BRISTOL, UK.- Early summer will see an ambitious series of new art works presented in unusual locations around Bristol’s historic centre. The exhibition, Thinking of the Outside, will take the visitor on an intriguing route through the old city, encountering moving image installations, paintings, sculptures and live events in unexpected places. Six internationally acclaimed artists were commissioned to respond to the city’s historic landscape. Their research has taken them beyond the limits of the city’s medieval walls, to examine present-day boundaries, architecture and attitudes that deal with the relationship between outsider and insider.

Kathleen Herbert took a sea-voyage from Antwerp to Bristol with a crew of 28 men and a cargo of 5000 cars, exploring the lives of contemporary sea-farers; João Penalva, intrigued by the urban myths surrounding the Clifton Suspension Bridge, filmed the murky depths beneath; whilst Susan Hiller scoured cinematic footage to investigate the superstitious tales that surround the stereotype of the outsider. Curator of the exhibition, Claire Doherty, aims to draw new audiences to experience contemporary art in unexpected sites, inspiring new stories. “This exhibition is not about Bristol in the past”, she says. “Thinking of the Outside uses the metaphor of the city wall to question our urban experience today.”

Bristol has an impressive track record of staging innovative art projects across the city. Having been designated a European Centre of Culture, Bristol’s dynamic mix of the historic and new provides a backdrop and inspiration for this significant new art event.