Voices of Avonmouth
An interactive resource and proof of concept that brings together different stories, experiences and ideas from the Avonmouth Community. The documentary opens-up conversations about the past, present and future of Avonmouth and what it takes to build and sustain healthy communities.
Led by Dr Judith Aston (Film and Digital Arts), this AHRC-funded impact project has produced a ground-breaking interactive documentary using the Stornaway.io platform. It captures a rich polyphony of voices, from long-standing Port workers and migrant warehouse staff, to young professionals and community activists.
Building on prior work with interactive documentary and visual anthropology, the research began in 2022 with ethnographic research (ongoing) conducted by Dr. Aston, who has subsequently drawn together a wider interdisciplinary team to work on the project. This involves UWE researchers Dr Laura DeVito (Public Policy), Dr Abby Tabor (Health & Applied Sciences), and Rengin Gurel-Ozmen (Design and Media, PhD Student), Bharath Ananthanarayana (Film and Geography, PhD student) and two external researchers, Dr Karen Boswall (University of Sussex, Anthropology & Media Practice) and Dr Sophia Hatzisavvidou (University of Bath, Ecological Politics). Together with Allan MacLeod, UWE Head of Civic and Inclusion, they are exploring the potential impact of the still relatively unexplored interactive documentary (i-doc) form as a tool for improving dialogue, understanding and positive action around controversial issues such as the transition to net zero.
The pilot documentary VOICES OF AVONMOUTH is designed to act as a catalyst for much needed future-facing dialogue in Avonmouth, a heavily industrialised port area and suburb of Bristol which is a hot-spot for the transition to green energy. The interactive format employs a non-linear thematic organisational structure that allows stories of shared lived experience from residents old and new to be engaged with[JA1] alongside contributions from those who work in the area and/or influence policy. Fifteen such individuals[JA2] contributed to the pilot. These can be added to and adapted [ka3] [JA4] over time, allowing for different voices and perspectives to be placed into ongoing dialogue in an evolving manner. This flexibility of form can reflect the changing needs of the community and its surrounding area and help to stimulate further action. At the core of the practice is a place-making process of non-biased listening and sharing. The documentary resource is currently being used in community and workshop settings, bringing the diversity of experiences and concerns across Avonmouth to diverse audiences through a collaborative and co-creative approach.
Participant Screening April 2025. Avonmouth Community Centre
The principal co-creational partnership has been with the Avonmouth Community Centre, whose members have been actively involved from the outset. Further collaborative relationships have subsequently been developed with SevernNet (a key organisation in the area which bridges business, community, local authorities and other stakeholders) and associated bodies in such as the West of England Industrial Cluster, Bristol Port Company, Bristol City Council, the West of England Combined Authority. The more recent collaboration with UWE based Local Policy Innovation Partnership (LPIP) Hub Fellow, Allan Macleod, brings academic researchers and policy makers together to explore innovative solutions to place-based public service delivery. The team’s work in Avonmouth is ongoing and will also serve as a primary case study in the development of a replicable methodology for using arts-based methods for building relationships and engagement between businesses, local communities and changemakers. A toolkit and training resource will be made available the LPIP Hub for policymakers nationwide to consider using similar arts-based methods to those employed in Avonmouth.
Stakeholder Screening October 2025. Avonmouth Community Centre
For more information see:
BLOGS
Using Arts-Based Methods To Bring Community, Business and Environmental Issues Into Dialogue