About
City of Threads is a 12-part immersive podcast series by PECo Theatre that invites you on a journey into the city of Bristol as experienced through the perspectives of its visually impaired citizens; a place of sensory delights, navigational intricacies, challenges, dangers and shared discoveries.
Each episode takes you on journeys into the city, in the company of the V.I. travellers who took them, and immerse you in stories of love, loss, activism, community, resilience and friendship.
The podcast challenges assumptions, reveals new understandings and ultimately asks us to reimagine how our cities are working for us all.
Immersive sound design transports you into the heart of the journey, enriching and transforming the listener’s own perceptions of the city through felt experience.
Project Process:
Created by a team of visually impaired and sighted artists, co-creatives and wider participants, the City of Threads podcast has been developed through a unique collaboration whereby a core devising group of V.I. and sighted co-creatives have been working with V.I. and sighted podcast and sound design professionals, developing and honing narrative, storytelling, sound design and broadcast skills, to enable a rich creative process to take place where participants and professionals shape and make these podcasts together.
Working together in this way has created a unique opportunity to learn from each other and review how we all make work. From sound designer to producer, graphic designer to marketing, we are all rethinking our usual practices when making work and experimenting with new tools and innovative approaches to create a process and a product that is accessible and inclusive for everyone.
The journeys featured in the City of Threads podcast were all taken during PECo theatre’s Arnolfini fellowship Could This Be The Place in 2019 – 2020.
For more info on the background to the podcast project Click Here
The Team
Core Co-Creatives
[Plus episode co-hosts and journey takers]
John Vickery – aka the Bard of Bedminster, known for his poems, his sense of humour and his fondness for a bacon bap! One of the longest standing members of the group, John has been documenting the group’s progress through rhyme since 2016
Elanora Ferry – the original drama queen, with her love of all things theatre, Elanora came along to a taster session in 2016 and never left.
Alan Dyte – one man and his dog, Alan and his guide dog Jeeves joined us in 2018 and with his very own brand of direct honesty, we haven’t been able to get away with anything since!
Jeff Daniels – guitar wielding Welsh wizard aka Lloyd Bedwin. Jeff is also the company’s ever patient, go-to accessibility advisor. He’s been trying to get away from the company for years but is too nice to say so.
Lou Lifely – Aromatherapist par excellence, Lou first caught scent of the group in 2018. With a love of live music and singing, and the sense of humour of Peter Cook, she’s been entertaining us ever since.
Fanny Eaton-Hall – self confessed culture vulture and obsessive embroiderer, Fanny joined us at the same time as Lou and quickly became a lynch pin in the group. You can find her most days in her local park, being taken for a walk by her two energetic cockapoos.
Barrington Chambers – all round musician and stand up reggae guy, Barrington’s presence has been warming up the group for over two years. He only joined because we promised him he wouldn’t have to learn any lines – sorry Barrington!
Nikki Durston – the distinctive gravelly tones of Nikki have been gracing the group since 2018 when she first found out about us at a V.I. social. Known for her poems, her love of Karaoke and her notable capacity for hitting the nail on the head.
Chris Turner – with his sound design sensibility and mastery of all of all things technological, Chris began by helping us out with sound tech on some other podcasts we did. We finally enticed him to join us fully in 2019.
Emma Blackmore – aka Shorty, Emma’s infectious laugh and passion for making change has been helping shape the group for the good since 2019.
Nick Bignall – musician, composer and intrepid explorer, Nick’s the youngest and the newest of us all. Joining us just before lockdown in March 2020 he’s looking forward to meeting everyone in the non-virtual realm very soon.
Podcast Contributors
Anela Wood – journey taker
Virginia Rowan – journey taker
Marc Gulwell – journey taker
Clare Finnimore – journey taker
Holly Thomas – journey taker
Dougie Walker – journey taker and narrator
Dr Ute Leonards – guest contributor
Paul Sullivan – guest contributor
Anna Lawson – guest contributor
Bryan Matthews – guest contributor
Tara Chattaway – guest contributor
Steven Hilton – guest contributor
Maria Oshodi – guest contributor
Emily Lifely – travelling companion [to Lou Lifely]
Ant Barrett – travelling companion [to Holly Thomas]
Jon DeFrates – travelling companion [to John Vickery]
Rosa Martyn – travelling companion [to Virgnia Rowan and Nikki Durston]
Dave Murray – travelling companion [to Alan Dyte]
Linda Whitingham – travelling companion [to Chris Turner]
Marcus Brown – travelling companion [to Barrington Chambers]
Esther Wells – travelling companion [to Clare Finnimore]
Letty Clarke – travelling companion [to Marc Gulwell]
Aimee England – travelling companion [to Jeff Daniels]
Rosie Poebright – travelling companion [to Emma Blackmore]
Andy Kelly – travelling companion [Dougie Walker]
Freelance team
Rachel Aspinwall – Project Director & Co-Artistic Lead
Holly Thomas – Project Access & Inclusion Director & Co-Artistic Lead
Katy Noakes – Admin and Finance manager
Dan Pollard – Sound designer, engineer, recordist
Nick Bignall – Additional composition – podcast theme music
Steph Kempson – Dramaturg
Miranda Rae – Podcast consultant
Adam Hedley – Designer logo and website
Emma Hughes – Marketing and PR, online sessions and podcast launch organiser
Amy Elizabeth – additional social media and PR
Dougie Walker – Podcast Narrator
Sylvia Carderelli-Gronau – PA to Co-artistic lead
Fiona Winning – support worker
Ben McEwen – episode transcription
Jack Lord – note taker facilitator [launch event]
Katherine Hall – note taker facilitator [launch event]
Pre lockdown
Jon McCall – Marketing and PR
Bean Downes – Events Manager
With thanks to
Laura Joyner HLF, Marc Guwell and Stacey Thompson Sight Support West, Alun Davies Sight Loss Council, Gary Topp and Sara Blair Arnolfini, University of Bristol, Jo Kimber, Luke Emery, Victoria Tillotson Pervasive Media Studio, Wardrobe Theatre, The Creative Youth Network, SENSE, Destination Bristol, RNIB Connect Radio, Shannon Martin Podbean, Letty Clarke and Kieran Swann Arnolfini City Fellows, Tarim, Ellen Pye, Daria Burten, Chloe Scholefield, Chloe Meineck Meineck Studios, Nat Roberton Legible City, Lisa May Thomas, Ayan Cilmi Arnolfini, Fozia Ismail Arnolini City Fellow.
