Introduction
The University’s new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus (TQEC) next to Temple Meads train station will be a thriving ecosystem where students, academics, researchers, businesses, civic partners and the local community work together to build new knowledge in the digital age. It will create new research opportunities focused on digital, business and social innovation.
At the core of the TQEC campus will be three interrelated research entities: Quantum Technology Innovation Centre, The Bristol Digital Futures Institute, The Inclusive Economy Initiative These will draw on the University’s strengths in social sciences, data sciences and engineering. They will be located with the Centre of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, a new school of Management and parts of digital engineering alongside a range of enterprise partners.
Bringing together a critical mass of world-class academic, industrial and entrepreneurial expertise will enable us to innovate at scale and tackle the global challenges that impact our society. We will explore the impact of digital technologies on humans and wider society, how we can innovate responsibly and create and inclusive economy that works for everyone.
Public art programming
Public art programming is taking place at all stages of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus development. Art commissions present unique opportunities to creatively explore the University’s place in the city and the global challenges that the University’s research addresses.
In 2017 the University worked with Field Art Projects, who produced the Public Art Statement for the planning application for the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus. Current programming is being delivered with the Contemporary Art Society and guided by a Public Art Advisory Panel, with advisors from across the cultural sector in Bristol, as well as the University’s Heritage and Public Art Committee. The principles that guide the direction of commissions are: Valuing Excellence; Promoting Collaboration; Best Practice Delivery; Integration with Design.
In 2018-19 two artist residencies opened up creative conversations around the TQEC development locally, at an early stage when the demolition of the Royal Mail building and early site clearance was taking place.
As the programme progresses, three major new commissions will spark curiosity and imagination and help create a place where people feel welcomed. These public art commissions will have a strong focus on city-wide engagement, discussion and dialogue. As such they will be a vivid, creative expression of the ethos and character of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus as a place for city-wide partnerships to flourish.
We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build on our history as one of the world’s greatest civic universities through the transformation of a key site in the heart of Bristol. It’ll turn an underdeveloped area into a new destination for collaboration, innovation and opportunity.
The new campus will connect local people, social enterprises, businesses, academics and students to each other and to a range of future opportunities. It will attract more investment to the city, strengthen our global reputation and create a welcoming and inclusive new part of the thriving Temple Quarter area.