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Bristol Before, Now & Future

Nick Thomas | 13.11.2010 01:22

Bristol’s history is incredibly rich – and incredibly influential on its present. Bristol Before, Now & Future is a day for you to explore how the city’s past affects us today, and how we can control and shape our future. It’s free – and it takes place on Tuesday 30th November at the Council House on College Green.
The forces of history make us what we are. Our history gives us strengths, but it also passes on fears and blind spots. Bristol Before, Now & Future is a free workshop devoted to exploring the historic forces that still play an active role in our lives. It offers you as a citizen of Bristol a chance to map out a dynamic history of your city, and to explore how that history reverberates in Bristol today.

Bristol is filled with echoes of the past. Our architecture and street lay-outs mix medieval and Georgian. The impact of German bombs can still be seen. The strength of Methodism and non-conformism is a strand in our make-up. The docks snaking through the Centre will always remind us how connected we are to the wider world. What is the impact of these physical remainders? And what about the invisible habits of mind and communal relationships within Bristol?

Bristol Before, Now & Future is a grand experiment. It’s a workshop, not a discussion group – and it uses the Constellations process to get below the surface and reveal the hidden dynamics that haunt large systems like cities. The results could be surprising! The outcome is unpredictable, but you will certainly come to a better understanding of why we are where we are today. And that understanding can only help us make better choices about our future.

“Time present and time past / Are both perhaps present in time future, / And time future contained in time past.” That’s how TS Eliot summed it up. But the philosopher Santayana sounded a sterner warning. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” he wrote. Bristol Before, Now & Future is a chance to free ourselves from the chains of the past – it’s a step towards the healing of our city.

The event has been set up by the Pierian Centre, lead project partner for Bristol’s response to the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. The workshop is run by Vivian Broughton, an experienced Gestalt therapist and Constellations practitioner. It takes place from 10am–3.30pm on Tuesday 30th November at the Council House, College Green. The day is free, and lunch is provided. To book a place contact us on 0117 924 4512 or info@pieriancentre.com.


Nick Thomas
- Original article on IMC Bristol: http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/698927