Art / Features
Peering through people’s windows
A free festival of creativity that allows you to peer into your neighbours’ windows and gawk at their gardens for as long as you like, Window Wanderland is a community art event that aims to get people out and about and socialising in their local area.
Created in Bristol last year by Lucy Reeves Khan, the first event saw hundreds of homes in Bishopston adorned in light-up art displays for the enjoyment of their neighbours, who walked around the 55 participating streets in groups to see the impressive creations of their fellow locals.
From the simple and effective to the full-on wacky, Window Wanderland has seen Bristol residents unleash creativity they didn’t know they had, and actively encourages people to get to know their area and neighbours whilst raising money for charitable causes.
“I was stuck in the home for many years both as stay-at-home-mother and because of chronic pain,” organiser Lucy Reeves Khan explains.
“While doing short therapeutic evening walks around the block – in the dark as I didn’t want anyone to see how debilitated I was – I noticed that if the curtains were open I didn’t feel the pain so much. For years I assumed I was just a nosy parker, but I realised that the light and openness made me happier.”
Since its conception the event has evolved into a veritable exhibition of brilliant artworks on doorsteps around the city, and its continued success has meant five more Window Wanderlands have been scheduled in various Bristol neighbourhoods in 2016, including Fishponds, Bedminster and Windmill Hill.
Visit www.windowwanderland.com for more information on upcoming events and how you can get involved, and have a look at these impressive past displays for some window-art inspiration:
