A university of imagination and innovation

A university of imagination and innovation

The ambitions for the University of Bristol as a global civic University are mirrored in the vision for the public art programme.

To be truly civic means that the University plays an important part in the life of the city, making its knowledge, creativity and innovation genuinely accessible to all while drawing from its civic context in a symbiotic relationship of cultural exchange.

Contemporary art commissions for a Global Civic University

The ambitions for the University of Bristol as a global civic University are mirrored in the vision for the public art programme.

To be truly civic means that the University plays an important part in the life of the city, making its knowledge, creativity and innovation genuinely accessible to all while drawing from its civic context in a symbiotic relationship of cultural exchange.

Activating and inspiring ideas, spaces and people

The ambitions for the University of Bristol as a global civic University are mirrored in the vision for the public art programme.

To be truly civic means that the University plays an important part in the life of the city, making its knowledge, creativity and innovation genuinely accessible to all while drawing from its civic context in a symbiotic relationship of cultural exchange.

Bringing people together through contemporary art practice

The ambitions for the University of Bristol as a global civic University are mirrored in the vision for the public art programme.

To be truly civic means that the University plays an important part in the life of the city, making its knowledge, creativity and innovation genuinely accessible to all while drawing from its civic context in a symbiotic relationship of cultural exchange.

Permanent artworks

Frank Benson, Castaway (2019)

Castaway is a depiction of a modern figure – a symbol of displaced and isolated people in the here and now.

Frank Benson

Castaway (2019)

Annie Cattrell, Atlas (2017)

Atlas comprises two spheres which enlarge and reduce the landmasses and seas that comprise planet Earth.

Annie Cattrell

Atlas (2017)

Professor Peter Green and Wilkinson Eyre, Voronoi Screen (2017)

The Voronoi Screen sits at the intersection of art and architecture and incorporates mathematical concepts into its design.

WilkinsonEyre and Professor Peter Green

Voronoi Screen (2017)

Jeppe Hein, Follow Me (2009)

Follow Me was commissioned for Royal Fort Gardens, Bristol to mark the centenary of the University of Bristol receiving its charter in 1909.

Jeppe Hein

Follow Me (2009)

Luke Jerram, Palm Temple (2020)

Inspired by Florence Cathedral, the colourful dichroic panels of Palm Temple reference the stained glass of a cathedral.

Luke Jerram

Palm Temple (2020)

Alex Lucas, Uncertain World (2015)

Commissioned and inspired by the University of Bristol’s Cabot Institute’s Uncertain World research.

Alex Lucas

Uncertain World (2015)

Katie Paterson, Hollow (2016)

Made up of 10,000 individual tree samples from across the globe, Hollow is a compendium of the world’s forests.

Katie Paterson

Hollow (2016)

Sarah Staton, Edith and Hans (2015)

A highly visible, extraordinary, permanent artwork which responds to the natural environment.

Sarah Staton

Edith and Hans (2015)

Henrietta Lacks (2021)

A life-size bronze statue of Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman whose cells were the first ever to survive and multiply outside the body, and whose use changed the course of modern medicine.

Helen Wilson-Roe

Henrietta Lacks (2021)