Arnolfini and UWE Bristol launch public art project with Juneau Projects

UWE Bristol and Arnolfini are launching a series of community art workshops and events in October to give staff, students and local residents the opportunity to have a hand in creating a new public art and nature project on Frenchay campus.

Artists Juneau Projects have been selected to create the space and will be working with the local community over the next 12 months.

The Juneau Projects duo, Philip Duckworth and Ben Sadler, have invited UWE Bristol students and staff, local residents and schools to join them for Bryophyte* Club – a programme of free, creative workshops and explorations of overlooked but vital nature - and get hands-on with the design and construction of a sculpture garden in the new student accommodation on the campus.

On completion, the sculpture garden will also be used as a community space, with the aim to be a welcoming place for students, staff and local people alike to sit, rest, meet and enjoy for years to come.

They are keen to hear from individuals and groups who would like to have a hand in the creation of the sculpture garden, meet new people and gain skills in making with clay, wood, printmaking, plants and more.

Anyone who is interested to take part and find out more about the programme of events then please email publicart@arnolfini.org.uk.

The project kicks off with an exhibition on Arnolfini's second floor –  Meet Juneau Projects –  running from 8 October to 30 October, showcasing Juneau Projects' previous work and providing an opportunity to learn more about the project.

William Liew, Chief Financial Officer at UWE Bristol, said: “This is an exciting public art project which we hope will provide a long-term benefit to the local community, by creatively connecting Frenchay campus to those who live and work nearby, as well as providing a positive impact for future students who will make the new student accommodation their home in years to come.”

In response to being selected for this commission, Juneau Projects said: “We are looking forward to meeting the staff and students of UWE Bristol and the local community around Frenchay Campus. We are keen to work with them to create something that is a celebration of the way nature can integrate itself and hope that making space for nature, even in the smallest places can be part of the message of the piece.

“We encourage participants in the project to help develop these ideas and create, in a hands-on way, the final sculptures. We will be working with the university and contractor, VINCI Building, to site the pieces in a location where they will be both visually striking and create a unique area for contemplation for the whole community.”

The new UWE Bristol student accommodation project will provide 900 student bed spaces and is part of the university's commitment to offer accommodation on campus for all first year students.

The new accommodation is a low carbon development being built to the highest Passivhaus sustainability standard. Passivhaus buildings provide a high level of occupant comfort while using very little energy for heating and cooling. These standards will help UWE Bristol achieve their sustainability goals outlined in the University's 2030 strategy.

*Bryophytes (brai·uh·fites) are a group of plants that include mosses, lichens, liverworts and hornworts. In the UK there are around 1,100 species of bryophyte.