’ on Facebook

Thursday 17th February / 7.30pm – 9pm / £5/£2

Soft Cabaret

Venture through the secret door for an evening of “stories, stand-up, circus, sonnets and smagic” on the theme of Love. Fakir Darren, Master of the Mysterious Ways of the East will be coming west to beguile and intrigue, while “the Bard of Windmill Hill ” will be going downhill, to join him in verse; sweet-natured foolishness in the friendliest, cosiest of settings with ‘Soft Cabaret’.

Saturday 19th – Friday 25th February / 12pm – 6pm / Free

Never More Than a Metre Away by Tim Ulewicz


An exhibition of all new works and imaginings by Tim Ulewicz, including Britain’s most successful mammal and probably the most familiar, who – by fact or by fiction, wherever you are in Britain – is never more than a metre away.

Thursday 24th February / 8pm – 10pm / Free

Record Club

The first of what will hopefully become a regular club at SHOP. Record Club is a chance to sit down and dedicate the time needed to enjoy important music with other fans. On the night, 2 or 3 LP’s will be played - these records might be old classics, forgotten gems or brand spanking new. The records will be nominated by the people in the club (via a comment on the blog or our twitter account) and voted on in the week before the night.

If you love a record nominate it, the records that win the vote will be the ones we play. Nominations for the first night are open now, so start sending in your choices. We’ll open the vote on the 17th February to give people a week to express their opinions. The votes will be counted on the 23rd and the proponents of the winning records will be notified by email/twitter to make sure they can attend the night and have the record to hand.

SHOP will be open at 7.30pm and we’ll aim to start playing the first record at 8pm. Feel free to bring some nibbles and drinks along.

NEWS

SHOP will be closed for a family occasion, couldn’t get out of it, dog ate our homework etc, from Thursday 2nd February until Monday 7th February. Business as unusual from Tuesday 8th.

COMING SOON…

In March SHOP will be hosting a (nearly) world premiere of Zinester, graphic designer, now turned film-maker Simon Parkin’s film called ‘Ten’. In 2010 Simon filmed ten seconds of every single day and the film is the result.

Whet your whistle here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh0UX6T5RRI

CARELESS WISPA

There’s a wispa on the Steps, - careful it’s a bit melted and slippy – that SHOP will soon be going back to it’s very original hardcore 7-days-a-week opening, yessir, that means Sunday’s will soon be taken from organised religion and given to SHOP. You will be able to drift about in SHOP 7-days-a-week from spring time.

SHOPIRMATION: ‘Beauty is 99.9% attitude’