Witness amazing street art from the comfort of your home.
With lockdown ruining everyone’s plans and creating a bleak picture of 2020, Bristol’s urban paint festival known as Upfest have conjured a new plan so you don’t miss out on the street art that the city has to offer. The festival which was due to be held in June this year is now going virtual!
From 25 to 27 September, street art fans from around the world will be welcomed virtually to the streets of South Bristol whilst they chill on their sofas, as Upfest holds an online version of the street art festival. Upfest has worked in collaboration with Bristol-based augmented and virtual reality studio, ZubrVR, to reconstruct Bedminster’s North Street with a TRON style feel, and design an alternative way for users to experience the festival. Also, with the Arts Council England’s emergency response funding, this has helped the festival to go ahead.
The virtual world will run from the Upfest gallery on North Street down to the Tobacco Factory on Raleigh Road, near where the well-known Greta Thunberg mural by Jody Thomas is located. This online creation will allow users to explore over 30 new pieces of commissioned work by a range of UK artists specifically for the virtual world. Visitors can see work by Bristol-based artists Zoe Power, Silent Hobo, Lucas Antics & Andy Council. Plus, the Upfest team are also proud to announce the equal allocation of artists commissions within the virtual world of female and male artists.
Here is the line-up of artists featuring in the virtual street art festival:
Acerone // Andy Council // Bex Glover // Cheba // Cheo // Clare Hoops // Copyright // Dan Kitchener // EJITS // Elaine Carr // Emily Donald // Emotional Waterfall // Fem Sorcell // Gemma Commpton // Georgie // HazardOne // Inkie // Irony // KoeOne // Lucas Antics // Miss Wah // Molly Mural // Mr Penfold // Paul Monsters // Philth // Silent Hobo // Soker // Sophie Long // Sophie Rae // Squirl // Zoe Power
You can access the portal to Virtually Upfest via Upfest.co.uk and the event will be compatible with both VR headsets as well as mobile phones and laptops. To top it off, this cool, 3D virtual world will also be free as the Upfest Organisation wish to continue their ethos of making art accessible for all.
As well as this exciting virtual festival inspired by the 1982 legendary American Sci-fi film TRON, Upfest will be making their return in June 2021 for the real deal.