News

“It’s like a little neighbourhood in here.” Journalist Simon Usborne visited Sparks Bristol for The Telegraph researching the reasons why so many high street department stores are standing empty and what lies ahead for these “cathedrals of commerce”. “Sixteen months after the last bras and Percy Pigs went through the old tills, the M&S on […]

Kicking off the new year with Artist Residencies, Hush City and Weekly Classes in our January newsletter.

Artspace Lifespace recently contributed to a report from the House Of Lords examining how our city centres can be revitalised. The key findings from the report are: The dominance of retail on high streets is something of the past. Whilst shopping will still be a key feature, there is greater demand and opportunity for restaurants […]

A sweet nutcracker dance, Global Gifts and Father Christmas this December across our buildings in our monthly newsletter.

The below article is by Trinity Arts Centre who are taking on the Jacobs Wells Baths building in Bristol, a former Artspace Lifespace project. At Trinity, we are committed to protecting public buildings and spaces and keeping them in the service of the local community. As part of our mission to restore and reopen Jacobs Wells, […]

A Festival Of Stories, 2025 Artist Residency Opportunities and Life Live this month across our buildings. https://mailchi.mp/6d1e79e737ee/artspace-lifespace-november2024-newsletter

In August performance artists Slowdanger held a 3 day residency in our Dance Studio, in return we asked them to write a blog piece about the experience. If you’re interested in having space to develop your creative work see our residency page. While in Bristol for a peer review of our performance methods chapter for […]

New Theatre show Girlhood on T (pictured), Artist Support Sessions and an Urban Nature Day this September at Artspace Lifespace. https://mailchi.mp/adda0650b91c/artspace-lifespace-september2024-newsletter-20234682

Art is an intangible and often polarising word, but one thing is certain; art can make powerful statements. Images can sum up what is hard to say and transcend languages. There is power in images and the messages you convey, they should be used respectfully. This month, as a reaction to racist fueled riots in […]

Red Roses, Dereliction Tours and Crafternoons at Artspace this August. https://mailchi.mp/cd8238d0f545/artspace-lifespace-august2024-newsletter-20232046

Street Litter protest, Burning Sisterhood and the ABC’s of a new economy this July in our newsletter. https://mailchi.mp/ca73839c41bb/artspace-lifespace-july2024-newsletter

May was a whirlwind of a month for Artspace Lifespace advocating for cultural spaces in our cities. Here are some reflections from our Company Manager, Kathryn Chiswell Jones. On May 11th-12th, we celebrated our first year since Sparks Bristol opened to the public. Thanks to Arts Council England for extending our funding, enabling us to […]

Global Routes, (Mis)fortunes and a festival of International Culture at Artspace Lifespace this June. – https://mailchi.mp/49137420cd5c/artspace-lifespace-june-newsletter

Sparks Bristol turns one, Diaspora! Festival and Monstrous Tales in our May newsletter.

Exploring the Historic Transformation: Behind the Scenes at Bristol Beacon. In March we held our team leaders meeting at Bristol Beacon. We met at the Sound Lounge where we were warmly welcomed by Sarah Robertson, Communications and Special Projects Director, who brought us on a captivating journey behind the scenes of Bristol Beacon. First built […]

Bunnies, Antiques and an Ottopia in our April 2024 Newsletter.

What a difference a grant makes! Funding serves as the lifeblood for organisations dedicated to serving their missions and nurturing thriving communities. However, not all funding opportunities are created equal. Unrestricted funding offered us a breath of fresh air, flexibility and empowerment in a landscape often dominated by restrictive funding streams. In 2023, Artspace Lifespace […]

We’ve been reflecting a lot recently on space for culture and creativity. Our sister company THE INVISIBLE CIRCUS COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY parted ways from Artspace Lifespace when they wanted longer-term security than meanwhile community space could offer. Ironically in the same year that Artspace Lifespace celebrated 15 years of meanwhile space at #theislandbristol, the Invisible Circus received notice […]

Boobies, Broadmead XP and celebrations for International Women’s Day at our buildings this March.

A new development on an industrial estate in St Philip’s may see us lose one of Bristol’s key cultural institutions from the city as the Invisible Circus are pushed out of Unit 15.

In 2023 Artspace Lifespace continued on our mission to recycle vacant, under-used and problem properties into thriving creative resources and took on management of a retail unit in The Galleries, Broadmead, called Broadmead XP. Broadmead XP houses the retro gaming emporium Playback Arcade a freeplay arcade run and owned by enthusiastic long-term gamers and friends, Mark […]

Baumkuchen, beats and longer leases in our Artspace Lifespace February newsletter.

February half term is coming fast. With the unpredictable weather it’s always a daunting week to fill with affordable kids entertainment so here’s some tips for creative days out around Bristol, including good picnic and toilet spots! As a venue who recently held a 90’s crisp buffet night we can’t help but love Zion Space […]

The old Marks & Spencers building in Broadmead saw massive changes in 2023. Now renamed Sparks Bristol, the four-storey department store was taken on by charities Artspace Lifespace and Global Goals Centre. Since opening in May 2023, Sparks Bristol has welcomed over 350,000 visitors. They recently announced that all their hard work has paid off […]

Here are our highlights for January 2024 including Tango, Floorwork and some generational electricity. artspace-lifespace-january-newsletter