Art / public art
Three-year wildflower installation and audio experience coming to Broadmead
In a bid to restore Broadmead’s lost nature to the shopping district, Bristol-based artists Sylvia Rimat and Charli Clark will be bringing the wildflower installation and audio experience Broad Meadow to three sites, for a three-year period.
Rimat is a British/German artist whose work has been presented internationally, and often involves thought-provoking, playful and interactive audio installation and sculpture.
Clark is an environmental artist and gardener who has been involved in exhibitions, workshops and residencies around Europe. She is part of the #CultureDeclares movement, and makes collaborative and socially engaged work that is principally focused around the climate emergency.
is needed now More than ever
Broad Meadow brings nature back into the urban environment
The Broad Meadow project, which had a successful first iteration as part of Mayfest in 2024, will be installed in Broadmead West (outside The Arcade), Merchant Street South (near the corner of Philadelphia Street) and Merchant Street North (near TK Maxx) from June 7.
“Visitors are welcome to sit among vibrant wildflowers, breathe in the floral scents, and listen to a specially created audio piece that explores our deep-rooted connection with the plant world”, Rimat and Charli explain.
Lady in reflective mood at Broadmeadow, Mayfest 2024
The audio journey – accessed via the users’ own smartphone and headphones – conjures up the lost landscapes that once pervaded the now urbanised centre of Bristol: “from the Neolithic woodland to the 11th-century wet meadow regularly flooded by the River Frome”.
The pair are enthusiastic about the power of nature to create a pocket of calm within the freneticism of modern life. “Come, take a moment, and reconnect with the nature that once thrived where concrete now stands”, they say.
Broad Meadow opens on June 7, with free and unticketed family fun arts and crafts from 2-5pm at Broadmead West and an official launch, talk and celebration at the John Wesley’s New Room courtyard from 6-8pm (booking required).
For more information, visit www.broadmeadow.art or follow @broadmeadowbristol, @sylviarimat or @charliclarkart.
The project is commissioned by Bristol City Council and West of England Combined Authority (WECA), with support from Broadmead BID, MAYK and Festival of Nature.
All photos: Paul Blakemore
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