THE CHEWING GUM CHALLENGE CONTINUES!

Next Saturday 20th June, LitterARTI will return to Broadmead to raise awareness about recycling chewing gum with the #BristolGumdrop campaign. Between 11am and 3pm, those who pop into Broadmead will have the chance to see the creation of a Chewing Gum Unicorn sculpture near M&S. LitterARTI will also host a day full of entertainment for the whole family with fun activities such as street performances with the Original Spinners and The Wardrobe Ensemble!

The team from Gumdrop will also be there to tell you more about the amazing product.

The #BristolGumdrop campaign was launched on 9^th April, and it is an initiative shared with Broadmead BID and Gumdrop LTD. During the event, the public will be offered a ‘Gumdrop’ in which they will be asked to place their used gum and deposit it in one of the chewing gum recycling points in Broadmead. All ‘Gumdrops’ received will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win £500 of shopping vouchers to spend in shops in Bristol Shopping Quarter.

The winner will be selected at the final event on Saturday 25th July, where LitterARTI will also be entertaining with new and exciting performances.

LitterARTI Chewing Gum Litter Awareness Campaign with Broadmead Bid and Gumdrop!

On the 9th May, LitterARTI will be joining forces again with Broadmead Bid and Gumdrop to raise awareness about the issue of chewing gum litter.

The promotion is just fantastic in that it allows you to stand a chance to win a £500 shopping voucher at Broadmead*, just for recycling your gum! For more details about the promotion, see the gumdropltd/bristolgumdrop.

Litterarti chewing gum awareness campaign with Broadmead Bid Shopping Quarter and Gumdrop

LitterARTI invites you to join us between 11am – 3pm on the 9th of May at Broadmead Shopping Quarter, by the blue balls, for fun art and entertainment for the whole family. Performers include the Original Spinners, who do live interactive clowning performances, we also have The Wardrobe Ensemble who will be performing funny songs and engaging with kids at Broadmead. Other fun filled activities include a sculpture being made on-site using a lot of Gum! Come and see for yourself!

LitterARTI Tackling Chewing Gum issues with Broadmead Bid and Gumdrop

Bin your gum! Bristol Shopping Quarter tackles the sticky issue of chewing gum.

The Broadmead BID team is launching a new campaign to educate and inspire the people of Bristol to dispose of their gum responsibly through recycling.

Partnering with Gumdrop, an organisation which specialises in recycling used chewing gum to make many amazing products from rulers to guitar picks, americano mugs and even wellington boots! and LitterARTI, a Bristol based Arts Collective, famed for producing works of art from litter, the BID team hopes to address this issue with an innovative campaign which will be launched on 9th April at The Podium in Broadmead, between 11am – 3pm, and continue until the end of July. The project is supported by Bristol City Council and Bristol European Green Capital 2015.

At the launch event and at two further events, on Saturday 9th May and Saturday 20th June shoppers who use chewing gum will be offered a ‘Gumdrop’ – a small pink key ring container, made with recycled chewing gum, in which they will be asked to place their used gum. Once full – each Gumdrop takes up to 25 pieces of gum – they will be asked to deposit their Gumdrop into one of four specially-branded chewing gum recycling points at The Podium, in the centre of Broadmead.

The Gumdrops will be collected throughout the campaign and will be entered into a free prize draw, with the lucky winner receiving a £500 shopping voucher to spend in Bristol Shopping Quarter. The winner will be announced at the final event on Saturday 25th July.

Broadmead retailers have shown their backing for the initiative by agreeing to hold stocks of the Gumdrops in their stores. Replacement Gumdrops can be collected from: Berghaus, Bo-Concept, Co-Lab, Game, Lush, Runners Need & Cycle Surgery, Specsavers, Thomas Cook, Times Past Vintage Sweet Shoppe and The Fragrance Shop.

In order to measure the impact of the campaign, the BID cleansing team has agreed to monitor the number of pieces of chewing gum they remove for a control period before the project launches and then throughout the four month campaign period.

Jo Hawkins, Broadmead BID manager said: “Retailers within the Broadmead BID area pay a levy, part of which goes towards enhanced cleansing including the removal of chewing gum and it is hoped that this project will result in cleaner streets in Broadmead and will save money which can be spent on other things which will benefit all BID businesses. This a great project to be undertaking in the year Bristol is European Green Capital.

While a serious issue is being tackled, the campaign aims to promote the problems associated with the incorrect disposal of chewing gum in a fun, educational way. LitterARTI is curating events which bring together a collaboration of performing and visual artists, who will confront this unsightly issue with the shoppers in Broadmead, through public engagement art.

Annali Grimes from LitterARTI said ” We are delighted to be part of this ground-breaking project, using the arts to address community issues and encourage civic participation. This project with the Broadmead BID is central to our city-wide litter awareness events to take place during 2015. Our partnerships with Bristol European Green Capital 2015 and Bristol City Council allow us to create new contexts for the arts, to educate about the effects of rubbish and promote recycling.”

Anna Bullus from Gumdrop added “We are very excited to be working with the Broadmead BID and LitterARTI to bring this exciting new initiative to Bristol. We hope that the campaign will help inspire chewers to recycle their chewing gum and in turn create a cleaner greener Bristol.”

The campaign will be promoted strongly via social media using the hashtag #bristolgumdrop, through work which LitterARTI carry out with young people, on posters and on a specially created webpage at www.gumdropltd.com/bristolgumdrop

For more information about the Bin Your Gum initiative, or to arrange to attend the launch on 9th April, please contact jo.hawkins@destinationbristol.co.uk

For more information about Gumdrop, contact friends@gumdropltd.com or visit www.gumdropltd.com

For more information about LitterARTI, contact info@litterarti.com or visit: www.litterarti.com

For information about Bristol European Green Capital, visit www.bristol2015.co.uk

For information about The Broadmead BID, visit www.broadmeadbristolbid.co.uk or email jo.hawkins@destinationbristol.co.uk

Live Litter Events in Bristol 2015! Support us with Neighbourly.com

Check out our video which the Neighbourly team has put together beautifully!

The wonderful work of Bee the Change and the Forest of Avon Trust , and LitterARTI, Bees, Trees and Rubbish!

Please have a look on Neighbourly and support our projects across Bristol this summer!

ARTISTS and PERFORMERS CALL-OUT: Litter – Awareness creative engagement events 2015

During 2015 LitterARTI is tackling litter extensively raising awareness though city wide events, and performances and installations. We are calling artists and performers who are passionate about the issue of “litter” to get in touch with the LitterARTI team.

We have been fortunate to receive funding from Bristol 2015 Green Capital and are working with numerous partners on addressing litter in Bristol in fun and exciting ways. Through this project we use litter-issues as an opportunity to bring all peoples together around issues which affect all of us. And all this through art and creativity. Litter provides an opportunity for communities to actually address an issue, take action on it, while seeing tangible results from it. This in itself is empowering.

Litter is like the irritating, loud little sister – of the sustainability issues family. Always following you around, but not threatening – not on the scale of the impeding energy crisis, water and food shortages, threatening of valuable natural resources and our comfortable lifestyles to only mention a few things… all complex and sometimes very debilitating concepts.

But, by taking care of our little sister, by nurturing her, and importantly, not ignoring her, you realise the importance she has in the family and also let her realise her own value in helping to bring attention to climate change to hard to reach audiences, and enabling and empowering us to do something about it within supportive communities.

ps. note this does not in any way resemble the relationship I have with my own sister. Ed.

Christmas workshops! MAKE-YOUR-OWN-GIFTS and DECORATIONS

Make-Your-Own-Christmas-Gifts and Decorations in creative craft workshops taking place from 19 – 29 November 2014. See the event page for more info on bookings.

Workshops are suitable for both kids and adults, and we also take group bookings, so why not do something different for Christmas this year? It will also be suited for charity groups and youth groups to attend.

We have three artists involved in our workshops who all use reclaimed materials to create their crafts: Phipholle, Grace Engel, and Katharina Nyilas.

Phipholle - LitterARTI - Creative Upcycling Workshops

Phipholle – Can-Jewelry Workshops

Phipholle is a young French woman passionate about DIY. Disheartened by the quantity of waste our society is producing, she has been exploring the creative potential of materials that she has been able to salvage in the street, in recycling centres or in her everyday life for the last 9 years. She regularly takes part in upcycling projects, showcases and sells her work. Phipholle is also an experienced workshop leader.

She frequently organises workshops for adults and kids during festivals and events, most recently in the frame of LitterARTI. She loves sharing clever recycling techniques with as many as possible and help people become more aware of their own creativity and realise that at their own level, they can help environmental issues.

Her workshops include jewelry making using bicycle inner tubes and softdrink cans. She will also be running a Christmas decoration workshop making wreaths, stars and more from reclaimed materials.

Innertube Jewelry and Christmas Wreath made by Phipholle

Grace Engel making origami garlands

Beautiful butterfly origamis made be Grace Engel

Grace Engel has made art for over 20 years, As well as other fine art, originals, prints and cards on sale in Bohemia, she produces individual commissioned portraits, and sells a line of recycled gifts in the form of small art pieces, painted jar lanterns and paper origami garlands with cranes, lilies, and butterflies on ribbon with glass beads. She describes herself as compulsively and passionately creative, exploring all kinds of creativity throughout our lives.

Grace will be running a workshop for all ages , encouraging creative recycling by re- using old art trail brochures to make origami garlands.

Katharina Nyilas Memory album workshop

Katharina Nyilas is doing a workshop constructing a beautiful memory album with fold out pages, flaps and pockets out of decorative, recycled and found papers. You will take home with you a unique decorated album which you will be able to give as a special gift on it’s own or fill with your own thoughts, memories and photographs.

Most of the materials you can find in your own home enabling you can take the skills you learn away with you and make a variety of wonderful recycled albums at home! All levels of experience are welcomed. All materials and equipment will be provided however participants are welcome to bring their own paper, decorative beads and fabrics.The workshop will enable you to have fun, learn a new skill and create something you are proud of!

The LitterARTI-creative workshops will take place in a pop-up gallery Maisy and Ace. Beautiful artworks are on sale, and Kate will also have teas and coffees available while you enjoy your time in the gallery. The Gallery is part of an idea to bring new life into Old Market. Within walking distance from Cabot Circus, you have access to some original locally made art pieces. The shop location is: 80 West Street. St Philips. BS2 0BW

Creative Workshop with Easton Energy – Beat the Cold Event

LitterARTI had another event taking place with the Easton Energy Group: Beat The Cold. A Local Community Event bringing local incentives together under one roof at the Easton Community Centre. Groups included were: Easton Energy, Foodcycle, and Demand Energy Equality with their DIY solar panel workshops.

Two artists, Annali Alletha and Phipholle were there doing creative recycling workshops exploring household waste. Plastic bottles and yogurt pots. The fun to work with waste materials, is that it allows for experimentation, no need being precious about materials here! It was quite funny actually collecting the plastic bottles from the parks and on the cycle path, as the coloured plastics are becoming quite a commodity!

LitterARTI Workshop: Phipholle with her flower girls(and boy!)

Annali Alletha making fan using yogurt pots, and plastic bottles

LitterARTI WORKSHOP: Annali with kids making fans using yogurt pots, and plastic bottles

The Flying Fish of Frenchay

We worked with UWE Green Leaders to support their messages and awareness campaigns for the Green Awareness Week at the Frenchay Campus today. It was a rainy day, cold and rather miserable… after such a lovely summer I think it is catching us all a bit by surprise!

Pete Margerum and Annali Alletha Grimes co-created the Flying Fish of Frenchay with the UWE Green Leaders. The plastic and bottles were collected after an evening’s consumption at the local campus bar (a pound a pint) we only managed to perhaps use half of the materials. Even though UWE recycles all these plastics, you do wonder if there are alternatives to explore where people can have one cup per night, pay a deposit and for it to be re-used…

Today also showed again, with these type of art projects – you need to be flexible and adaptable to the environment, and really just turn up and be present, with no attachment to the outcome. All the ideas and concepts and previous scoping and stuff were thrown out of the window with the unpredictable weather, and well I think we delivered awesomely.

Some images below:

LitterARTI with UWE Green Leaders at Frenchay Campus, Bristol

The Flying Fish of Frenchay: LitterARTI with UWE Green Leaders at Frenchay Campus, Bristol

LitterARTI with UWE Green Leaders at Frenchay Campus, Bristol

CALL OUT: RECYCLING ARTISTS FOR CHRISTMAS WORKSHOPS

LitterARTI has a fantastic opportunity for Recycling-artists to run Make-your-own Christmas Gifts and Decorations workshops as part of a new pop-up gallery in Old Market with Maisy + Ace during the month of November. Please read more about that here:

Trinity Community Arts is having a Christmas Market on 6th of December and they are offering a free stall in exchange for a creative upcycling workshop. (Workshop minimum an hour). To book a workshop with a stall, email: sandra@3ca.org.uk and mention LitterARTI.

We thought this would work well in collaboration with other artists, so this leads me to the last bit of our communication.

We are planning a Creative Playday for artists to explore “waste” materials to promote the idea of re-use and recycling. Venue and Date to be confirmed, but the idea is for recycling-artists to come together, explore materials, collaborate with other artists, share techniques and ideas and just hang out for a day. Re-Use and Recycling are hot topics in the Green capital Agenda and there are opportunities for creative workshops to promote these concepts for 2015. To start collaborating now might be good to set up working partnerships, which we would be happy to promote in setting up LitterARTI workshops to take place next year as part of Green Capital 2015.

The planned date would be the last week of October, either Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, (29,30,31). Please email Annali at: info@litterarti.com to show your interest.

It will be free of charge, but for artists to bring along the recyclables and materials and tools they would like to explore and share. So artists can move around freely and work together. Ps. also share your preference for days for these workshops to take place on a regular basis as we could set this up if there is enough interest.

Pop-Up Exhibition at Small is…Festival 13/14 September

We had the opportunity to put together an imprompto pop-up exhibition during the Small is… Festival in Bristol, St, George’s Hall over the weekend.

What we learned is how quickly we can put something like this together, and the potential it holds for public spaces, including shopfronts, office spaces and universities for educational or awareness days, talks and conferences on sustainability, waste and recycling.

What art brings to the table in finding solutions towards sustainability is that is inspires curiosity, and then to be curious about something, makes you want to learn more about it, thus opens up a space for education and conversations about waste materials.

Get in touch if you have events coming up, we are happy to come and set up an exhibition to supplement your sustainability message.

Artwork created by: Object…, Fiona Hobson, Thomas Dowdeswell, Fred Plumley, Sadie Few, and Joel Calvert.

LitterARTI at Small is… Festival in St. George’s Hall this weekend, Bristol

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Tackling Environmental and social issues through the arts and creativity!

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