sustained theatre

The exhibition titled ‘Bristol Wild Dayz’ has been co-curated by internationally renowned Bristol photographer, Beezer and coincides with the launch of his book ‘Wild Dayz’.

Bristol Wild Dayz

Saturday 12 December – Sunday 31 January 2010

Bristol’s City Museum & Art Gallery

Open daily 10am-5pm

Tel:0117 922 3571

Andrew “Beezer” Beese was born in Bristol on October 22nd 1965. His early work documented the emerging underground youth culture of Bristol that helped shape later mainstream lifestyles in the UK. Beezer then went to London and around the world document life and cultures finally setting up home in Japan. Beezer is currently touring the touring UK and Europe and the States promoting his work both in book form and exhibitions.

The exhibition and the book is a homage to the early 80’s Bristol scene which Beezer was determined to record, and with his knack for capturing the moment, he takes the viewer on a voyeuristic journey through Bristol’s back street cultures, through the no go areas where the police feared to tread.

A childhood friend of the Wild Bunch boys, Beezer captured those crucial early years with rare documentation of an emergent youth culture. Beezer recalls: 'In 1984, Technics just brought out these DJ decks, all my friends were DJ’s, they would play all kinds of records - funk, punk, post-punk and then a lot of US hip-hop and electro stuff was coming in. There was also the graffiti that people like 3D and Banksy were doing. But we had no idea what it would escalate into. The Bristol guys would go up to London to play with the other sound systems and sometimes combine to hold big warehouse parties. These were completely illegal events attracting 700 or 800 people in a freezing cold warehouse with a bathtub full of beers, and a massive sound system the vibe was incredible almost mystical.''

'There was attitude, but none of the egotistical face we see too often now.

The exhibition which is being co-curated by ‘State of Art’ (The collective that created Glastonbury Festival 2009 first ever full on art gallery/exhibition), captures the excitement of this early underground scene with over 100 archive images featuring the Wild Bunch, scenes from the Dug Out club, Bristol’s music and DJ scene, St Paul’s Carnival, Glastonbury festivals and Bristol’s early sound systems as well as partying and graffiti scene.

There will also be a specially commissioned film documenting the early years of Bristol’s music and youth culture by Steve Haley and two newly commissioned 8 by 5 foot contemporary new works of graffiti art by Inkie (artist) and Ian dark (artist & DJ).

The exhibition will have record extracts of some of those in the photographs, giving life to the images and places. There will also be an exciting launch at the museum followed by an after launch party at the Bristol Watershed with special guest DJ’s and artists supporting the launch.

This exhibition has been planned in collaboration with Bristol Museums & Archives, who are seeking to collect Bristol people’s memories and memorabilia of that landmark time in the city’s music scene, including social and political activities. The exhibition will feature memories of some of the key people involved, and the public will be invited to add their own memories of the people, places and scene as part of the growing exhibition content. Some of this material will contribute to the stories and displays in the exciting new museum about Bristol people, M-Shed. Anyone with memories or other items to contribute to the city’s collections should contact Sarwat Siddiqui, Community History Curator through www.bristol.gov.uk/museums.