Sanctum Is Here

Temple Church, Photo credit: Max McClure

Photo credit: Max McClure

Some time in the next few weeks I will be performing in this building. It is Temple Church in Bristol. Like many local churches it is somewhat the worse for wear, mainly thanks to the Luftwaffe. It is, however, an English Heritage site, and for the next few weeks it will be home to a unique arts event: Sanctum.

The event is the brainchild of American artist, Theaster Gates. For the next 24 days there will be continuous performances — yes even through the night — at the venue. Over 500 artists are involved, including many of my writer friends such as Kevlin Henney, Pete Sutton and Tom Parker. There will also be music, performance, probably magicians and acrobats. Theaster and his team have tried to make things as varied as possible.

One of the conceits of the event is that there is no published program. You turn up for an hour and see what you get. Yes Forrest, just like a box of chocolates. So I can’t tell you when my set will be. However, I do promise to report back on how it goes. I will also be doing some trans-related material, and there is no better time to be doing that in Bristol. I may also have written a fantasy story involving a ruined church.

For further information about the event, see Bristol 24/7.

The Twitter tag for the event is #sanctumbristol.