25 Below: Building creativity

by Cal Russell-Thompson

25 Below has just finished its second exciting week, the results of which have poured into the exhibition space. Over the last fortnight, our free events and activities have inspired 14-25 year olds to create stunning zines, sculptures, sketches and animations.

Their work is even moving beyond the walls of the gallery: a geometric mural of an Egyptian vulture can now be seen hovering over the museum café. Dreamt up by 16 year old Niamh, her winning idea perfectly combines the exhibition’s bird motif with the globetrotting diversity of the museum’s collection.

With so much visual art on display, 25 Below has begun to put other kinds of creativity in the spotlight; Wednesday’s workshop with poetry slam champion Solomon OB is one such example. Over the course of the day he showed the group how to speed-write, redraft, edit and perform a spoken word piece. “It was great to hear him recite some of his work and see his process in action,” said Jésus, 22. “I found it useful for improving my writing and my spoken English.”

“Solomon was really inspiring,” said Tegan, a senior volunteer with 25 Below. “It was particularly reassuring to see a 25 year old in a position where they can make a living from their creative talents!”

If you would like to hear some of the participants’ wonderful work, come to the Wrap-up Party for a reading! It all lifts off on Wednesday 31 August, 6pm – 8pm.

Having dipped its toe into the waters of writing, 25 Below welcomed children’s author Rachel Carter on Thursday to help young people to set their imaginations free, and get their ideas down on the page. Some wonderful stories emerged from the session, all of which are available to read in the exhibition space.

How do you make a living from the things you love doing? Babassa was here to help with that, and all other careers advice, on Friday. Young people also dropped in to find out more about working in the museums sector. In case you missed it, why not head over to their website; they offer great guidance and exciting events for young people.

Join us next week as we continue our exploration of art beyond the visual. First, we’re going virtual on 23 and 24 August with our Museum Minecraft workshop, run by the friendly folks at Knowle West Media Centre. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a rookie miner, join us as we craft, build, enchant and curate a big, blocky Bristol Museum! See you there on Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:30am till 4pm. Don’t forget to book online.

Would you rather make some noise? Help Bristol Plays Music to ‘Soundscape the Past‘ on Thursday 25 and Friday 26, 10am till 4pm. Use professional sound design software to express yourself. Thrash out some plesiosaur prog, use the echoing staircase as a drum machine, remix a lion – you name it. Register your space on the workshop now.

There’s also still time to book your free place on Hype Dance’s Street Dance Workshop, which takes place on Wednesday 31 August. Learn to pop and lock with the pros… and you’ll even get a chance to perform at the Wrap-Up Party!