Enter the Zone, battle with light, and then escape on your bike!

Part exploration, part battle, part collaboration, Colour Keepers is a unique commission for Bristol Temple Quarter using the new artist-designed BikeTAG light system to create an innovative street game to light up Bristol’s Enterprise Zone.

Bristol is a cycling city and we always grab every chance we can to get out on our bikes. So we are delighted to announce that Colour Keepers will be a fun opportunity to play on bikes in the city, to set colours free and co-create light trails using led lights. With five teams and five colours to play for, players will explore the Zone as they battle to win. BikeTAG was originally created during the 2012 Playable City Sprint, hosted by Watershed and the British Council by artists Bang & Lee, Tine Bech and Julian Sykes.

Scheduled to take place at dusk on Sat 18 and Sun 19 May the game will be used as a Play Test, as we really want to gather feedback from players. This is the very first game created using BikeTAG, and the very first time it will be played in public. So come and experience this brand new game at a very early stage, the artists are eager to hear your thoughts. If you are keen to be involved then drop us a line and you'll be the first to know!

Tine Bech, Visual Artist, says:

“We’re thrilled to develop Colour Keepers for Bristol’s Enterprise Zone using the BikeTAG system. The game incorporates three values that are important to us: social meaning, being physical and visible in the city, and allowing people to participate and create. We look forward to premiering the work in Bristol and seeing just how stunning an experience it can be.”

Victoria Tillotson, Producer at Watershed, says:

“Watershed are extremely excited about the potential of BikeTAG and seeing Colour Keepers developed with audiences in Bristol. Creating experiences that enable new kinds of social interaction, that alter how we perceive our Cities, and transform our engagement with culture are all important. We are really looking forward to Colour Keepers sparking playful encounters between participants, and casting new light on Bristol’s Enterprise Zone.”

So, what is BikeTAG? It is a system of led lights, proximity sensors and a Smartphone application, originally created in 2012 by artists Bang & Lee, Tine Bech and Julian Sykes. They describe the system as 'an urban platform that gives cyclists a voice in their city.' BikeTAG is now being developed for Bristol Temple Quarter in collaboration with Pervasive Media Studio resident and creative technologist Tarim.

Each of the artists who have contributed to BikeTAG, have their own unique practice: Tine Bech is a visual artist and researcher based in London, her work centres on the creation of immersive, playful experiences; Julian Sykes is co-founder of brand and strategy agency Hoffi, and also thinkARK, a voluntary social design group based in Cardiff; and Bang & Lee - Jayoung Bang and Yunjun Lee - from in Seoul in South Korea, will travel to Bristol to participate in Colour Keepers. Their visual artwork is dedicated to exploration of transformation and creation of cross-cultural participatory events, with emphasis on collaboration and friendship.

Save the dates (Sat 18 and Sun 19 May) for this exciting event in our city (ticket details coming soon), and help contribute to the future development of this remarkable work.

BikeTAG Play Test: Colour Keepers is supported by the British Council and is part of a series of Bristol Temple Quarter commissions coordinated by Watershed, Knowle West Media Centre and MAYK, with support from Bristol City Council and Arts Council England. The commissions will will pop up, excite and re-invent perceptions and potentials of the Enterprise Zone - the area surrounding Bristol’s Temple Meads Station.

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