72ft MURAL AND NEW BRISTOL ART TRAIL UNVEILED AT FLAGSHIP EQ DEVELOPMENT IN BRISTOL

CEG has worked with Art Acumen to deliver a landmark mural on the façade of its flagship EQ building, alongside the curation of an interactive app and art trail of Bristol’s rich history.

Artist Molly Hawkin’s mural celebrates Bristol’s printing heritage, paying homage to the site’s legacy as the former Mardon, Son and Hall printworks. Molly used collage and print-making techniques, along with the EQ building’s architectural nod to typesetter trays, as inspiration.

At 22m x 15m, the canvas will be Molly’s most ambitious mural to date. It provides a new visual anchor for Redcliffe, across from Temple Meads Train Station. Artist Molly Hawkins explains: “The excitement of sharing my work on such a grand scale is absolutely exhilarating. I’ve worked closely with Bristol poet, Malaika Kegode. Together we spent days uncovering local stories and motifs and the thematic richness of printing and letter press. While I’ve crafted the visual motifs, Malaika has incorporated the historical narrative and poetry. I hope Bristolians, businesses and visitors alike enjoy the environment we have created.”

Keen to embrace public art as part of the development, CEG also commissioned Art Acumen to create an art programme which would engage the local community with their surroundings. 12 artists, inspired by architecture, streets, events and local history have produced creative works guided by the Four Pillars of Bristol’s Cultural Future (equality and inclusion, connectivity and collaboration, talent and learning, culture and expression).

Showcased via an interactive app, a map guides you on a journey through the local area from paintings to dancing, poetry to sculpture. It includes sketches, notes, maquettes, films and creative workspace tours to inspire all who participate..

All of the commissions can be viewed on the app by simply searching for Creative Journeys on your app store or by using the QR code below*

Catherine Thomas of Art Acumen said: “Bristol is one of those wonderful UK cities that has pretty much everything going for it. Friendly people, world-class culture, stunning architecture and bursting with creativity. The EQ public art programme was designed to bring this creativity to the business district; presenting opportunities for the local community to engage with and discover their surroundings in a novel and nuanced way. Each artist has meticulously recorded their creative process, offering a wonderful and rare insight into the minds and workings of 12 talented artists.”

 Paul Richardson, Investment Manager at CEG, said: “CEG is committed to delivering the best commercial workspace and the award-winning EQ is setting a new benchmark. This collaboration with local artists explores the rich history of this site and the surrounding area.

“EQ is providing a home for the fantastic results – from the mural on the exterior of the building providing a new landmark, but we also welcome visitors into EQ as they explore the displays and use the new interactive app of these exciting creative journeys.”

 Georgina Bolton, Public Art Officer at Bristol City Council, said: “Creative Journeys is a celebration of the creative talent of Bristol – shining a light on 12 artists who have created work in response to the context TQ and the surrounding business district. The app invites visitors into the artists’ worlds and encourages users to experience their local journeys in a new light. We are especially proud of this programme’s commitment to investing in the artists’ process and for changing our perceptions of the nearby public realm with their stories. We look forward to celebrating each creative journey at the launch and beyond.”

Alongside the mural, 12 talented creatives have delivered the following:

Naomi Skinner frames Bristol’s culture framed by the city’s architecture. She has taken inspiration from Temple Church and the surrounding area. Wherever you roam, you can frame any view via your phone layering the past, present and future of this diverse and vibrant city.

   Beth Calverley and Bethany M Roberts’ poem is inspired by the sounds and stories behind Bristol Temple Meads Train Station. It explores the bustling nature of the public space and the community within. Listen to the poem here: Shared with you – OneDrive (live.com)

Paul Ayers has designed two screenprint stamps of the 900-year life of Temple Church, hand printed in five separate layers to deliver a striking retro feel.

Sarah Dennis has created a paper sculpture inspired by Temple’s Holy Church, the shell of which reminds us of the devastation the city endured during WWII.

Sophie Cottle’s dance performance was inspired by St Mary Redcliffe Church, showing how buildings, nature and traffic intersect at the crossing. It can be seen here: https://vimeo.com/696523729

 Steph Renshaw’s 2.6-metre lino print is made from 30 hand-carved printing blocks depicting the waterfront from Temple Bridge to Bristol Bridge.

 Emily Gliddon worked with silver, gold and precious stones using traditional metalworking skills to create jewellery based on the colours, shapes, forms and textures in Temple Gardens and the riverside.

Jessica Mallock takes you on a meditative walk through her watercolours, embracing nature, the river and an old yew tree.

 Liam Roome closed in on the digital heart of Bristol as depicted by Google Maps. Its centre is imprecise and inaccessible, close to the riverbank on Finzel Reach when viewed from Castle Park. His ink drawing explores this architectural barrier.

Bev Milward’s porcelain sculptures are the Three Grails of Temple, depicting the rapid changes in the area from the British English Civil War in 1642 to the bombing of the church in the 1940 Blitz.

Dallas Collins has created a sculpture, resilience, as a nod to St Mary Redcliffe church and its survival through wars and disasters. In 1941 a tramline was thrown up from the city centre by a bomb blast embedding itself in the church grounds and the sculpture has been produced from the profile form drawn from the top of the tramline.

Public Art in Bristol is funded through planning gain as a result of Bristol’s Local Plan Core Strategy Policy BCS21 to ensure high quality urban design. Bristol City Council is dedicated to making imaginative, meaningful and sustainable cultural experiences happen across our public realm as a result of planning policy. By putting culture at the heart of place, considering creative opportunities early, and investing in people and process alongside high quality urban design, this can create the most successful places to live, work and move through.