Heather & Ivan Morison,The Black Cloud, Victoria Park Photo: Wig Worland


The Black Cloud

The Black Cloud was a temporary structure designed by internationally acclaimed artists Heather and Ivan Morison (www.morison.info) in collaboration with architect graduate Sash Reading (www.asarch.co.uk), for Victoria Park, south Bristol, and commissioned by Situations. The structure was designed in readiness for a future boiling Bristol, baked dry by a relentless burning sun. The Black Cloud was informed by vernacular architecture built to withstand extreme environmental conditions, with the Yakisugi treatment of the timbers creating a scorched, protective shield.

The Black Cloud was in the park from Saturday 25 July to Sunday 6 December 2009. Acting as a shelter and meeting point, the structure was also open for free for park users, local residents, groups and organisations throughout its six months in the park. The project encompassed three events conceived by the artists (click the menu on the right for more information), whilst the structure was also open for park users, local residents, groups and organisations throughout its temporary residency in the park.