In 2017 Watershed commissioned three large murals, designed by Rife Magazine alumna Jasmine Thompson, for the walls of the Pervasive Media Studio, which celebrates its 10th Birthday on Saturday (17 Feb).

We have been thinking critically about how we welcome new people from a variety of backgrounds to the Studio and make these people feel at home while they are here with us. Jasmine's design brief was inspired by this work and by Watershed's belief that physical spaces both reflect and communicate the values, communities and aspirations of those that fill the space.

I sat down and spoke to illustrator Jazz Thompson about her work, process and ambitions for the future.

Hello Jazz! How would you describe yourself and the work that you do?

For a living, I'm an illustrator. At the moment that's as specific as it gets, as well as the mural recently I've been working as a storyboard artist, live sketch artist, infographics designer, and political cartoonist. I'm enjoying not having all my eggs in one basket. I do this work because I really love it, and it's something I've always loved. I like creating work that forces to me actually to talk to people and create a response, to give them a voice and platform. Whether that be a political cartoon or an illustrated interview, that's what I love the most. When I'm not doing this or kicking back with friends, I'm really keen on running and keeping active, I've found it's a really great way to clear your head. I'm forever trying to get the balance between all these things right and I'm never able to!

How did you first become involved in the transformation of the Studio reception?

You initially approached me about working together on something for the Studio about six months ago, at this stage it was just an idea and you wanted a conversation about whether or not it was something I'd even want to do. The Studio wanted some artwork to go alongside the timeline which was on the walls before and something that represented the feel and energy of the studio. It needed to be something which portrayed not only the residents but also their projects and the incredible work being done within the Studio walls. The brief sounded amazing, it wasn't even an option for me to not take this on!

How did you approach talking to Studio residents and how did those conversations feed into your illustrations?

There are always residents working in the Studio, whatever day you go in there's always someone hot-desking and working on something. So I chose various days at random to visit and chat with residents about their work and why being in an environment like the Studio is important. We chatted about how working in that space and with people who work differently to yourself is important for growth and developing an idea. This seemed to be the main recurring theme in what people were telling me, the thing that tied people together. The first I decided would be based on the city of Bristol, and how the work created here has spilled out into various places. The second wall has more of a focus on the residents and their projects, and shows them interacting with their work. But for the third wall, I decided to create a piece around the theme of conversations.

Which wall are you the most proud of and why?

Definitely the first wall, the cityscape. It took the longest to make, and by far has the most detail in so in terms of artwork I'm most proud of, it would be this. But I'm really pleased with how the third came together too, we began in a place where we weren't quite sure how it was going to look or what theme it would have, and I think 'conversations' worked super well. It features quotes I gathered from the residents in the research stage, and shows them working together to carry lightbulbs up a tree where once hung, they light up. It represents a collective effort to arrive at a finished outcome. So conceptually, this one was better!

What was the most challenging aspect of transferring your skills from paper to wall? Is this the first time you've create something to this scale?

Yes! Surprisingly the hardest part was using the projector... myself and Cai Burton (my amazing assistant and also a former Rife-r!) had roughly two days per wall, so trying to realign the artwork on the second day when it's half-finished and you need to make sure it's perfectly lined up was an absolute nightmare. But working on this scale you really need a projector, especially to get the detail and perspective in- stepping back and realising nothing lined up would have been a disaster!

What does the Studio mean to you?

The Studio to me is a place where I always feel welcome. To me it's a place for nurturing ideas, you arrive through the doors often with an idea that is nothing more than a few lines in a notebook or even a thought in your head, and it somehow gets shaped and sculpted into something great.

Working alongside and around other creatives is so important to me also, coming from an illustration background it's you often work alone chained to a desk, but being here and able to talk to people about my work really helps take it into another direction.

How important is representation to you and how does this influence your work?

Representation is something always at the forefront of my mind when I create work. A lot of my projects are focused around being a person of colour in society and the issues that can come with that. Most people I encounter within the arts sector, particularly within illustration and design, are white. Throughout school and Art College I encountered few others of BAME background, this only improved (still only fractionally) when I went to university. To me this is insane, as since I've left university I've met so many BAME creatives who are doing truly incredible things here! That really needed to be showcased, so representing this within the mural was essential.

Bristol as we know it is multi-cultural and there are communities within the city that are massively underrepresented in the arts and culture organisations here.

It was important being part of this project and creating artwork on the walls of a space like the Pervasive Media Studio that accurately represents the people who not only inhabit, but help shape this city.

I think there's so much more great work still to come, and this was a stepping stone on a long journey, but I feel privileged to have been a small part of it. The objective was for young creatives from all backgrounds and walks of life can actually come into this space and see themselves here, and feel like they belong.

What are your ambitions/plans for the future?

Initially it was to relax! But for now, I'm still playing catch up with lots of stuff that I put off whilst working on this. I'm enjoying working with lots of different people at the moment, it allows me to remain fluid with my work and most importantly my direction, as at this current stage I'm still so open to working in new ways. I want to continue to get better, to create work which gives back to people, and to finally catch that break and go on holiday soon!

Thank you to Jon Aitken for the video and images

You can come and see Jasmine's work at the Pervasive Media Studio's 10th Birthday on Sat 17 Feb.