Festival 2016

Portland

"We've been entertained, welcomed, challenged. I love being assaulted by things out of the ordinary..."

b-side returned to the Isle of Portland in September 2016 showcasing the very best in contemporary art made in response to this beautiful and intriguing island. Extraordinary, playful, witty and challenging our programme emerges from conversations between artists, producers and the residents of Portland.

Thousands of visitors enjoyed a generous mix of free and ticketed events that included brand new work in film, visual art, sound and live art created especially for the festival, artist talks, workshops, bus tours, a pop up outdoor cinema, a Reliant Robin parade, underground goings-on and intriguing bending of truths at The Portland Office for Imaginary History plus much more.

See all the wonderful images from b-side Festival 2016 HERE

“Really appreciated everything I saw. The whole experience pushed the borders of what I considered to be art last week! Thank you.”

2016 Festival Visitor

Project events

Event

Strangers - Notter’s Travelling Charm Shop

Notter’s Travelling Charm Shop
Portland

Katarina has created a series of artworks based upon a collection of Portland diaries from the 18th and 19th centuries, combined with historical

Event

The Rock: Above and Below (Bus Stops)

Look out for Bus Stops & Billboards around Portland
Portland

Beautiful large scale photographs of Portland exhibited at bus stops and billboards as one large scale outdoor gallery. Portraits of members of

Alistair Gentry
Event

The Portland Office for Imaginary History

Outpost
Portland

Located at Outpost, b-side’s new project space, The Portland Office for Imaginary History is Alistair’s response to an open call from b-side to

Event

Then Listens for Returning Echoes

On board 'The Coastal Guardian"
Portland

Emma Critchley has worked underwater for over a decade using photography, film, sound and installation to continually explore the human

Ruin Gazer at Rufus Castle
Event

Ruin Gazer (Cove Holiday Park)

Hayloft Cafe picnic area, Cove Holiday Park
Portland

Bridgette Ashton’s ‘Ruin Gazer’ platform acts as a pavilion, monument, and meeting place, inviting audiences to compose a ‘picturesque’ vista of

Event

Ruin Gazer (Portland Hospital)

Portland Hospital
Portland

Bridgette Ashton’s ‘Ruin Gazer’ platform acts as a pavilion, monument, and meeting place, inviting audiences to compose a ‘picturesque’ vista of

Event

The Rock: Above and Below (Bus Stops)

Look out for Bus Stops & Billboards around Portland
Portland

Beautiful large scale photographs of Portland exhibited at bus stops and billboards as one large scale outdoor gallery. Portraits of members of

Paul Wenham-Clarke - Mine
Event

The Rock: Above and Below (Exhibition)

White Stones Cafe
Portland

Awe-inspiring images of the secret cathedral-like spaces created by quarrying, the individuals working there and portraits of members of the local

Event

The Captain's Cabinet

Chiswell Walled Community Garden
Portland

The Captain’s Cabinet is inspired by an account of a Dorset shipwreck in which parts of the ship were salvaged and used as furniture in homes on

Want to see what we programmed for 2016 Festival?

The 2018 Guide can be viewed online, you can also download a PDF copy using the link below. 

Download festival guide