Send message to Authors

Paper short abstract

Avonmouth: An interactive conversation is a three-dimensional sensory documentary that brings people and place into dialogue. We explore its relationship to collage and how the collaborative methodology, creative design and multi-modal exhibition work together to catalyse further dialogue and action

Paper long abstract

Avonmouth is a place in transition lying at the mouth of the river Avon, and sea connection with the rest of the world. Here wind farms, nuclear power stations, recycling centres and carbon capture facilities dominate the landscape, all part of the city of Bristol’s efforts to reach net zero by 2050 and to create “a fair, healthy and sustainable city where everyone can share in its success”. The documentary is grounded in ethnographic fieldwork and was co-created with members of the community in partnership with the Avonmouth Community Centre. The objective: to find a creative and collaborative way for local residents to share their stories, experiences and concerns and bring them into dialogue, revealing some of the complex entanglements between people and place.

The piece uses single shots, layering and juxtaposition in a spatial configuration, opening up a space to engage with the relationship between montage and collage. Looped landscapes, short unedited testimonies and stories are presented in an embedded, sensory, affective three-dimensional form. There are three levels of engagement, the first, where the viewer is introduced to the reality of the residents. The second explores solutions being found by the residents who are taking action in response to these realities. The third introduces a range of visions for Avonmouth's future. The routes through these levels is guided wherever possible through image and sound, not text. Through encountering their own juxtapositions the viewer is able to make meaning from the piece.