---

Banksy Stats

“Julian Beever” is one of the search terms that most frequently brings unsuspecting street art fans to this blog. The same is now true for “Banksy” and askbristol.com.

Since launching the Banksy ‘street art or graffiti’ forum just over a week ago, 246 new users have registered with the askbristol site and there have been 315 unique user logins. This compares to just 19 new users and 61 unique logins for the whole of the month of May (when we were consulting on sustainability, core cities issues etc).

Personally, I see this as a good thing - an initial interest in street art leading to a serendipitous encounter with local government consultation helps us all to recognise that we are just a part of a wide, multi-faceted discourse.

Banksy - should it stay or should it go?

The Bristol-born stencil-monkey has created a new work just around the corner from the council office in Park Street. ‘His' (or could Banksy really be a Bank-‘she'?) latest offering is causing debate - is it graffiti and therefore subject to the council's policy of removal, or is it art? And if it is the latter, how much can we charge for admission and will the folio version be in the shops by christmas?

The discussion on askbristol.com is lively - sign up to discuss should it stay or should it go now? It's a difficult one; if it stays there will be trouble but I feel that if it goes this could be double. Either way, there is bound to be a Clash.

Good Communications Award for Campaign Creator

With all the Digital Challenge furore, I haven't written much about Campaign Creator recently - our e-innovations project. Time to rectify this, as last week; Campaign Creator won the esteemed Print Innovation Award at the National Good Communications Awards

This award is down to the brilliant work of arch-blogger, project manager and recovering archaeologist - Kevin O'Malley and Nicky Stott, our very talented council designer.

But it was also a genuine team effort with Sarah and Linda from the Media and PR team, Jane and Emma from Scarman Trust, FoE, RSE, SIFT, Invention, Gallomanor and volunteer council ‘models' all contributing to the successful mix.

Check out photos from the awards dinner, and more, especially the ones of ‘Blade' - one of our volunteer campaigners who by day works in the council's mailroom but by night turns into Mr Glamour!

The award was a great morale booster but the project has serious democratic ambitions. Prof Stephen Coleman's evaluation report will be available shortly. Mean time campaigns continue to roll in from across the globe.

Development organisations in the following countries have engaged with campaign creator in recent weeks, which is really quite an amazing spread - let's hope it continues from strength to strength

Nigeria

Australia

Tanzania

Ghana

Canada

Spain

Ireland

Belgium

USA (the United Nations)

South Africa

Tajikistan

Cameroon

Dgotal Challenge - National Judging

 

Yesterday Carolyn Hassan from Knowle West Media Centre, Dick from the Watershed, Council Leader Barbara Janke and I presented Bristol's Digital Challenge bid to the national judging panel and ... we did great!

The presentation took place in London's Guildhall Art Gallery, a very impressive location - the sort of place designed to remind you who is really in charge. Stephen Dodson and Helen Goulden, the Challenge Directors were charming and welcoming, helping to put us at ease. The judging panel appeared to warm considerably as we made our presentation. Their questions were direct and insightful.

So will we go through to the next round? I think so but either way, we presented 'Bristol's bid' clearly, confidently and credibly - which is all that we could have hoped for.

We now have to wait untill 12^th July when the Minister will announce the ten lucky winners - and by default, the eight ‘runners up' - can you type with your fingers crossed?

Digital Challenge Update

Brisol's Team - Dick, Carolyn and Jaya in Taunton & Dick, pacing for Brristol

 

 

 

Last Friday Bristol took part in a gruelling regional peer review session in Taunton but it was worth it! Bristol is one of eighteen auhorities now invited to present our Digital Challenge vision to a panel of Government experts.

On Thursday morning the Bristol team will travel to London where we have ten minutes (!) to convince Government that Bristol MUST be amongst the top-ten authorities that progress to the next stage.

Barbara Janke, the Council Leader is part of the team, along with Dick Penny from the Watershed and Carolyn Hassan from Knowle West Media Centre. We carry the support of all political parties and the four hundred plus organisations that have engaged in Bristol's challenge bid so far.

I am looking forward to it!