Mark Simmons - Flash of Joy
In November last year we had the honour of printing Mark Simmons Exhibition - Flash of Joy at Mickey Zoggs, as part of En Masse Festival. This was a privilege on many levels, as close friends of Mickeys home of Noods Radio (soon to be closing their doors for relocation) an important psychogeographic location in Bristols music scene and home to one our dropboxes, but also as part of Batu’s music festival/expose En Masse which invites and presents a plethora of incredible artists and musicians to this city. Now onto Mark, who as a fresh faced university student came to Bower Ashton to give a talk on his work in particular his clear visioned book Black and white when I was a wee one in 2007, really setting out for me a vision of what photography and photographing looked like in the vicinity of Bristol.
For the exhibition, the images filled any void on the walls, creating a rather immersive layout, stretching across beams up high close to the ceiling and carefully cladding each wall and pilar. Printed on our favourite Fotospeed Lustre.
Anyone enough of that, this is what Annie Parker had to say of the exhibition in ‘Reflecting on En Masse 2024’
“the exhibition chronicles the birth, assimilation and re-imagination of styles from from jungle to trip hop; and how their evolution has materialised via communal gatherings.
The exhibition reminds us of the richness of Bristol’s musical heritage, one so saturated that you can often find yourself accidentally doing a walking tour of its landmarks. Smith & Mighty’s infamous Ashley Road studio, Andy Scholes & Jack Lundie’s 2 Kings Records studio and St. Paul's Advice Centre where Black Roots rehearsed for ten years, will be your backdrop to a 25-minute walk from Montpelier’s Star and Garter (also noteworthy in Bristol’s musical legacy), and Bishopston’s the Prince of Wales. For people who live here it’s easy to take this for granted, so the exhibition offers a welcome reflection on what the term ‘en masse’ means in the context of Bristol history.”
- HT