Phil Gibby

A day off, a train to London and a very satisfying afternoon at the Design Museum, invoking the spirit of the Blitz Club and immersion in the Wes Anderson archives. Both enthusiastically recommended.

Dydd gŵyl Dewi hapus, pawb / Happy St David’s Day everyone.

For the first time in about thirty years, I’ve been left home alone with the Brit Awards. Anything might happen.

Facts.

Can't wait to get down to Southampton for this. Looks fantastic.

Thanks @uniwinchester.bsky.social for inviting me to participate in last night’s arts, creativity and education question time - a lively discussion with both the panel and audience and plenty of new thoughts to take away. Time very well spent.

A quiet Sunday morning in the kitchen with tea and newspapers, and Radcliffe and Maconie extolling the virtues of Talk Talk’s Colour of Spring on 6 Music. Optimal conditions.

…and glad to round off the day with a visit to the Palace Theatre, Paignton. Thanks for sharing the journey of the last ten years, Maureen McAllister - really encouraging.

A thoroughly useful day in Torquay and Paignton with colleagues from Heritage Fund, Homes England and Historic England. Thanks Torquay Museum for hosting, and Torbay Council for being so generous with your time and insights.

First gig of 2026 - Annie and the Caldwells at The Fleece, supported by Rozie Gia. Joy unconfined.

The first of 12 gigs in independent Bristol music venues in 2026…one of my more sensible New Year’s resolutions of recent years.

Nice thread. Happy birthday, Once In A Lifetime. What a song.

The very best of Talk Talk could run to three volumes, to be fair.

Good luck to @rammuseum.bsky.social for today’s opening of the new Grayson Perry exhibition. Lucky enough to get a quick preview yesterday - it’s an absolute winner.

So glad to make it over to Bovey Tracey last night for the opening of the Kinetic exhibition at MAKE South West. A fascinating fusion of crafts and engineering - will keep you thinking for ages afterwards. Warmly recommended.

The major Beryl Cook retrospective at The Box, Plymouth - all the warmth and joy you could imagine, perfect for navigating the relentlessly bleak midwinter weather, and the uncertain world in which we live. Five stars in The Guardian and rightly so. Rush to see it.

1947-2016. “Though nothing, nothing can keep us together, we can beat them forever and ever…”

The first road trip of the new year - very grateful to Rachel Gilmour MP for such a useful day with cultural leaders in the Tiverton and Minehead constituency. Time very well spent and plenty to build on.

Looking forward to listening to this >

We arrived just as the sun was setting yesterday evening (we’re out at Stanton St Gabriel) - it was amazing. Happy new year to you too!

Seeing out the old year in deepest rural Dorset, with old friends, glorious early morning walking and a stack of good books.

It’s Betty…a very good Christmas doggo!

Dogs with Christmas bow ties - definitely a trend!

…and, for a Welsh person in the West, no better point to wrap the year than with Emma Rice’s A Child’s Christmas In Wales at the Lucky Chance in Frome. Thanks to all the south west’s brilliant artists, administrators and freelance creative workforce who made such a difference this year. (10/10).

Two exhibitions that stayed with me all year - Barbara Walker at @arnolfiniarts.bsky.social and Liliane Lijn at @tatestives.bsky.social. (9/10)

A pleasure to be on the south coast on one of the hottest weekends of the year to celebrate the annual Southampton Mela, courtesy of Art Asia. (8/10)

On Portland, @bsidefest.bsky.social went from strength to strength with captivating stories of communities, from the Bibby Boys to the Portland Dress. (7/10)

Plymouth’s cultural success story rolls on apace, with much more to come in 2026. (Fame! Beryl Cook!) Particularly loved the Jyll Bradley exhibition at @theboxplymouth.bsky.social (6/10).

Delighted to see south west artists well represented at this year’s Glastonbury - not least @triggerstuff.bsky.social and their PoliNations trees at the heart of Shangri-La. (5/10)

One of my absolute highlights of this, or any other year, was @paraorchestra.bsky.social performing Handel’s Eternal Source of Light Divine at dawn on Ilkley Moor as part of Bradford’s brilliant year as UK City of Culture. (4/10)

A proud moment for culture on the #IsleOfWight in March, with the opening of Department in Ryde, courtesy of Shademakers and Horsebox Theatre. (3/10)