The 2013 Parchment Craft Fair

The third Parchment Craft Fair will be coming to Brunel’s Old Station on June 23, 2013.

Due to the popularity of this event, word of mouth means it is growing fast every year with increasing requests to demonstrate on the day.

Brunel’s Old Station is an obvious choice for this wonderful event as it is so convenient with the train station next door, bus stops outside and the airport only half an hour away.

In fact the event organisers are sorting out a number of transport options from places such as Cornwall so if you are travelling far to be at the Parchment Craft Fair then contact them for more information. You can book a seat on their coaches by emailing pat.murphy1947@hotmail.com

Tickets to this event cost £6.50 in advance and £8 on the day, so book now if you want to save money.

Several new demonstrators will be attending this year as well as all your favourites from last year. There will also be plenty of food and beverages on offer.

Look out for Pergamano International from Holland in a supporting role with Make and Take tables. For more information on who will be there download the Table Layout and Demonstrator List.

Linda Williams, Master Tutor, is doing a workshop on the day of the exhibition while Gail Sydenham will be organising a make-and-take project, which is offered to visitors free of charge.

The Parchment Craft Magazine is sponsoring the event and will release a Special Edition to coincide with the show.

The Successful 2013 Affordable Art Fair

Brunel’s Old Station just had another cracking event with the successful 2013 Affordable Art Fair.

The first visitors who got to the doors were able to pop in and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine and admire the ‘live art’ event hosted by artist JODY from the See No Evil Gallery.

One of the highlights of the event was a free origami exhibition, as well as the free screen printing workshops run by artist Simon Tozer.

At the Affordable Art Fair there was something for art lovers of all ages including a treasure hunt for children and a live swing band which especially wowed those of an older generation.

Of course the most appealing part of the whole event was the amount of affordable contemporary art which was on show to browse and buy.

Just some of the nice comments received via their Facebook page were as follows:

Isabel Rossiter – “Just left. Thank you it was amazing. Inspiring work!”

Nathan Pendlebury – “Would highly recommend Wet Paint Gallery (Tell them Nathan Pendlebury sent you)”

Mike Macdonald – “Wow…installation art at its best….”

Patsy Dixon – “Ah, always sad at the end if an AAF (that’s why we stay so long ha ha)”

Paradise Awaits at the Affordable Art Fair

The Affordable Art Fair is nearly upon us and there will be some fantastic pieces on show in 2013.

Some that we can look forward to were listed on the excellent Bristol Bang blog as part of a feature on the Smithson Gallery.

Paradise Awaits by Rose Sanderson is a truly exceptional artwork with fine detail on a long tailed bird, its blue calligraphy perch and a deep red background.

One of the boldest works is ‘Joy Ride’, by Kareem Rizk, a fun piece featuring two shocked looking ladies in bathing suits who are sitting on a scooter. The painting uses green and orange colours in a pop art context and is sure to be one of the highlights of the show.

The Affordable Art Fair is held at the popular Passenger Shed (also known as Brunel’s Old Station) which is one of the main event venues in Bristol. Local residents will be intrigued by another artwork on show, ‘Bristol Butterfly’ by Emma Fellows. This projected butterfly cut-out is overlaid with a map of Bristol which suggests the gentle beauty of our fair city.

The Smithson Gallery participates in The Affordable Art Fair, which comes to Bristol between April 26-28 (Thursday 25 is a private view day).

Brunel’s Old Station is at Temple Meads, BS1 6QH. Adult tickets are £4 in advance and £5 on the door. Children under 16 go free.

To buy tickets and for more info on workshops during the fair visit the affordable art fair website.

Bespoked 2013 Timetable

The Bespoked bike festival in Bristol is nearly upon us and with so much packed into the weekend we’ve provided a handy timetable of events.

The event will start with the awards for the best in bike making being announced.

Friday Evening

5pm – 8pm

Raffle to win a Custom Bicycle!

Roller Racing with South Coast Sprints

Saturday Morning

10am – 10.45am Frame Fitting

Andy Sexton – Bike Science & Phil Cavell – Cyclefit

11am – 11.45am Frame Design, Geometry & Materials:-

Paul Hewitt – Paul Hewitt Cycles, Robert Wade – Swallow Bespoke & Brent Curry Bike Cad (via skype)

1pm-1.30pm – Tom Donhou – Good to a Hundred?

Saturday Afternoon

Construction Begins

2pm-2.45pm Tube & Lug Prep, Mitering and Jig

Andrew Denham – Bicycle Academy & Ryan McCaig Oak Cycles

3.30pm Peter Murray – Portland to Portland

Sunday Morning

Wheel Building

10.30am – 11.30am

Jon Webb – Just Riding Along & Klaus Greuter – Sapim Spokes

Sunday Afternoon

Construction Continues

2pm to finish

Brazing with Mark Reilly – Enigma, Jason Rourke – Brian Rourke Cycles & Marco Bertoletti

Reinventing the Wheel in Bristol

It’s all about the detail when you come to the Bespoked Bike festival in Bristol at Brunel’s Old Station.

Whether you want a wooden bicycle, a bicycle made of bamboo or the latest in titanium technology – the wheel really will be reinvented at this incredible event.

The UK is an incredibly passionate place for cycling, and Bespoked Bristol aims to take cycling from the realms of the practical and extend it into an art form.

This is the premier event in the country for cycle lovers to get custom made cycles and cycle parts that fulfil their every need. Just imagine getting a bicycle built exactly the way you like it!

This UK handmade bicycle show will be bigger and better than before in 2013 and it takes place in our central venue next to Temple Meads between April 12 and April 14.

A number of awards are also given out at this prestigious event including best in show, best track cycle and best road cycle.

Some highlights of the event include live roller racing competition on the opening night, a vintage-themed ride on the Saturday, and a chance to win a bike tailor-made just for you by a team of exceptional frame-builders. We hope to see you here!

Britain’s Best Handmade Bike Show

Britain’s best handmade bike show is coming back to Bristol and will offer everything for the cycling enthusiast.

Between the 12th and the 14th of April the best in the business will descend on Brunel’s Old Station for exhibitions, stalls and hand crafted bicycle parts.

This is a superb location in the centre of Bristol next to Temple Meads railway station. Whether you want to cycle, walk, drive or take the train this is without doubt the most accessible place in Bristol and perhaps the South West.

And if you join us you will be in global company as we are welcoming over 70 leading independent bicycle makers from the UK, Italy, France, USA, Germany and Japan. This is your chance to look at or buy some of the most beautiful and desirable cycles on earth.

The festival is open from Friday 12th from 5pm-8pm, Saturday 13th from 9.30am to 6pm and Sunday 14th from 9.30-5pm so we look forward to seeing you here for at least one of these sessions.

Be sure to look at the website for more information and ticket prices www.bespoked.cc

You can also engage with Bespoke on the Facebook page www.facebook.com/ukhandmadebicycle show;

Bespoked Bike Show 2013

Life moves in cycles and the Bespoked Bristol Bike Show has the best cycles in the business so we hope that you join us for the weekend!

Between Friday, April 12th, and Sunday, April 14th, the Bespoke bike show comes to Brunel’s Old Station in Bristol and this annual extravaganza proves popular every year.

This is the UK’s biggest showcase of handmade bicycles with something for everyone. Some of the best craftsmen in the country will be here. Visitors to the fair can enjoy a fully custom process where they get bikes made exactly the way they like them.

Bespoked has connections with and representatives from high end niche markets so that you can get products which are unavailable anywhere else.

Whether you want a bit of gentle cycling, sports biking for speed or outdoor racing, everything from wheels, hubs and saddles are here to enjoy. You can learn how to make bikes or get bike parts sent to you from abroad.

The event has a fantastic atmosphere with lots of chatting and interaction, to make it ideal for novices and bike enthusiasts alike.

Fittingly Brunel’s Old Station is easy to reach by bike with a network of cycling and walking paths nearby. There are also bus services from all over Bristol that pull up right outside this huge, historic venue. And of course it is right next to Temple Meads station so you can get here from any train station in the country, or drive here with ample parking in the back. We look forward to seeing you at the 2013 Bespoked Bike Show.