Inwards And Upwards (St Boniface Down)

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New Carnival’s Youth Project, Isle of Creativity, present a fantastic free activity. An immersive soundscape walk as part of Merry & Bright. Download the FREE Echoes.xyz app (Scan the QR code below for a direct link). Over the last four months, Isle of Creativity has diligently designed and constructed this wonderful combination of artwork and spoken word. At every stop, the group has installed beautiful artworks, from miniature dioramas to larger willow sculptures- each representing the different locations mentioned within the recordings. Marvel at the creations, listen to their stories and enjoy an immersive treasure hunt!! Disclaimer- entrants are taking part at their own risk and must take care whilst navigating urban spaces. Record the hidden letters at the end of each recording and unscramble the festive phrase to enter into our prize draw! This trail runs from 8th-17th December, with a winner being drawn before Christmas.

Born in Zimbabwe, Harare, Southern Africa, Majid is a spoken word poet & former Artist in Residence at Aspex Gallery. Following his experience of being deemed statelessness for over three and a half years, which resulted in him becoming homeless, Majid works with people within the refugee or asylum-seeking community. With an understanding of how it feels to have nothing, no liberty or freedom, Majid’s poetry is informed both by his own life and his new home in Portsmouth. He champions other asylum seekers, giving a voice to those who don’t have one. A frequent collaborator with Journeys Festival International, Majid has contributed to several projects relating to the refugees’ crises, working with organisations including British Red Cross, Friends Without Borders and local organisations dealing with migration, homelessness & displacement. Previous work includes Look Up, with visual artist Natalia Michalska, commissioned for Journeys Festival International (2018), The Container Project (2017); Not Waving but Drowning; and collaborations with the New Theatre Royal. Majid’s work whilst Resident at Aspex Gallery has been featured in exhibitions in Athens. Most recently Majid collaborated with artists to display work at the refugee camps & grave sites in France & Syria.

Kingston Cemetery Jon’s tour is a personal and intimate account of how Kingston Cemetery became a haven during the pandemic and shares some of the waypoints and people he greets each time he visits. At the beginning of March 2020 knowing I was vulnerable I didn’t leave the house for at least nine weeks. I attempted to exercise in our small urban garden but feeling claustrophobic I looked at a map and thought 'where is the nearest open space I can walk in, without bumping into many people?' It was hard to step through our front door again and walk to the cemetery. There, outside the stone gatehouse, I asked myself one simple question - was walking and exploring a cemetery inappropriate during a pandemic? I‘ve never been frightened of or put off by cemeteries and was captivated from the first moment I passed through the gates in May and heard the birds. I felt I’d found an oasis from both the intense situation the country found itself in and from my PTSD I had been suffering from. Being intensely curious since a child, I soon lost myself exploring, following differing pathways, systemising journeys, learning where squirrels and birds hung out and using trees and headstones as way markers. I especially loved the crows, I witnessed their Corvid mischievousness, and even used them as inspiration (one image was chosen for the ‘International Pandemic Art Archives’’ in the US). I went as often as my PTSD would let me and noticed the flashbacks and nightmares lessened slightly watching the seasons change. Every time I observed something different, read a new headstone and wondered at their owner's stories. Late summer I started to greet those familiar waypoints I used to guide me round, leaving flowers for some, chosen from my garden, in remembrance. A young cadet reunited with his dad, a soldier who probably died in 1919 pandemic after fighting through WW1 and the tree at the far end of the cemetery that became my daily goal to reach. I even found a probable shipmate, remembered on his wife’s headstone, of my uncle who also served on HMS Cornwall, sunk in 1942. Here is one journey with 11 stories to share and find connection in any season or weather, in sunshine or snow. I still say ’hi’ as I walk round and credit creating my journeys for ‘saving me’ during this time. Artist Bio: Jon is both a contemporary Artist and researcher. He works in many differing media including sound, drawing and performance, often referencing his autism, synaesthesia and dyslexia, all interwoven with history, science, time and his past experiences. The result is a unique visual perspective of systemising and recording history, time and place. He studied geology at Kings College London becoming a geological book illustrator, later branching out into history and conceptual artwork. Jon has been awarded a Fellowship to the Royal Society for the Arts and is especially interested in social engaged creativity. He does not shy away from creating socially challenging and covert artwork. His national profile includes being commissioned by universities, arts and science organisations including as artist in residence for Southern Trains, the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, as lead artist for Democracy Street, Parliament in the making 2015, Dysarticulate an inspire marked project for London 2012 and supported Sir Peter Brook with ‘Valley of astonishment’. He has shown locally and in galleries such as Royal Academy, Pallant House Gallery and Tate Modern. Jon also advocates for the rights of Neurodivergent people to fully access the arts, funding, health care and founded Portsmouth-based Flow Observatorium which is becoming a national hub and centre of excellence for, and led by, neurodivergent artists. Their Neurodivergent Arts Manifesto has been picked up internationally and is being used by organisations and individuals in Singapore, Australia, South Africa and the States as well as in the UK. Artist web address: http://www.artspace.co.uk/artists/jonadams/ Artist Social Media Handles: @corviddrawingjon Instagram @ObservatoriumF Twitter

John ‘JJ’ Marshallsay set up the Facebook group Memories of Bygone Portsmouth in 2013. Today it has just over 35,300 members. He became interested in the history of Portsmouth from an early age, thanks to his grandad telling him stories of his own childhood growing up in the city. JJ has amassed a vast collection of books about the city. In this trail he recounts his youth, talks about the military history of Hilsea Lines, as well as anecdotes of the island. One of the city's most varied and historic wildlife havens, Hilsea Lines contains woodland, hedgerows, meadows, both fresh and brackish water areas, marshland and coastal habitats all within 80 hectares. The history of Hilsea Lines very much reflects the development of Portsmouth as a military base. When complete Hilsea Lines extended for 2.5km along the whole northern side of Portsea Island and largely remain today. This trail was created in collaboration with Seekers Create, a creative social enterprise who work with young people to plan, design and create heritage trails for the community to enjoy. Artist web address: https://www.seekerscreate.com/ Memories of Bygone Portsmouth https://www.facebook.com/groups/366005550201426

Starting at the pier the following next 5 location unearth the fictional story of Ernie Mansbridge who is a complicated man. A soldier who was a field medic during the first World War who then came to this hospital as a nurse to then become the main Doctor. We hear the gruesome ways that some patients had to be dealt with in these hospitals. Furthermore, we learn more about the personal life of Ernie and why he decided to leave France to come home and work. Now he has returned to this site for the first time since he left to confront his dark past and finally get some closure as he reaches the delicate years of his life. *Disclaimer* This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

In a breakthrough in medical technology, an AI has been developed to help those who have lost their memory due to unnatural causes. This short story follows a patient who is using the AI to regain his memories in a small town near where he grew up.

A businessman learns an important life lesson in this short audio-experience drama after encountering his former boss at his own works do. Karma is about to pay Harry a visit.