Meet Me At The Sundial

Who might be on your next bus trip?

“Meet Me At The Sundial….”
Did you ever say it to your friends or family? Before mobile phones were around, where did you organise to meet people for a shopping trip, a catch up or a wander to The Hoe? 
Barbican Theatre, Plymouth commissioned 6 creatives to spend 6 months on the buses putting Plymothians, their relationship with buses and this most iconic of meeting spots in the limelight. 
These 6 creatives ranging from poets to storytellers, game designers to illustrators have spent their time on the buses, finding ways for your experiences and you to be part of their creative responses.  Check out their responses to the commissions below. 
Our final was held on Plymouth City Centre Piazza (at the sundial!) on Saturday 25 March. WATCH FILM >>

Photos from the finale event - Plymouth City Centre Piazza Sat 25 March 2023.

Image credit: Dom Moore for Barbican Theatre.

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Project Partners

This is a High Street Heritage Action Zone - Culture Programme Plymouth project brought to you by Barbican Theatre, Plymouth in partnership with Plymouth Culture and Plymouth City Council.
Funded by Arts Council England's Heritage Lottery Fund, HM Government, Historic England and Plymouth City Centre Partnership.
Supported by Plymouth Citybus.
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When does it happen? 

November, December & January
6 local creatives will be on the Plymouth Citybus buses - click here for updates of when they are out and about (we can't promise exact routes or times) 
You are welcome to talk to them, wave at them and sit next to them on the bus too! 
They'd love to talk to you about your journey, your thoughts on Plymouth and why you use the buses. 
March 2023
We'll find out their creative responses and hopefully your own ideas  (from their trips before Christmas) mixed in. 
When travelling on the buses during March you might encounter a piece of art on the inside of the bus, or a podcast you can download using a QR code, or even a roaming poet!
The whole project finishes on the last weekend of March, inviting you to go on a different kind of journey on the buses to ‘Meet Us At The Sundial’. Taking a special route at a specific time you can sit amongst a performance on a bus then stepping off and being led through the city centre to a very special show at the Sundial (more info on that to be announced soon - watch this space or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram) 

Meet the Creative Team

Chloe

Chloe Georgakis

I grew up close to Plymouth and I now live here, and work from my studio in the city centre. I’m a DesignerMaker and Educator and my work celebrates the natural and urban environments we live within.
My response
I will be using drawings and photos from out of the windows, as a way of gathering fragments of Plymouth. I’ll also be inviting other passengers to do the same by sharing their own photos or taking part in sketching sessions on the bus. These will come together in an installation that visually maps the city's bus routes as a series of passing memories and mindful moments spent on the bus.
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Leo Geyer

I am a composer and conductor. I write classical music but for today's audiences.  Although I live in Oxford, I come down to Devon for two days every week to work with the Devon Philharmonic Orchestra and Plymouth University. 
My response
My plan for Meet Me At The Sundial is to create and record a new song by collaborating with a variety of different people from different communities including the University of Plymouth, Devon Philharmonic Orchestra and Constella Opera's virtual performance programme for care homes. 
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Daisy Higman

I am a theatre-maker, composer, playwright, voice artist and musician living in Plymouth. I identify as a disabled artist and I’m passionate about making art for everyone, by everyone. I trained as an actor and did voice work. I do a lot of theatre and music projects with young people and community groups. 
My response
I plan to spend my time on the buses talking to you all about your stories. In particular special times when you have taken the bus to meet someone or when you have met someone by surprise. I’d like to turn your stories,  stories you’ve heard or stories you've made up into mini podcasts so people can hear them (perhaps when travelling on the bus!) 
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Gabi Marcellus - Temple

I’m Gabi - I’m a visual artist, writer and translator. I’m based over the bridge in Saltash, but I often work in Plymouth and nearly always get there on the bus! I’ve lived in and around Plymouth since I was sixteen - an alarmingly long time ago - and my two sons were born and raised here. I’m proud to call this extraordinary place my home! 
My response
As a wheelchair user, my experience of the buses might be a little bit different to other people’s. I nearly always travel by bus as it’s convenient and environmentally friendly and I really enjoy chatting to the different people I meet. My project will be about sketches, writing and interviews for a podcast. My PA and I plan to start out by going on picnics round Plymouth based on the area - we’ll have ham sandwiches in Ham and battenberg cakes at Mountbatten to start off and then see where that leads us and who we meet on the way!
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Alex Robins

I'm Alex, a playwright and video game developer based in Plymouth. The majority of my games have been created with my brother, Max Robins, who I'll be collaborating with for this project. My work in theatres has been primarily made for / with Plymouth residents, so I'm excited to transfer that co-creation experience into this process.
My response
We're going to make puzzle game app for phones called 'BusCity' which will be linked to through QR code stickers on the buses. The game will be fun, challenging and informative about the landmarks you pass on different bus routes. We'll be talking to passengers about their connection to the city and asking for feedback as they play in-progress versions of the game

DOWNLOAD the BusCity app

Chris

Chris White

I’m a performance poet and Producer. I’m originally from the Midlands but I’ve lived in Exeter for about 8 years. I like making silly & surreal work and at the same time getting all kinds of people writing and engaging with poetry and spoken-word. 
My response
I plan to spend my residency writing new work on the buses, and also creating a “community poem,” taking lots of different responses from passengers, and weaving them into a crowdsourced poem. I’ll probably gather these responses in a few different ways, by talking to people, getting them to do some lowkey creative writing, anonymous responses and via Social Media. The final poems will be available to listen to online with QR codes onboard, and I’ll also perform them on the buses!

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