THE BRITISH city of Bristol has been at the forefront of Black Lives Matter and racial justice developments recently. In the wake of these events, positive movements for social change have been emerging.
Posters from the #WhoseFuture project, Bristol
In light of this, Rising Arts Agency, Out Of Hand and Bristol City Council have joined forces to form #WhoseFuture – a new creative collaboration to amplify diverse forces throughout the city of Bristol.
In the wake of the ongoing Black Lives Matter campaign WhoseFuture will launch this week, showcasing the works from 40 young Bristolian creatives on Bristol’s billboards. The collaboration aims to tackle important issues faced by young people, including the increasing disadvantages brought about by COVID-19 and lockdown.
The collaborative aims to give a platform to young people – providing a space to represent youth-resilience, security and agency as a driving force for positive social change.
Parys Gardner, featured artist for #WhoseFuture
The project will be exhibited via an outdoor arts showcase – made possible by Out of Hand, a Bristol advertising network, who have donated almost 400 locations free of charge throughout the exhibition duration. These spots will display visual multimedia imagery from Rising Art’s network of young creatives, allowing young people to be heard and represented across the city.
Maliza, featured artist for #WhoseFuture
Rising Arts Agency is a community of young creative thinkers aged 16-30. Their ambition is to empower Bristol’s under-represented young people to fulfil their creative ambitions. Focusing on tackling wider social changes in the art, the agency is co-created with and for young people.
Ella Trudgeon, featured artist for #WhoseFuture
Cllr Asher Craig, Deputy Mayor with responsibility for Communities, Equalities and Public Health for Bristol City Council spoke postively of the collaborative: “#WhoseFuture is a powerful statement to the city. In order for us to move forward, it is important for us to listen to all the voices in the community – including Bristol’s young people. We have worked on a number of projects with Rising Arts Agency, including their radical Transforming Leadership programme, BE IT. This campaign is a testament to the insight that our young people have and the power they can bring to city wide conversations.”
Collaborations such as this empower young people and provide them with platforms and space to make positive change in communities and society. With younger generations recently taking centre stage in political action campaigns, their’s is a voice to be reckoned with.
by Rosie Fitter
Out of Hand will also be supporting Rising in creating an online shop to showcase and sell the works on display, as well as managing the print and delivery.