Features / Arts
‘Culture is not a luxury – it is the lifeblood of Bristol’
Unit 15 on Sussex Street in the Dings was a space occupied for a decade by the Invisible Circus. It was run by the circus community for the circus community, where professional circus artists could train among their peers. But relentless redevelopment in BS2 meant they were forced to move out.
Nearby on Freestone Road off Gas Lane, through a small tunnel from Dings Park under the railway line, was once Freestone Studios and Kingsland Studios, one of Bristol’s largest creative hubs with dozens of studios and workshops. It is now the site of a 204-bed student accommodation scheme due to open in 2026 on what the developer’s website says was a “disused” site.
Bristol is changing. That is no longer in doubt. But is it changing for the better? Our city is renowned for its artistic heritage but cultural spaces like Unit 15 and artists’ studios are being swept away faster than the small boat that was recently carried down the River Avon on the tide.
Thanks to encouragement from City Hall to build taller buildings, Bristol’s skyline is already unrecognisable in some areas of our city from only a few years ago. Where there was once creativity are now Minecraft-style rectangular blocks.
Look closely, however, and you might see a sticker on a lamppost saying ‘Make Bristol shit again’. Culture thrives in unexpected places; not on well-manicured lawns or new ‘public realm’.
At February’s full council meeting, councillors will vote on a budget that could see Bristol’s Cultural Investment Programme slashed by £635,000 by 2029.
It comes as a new ‘Culture Strategy’ is currently being developed; something which council leader Tony Dyer says will be “an alternative means of raising funds in a sustainable way to invest in the culture sector”.
In a statement sent to Bristol24/7 in November, Dyer said: “This work is ongoing and we hope to be able to share more of this detail in due course.
“The recognition of the value our culture sector brings to our city is what is driving our efforts to establish more effective and protected means of raising much needed investment.
“The council supports the culture sector in many ways beyond the Cultural Investment Programme through property, transport and public realm projects, supporting festivals, our high streets programme, the emerging Bristol Music Fund, investing in and securing external funding in BMAG (Bristol Museum & Art Gallery), M Shed, the Bottle Yard Studios and of course the Bristol Beacon.
“We share the passion people have for our cultural institutions and will continue to work towards securing a more sustainable future for investment.”
More than 1000 people have now signed an open letter to Dyer calling on him and the city council to protect independent culture.
“Culture is not a luxury,” says the letter, “it is the lifeblood of Bristol, and it is time the city invested in it accordingly.”
St Paul’s Carnival is one of the organisations who has received funding from Bristol City Council’s Cultural Investment Programme – photo: Rob Browne
The end of Mayfest and the closure of their producing arm MAYK was just one recent body blow for culture in Bristol.
“The picture for the arts in this country is increasingly grim,” said founders Kate Yedigaroff and Matthew Austin as they announced the sad news.
“Years of underinvestment have created a structural crisis that devalues culture at its core and is causing real damage. It needs fighting for: proper investment, imagination and care.”
Venues and companies across Bristol are looking at cutting their operational costs to survive, if they have not already done this. For Watershed CEO Clare Reddington, “it’s a stressful time for people working in the sector”.
“It is vital that our public funders and development agencies across all sectors have a clear and strategic view on the role that culture plays in feeding and catalysing the economy in our city, so they understand the unintended consequences of cuts to culture,” Reddington said.
“It will impact inward investment and whether people want to move to Bristol – especially as it’s also an expensive city to live in.
“It will also impact things like demand for public transport, wellbeing in the city, education and learning. I could go on.”
Culture is at the heart of what Bristol means for many people – photo: Martin Booth
All was looking glum until the news was recently announced that 2026 will see the spectacular re-emergence of the Invisible Circus in Bristol as part of an artist residency at the Prospect Building in St Philip’s Marsh.
It will mean a full scale return to the city for their performance elements – previously seen in locations including the former Pro-Cathedral in Clifton, now student accommodation; and the former police and fire station, now the Island, on Silver Street – while they fundraise for a permanent home.
“The city is experiencing a broader cultural reckoning which was underscored by our departure from Unit 15,” said Invisible Circus co-founder Doug Francis.
“Gentrification is steadily devouring vital artistic spaces in Bristol’s centre so we’re grateful for a space that supports big ideas and bold artists and can host shows at a huge scale without stripping away the anarchic magic we live for.”
Will Harold, director of AMAAD, the London-based events company who operate the Prospect Building off Feeder Road, added: “This residency is a chance to resist everything that’s pushing culture to the margins and a chance for site specific circus to continue in the city.
“We’re proud to be able to give a home to one of the city’s most exciting cultural collectives and to continue fulfilling our commitment to the Prospect Building as a cultural hub for Bristol, the South West and the UK.”
The Invisible Circus are performing at Bristol24/7’s Bristol Legends event at Ashton Gate Stadium on March 6. For tickets and more information, visit www.bristol247.com/bristol-legends
Main photo: Rob Browne
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