Spike Island is pleased to present Open Studios 2025, our hugely popular annual event offering free behind-the-scenes access to our 80,000-square-foot arts space.
From 2—4 May, fans of art, culture and design are invited to see the expansive network of artist studios, galleries, and creative businesses that inhabit the former tea-packing factory, as well as the working studios of UWE Fine Arts programmes and award-winning Spike Print Studio, the largest open-access print studio in the South West.
Beginning Friday 2 May (6—9pm), visitors are free to explore Spike Island, an integral part of the South West’s cultural ecosystem and one of the UK’s largest spaces for contemporary art. With much of the building closed to the public during the rest of the year, this is a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in its community, learn about your favourite creative practices – from graphic design to sculpture, see works-in-progress, and even buy original pieces from both emerging and established talent.
Additionally, a variety of Bristol-based street-food vendors will be situated across the site to fuel your Open Studios visit, including Jazweiners, Jikoni East Africa and Ceylon & Beyond. Spike Island’s ever-popular on-site Emmeline café will have a selection of colourful salads, their famous mega toasties, and tasty cocktails and coffees all weekend. Left Handed Giant will also have a bar on-site serving an exclusive Spike Island collaboration beer, featuring artwork by Spike Island studio holder Myrna Quiñonez.
FRIDAY 2 MAY
PERFORMANCE: SPIN TO WIN
MARTHA LAIDLER
6–9pm, UWE BA Fine Art Studios
Spin the wheel to find out which vape flavour you are, to determine your fortune. With BA Fine Art student Martha Laidler.
PERFORMANCE: EKKO
MICHAELA SHAHINI
6.30–6.45pm, Associates Space
EKKO is a live performance by BA Fine Art student Michaela Shahini that explores sonic preservation, resonance, and decay through sound sculpture. The performance will use feedback loops, resulting in a shifting experience where the sculpture both emits and destroys its frequencies, reflecting on the preservation and loss of both material/memory.
LIVE PRINTING
SPIKE PRINT STUDIO
6.30–7.30pm, Ground Floor Corridor
Live postcard printing with Spike Print Studio’s roving Adana Letterpress machine.
PERFORMANCE: CAROSELLO
AKASHA DRYDEN, ALICE FARRINGTON AND SIMONE MARCONI
7–7.15pm, Associates Space
Carosello is a movement and spoken word performance exploring the space between sleep and wake. It is a collaboration between two bodies and a voice; a lucid dream of slippery memories.
PERFORMANCE: THE WORLD WE LOVE SO MUCH
LOUIE WOODLAND GRIFFITHS
7–8pm, UWE BA Fine Art Studios
BA Fine Art Student Louie Woodland Griffiths presents a durational performance.
PERFORMANCE: HYPOTHESIS
AYA COHEN-ROSE
7.15–7.30pm, UWE BA Fine Art Studios
Amongst uncanny textile and metal automata comes a multisensory tale of snail trails, dance and sound buried underground. BA Fine Art student Aya Cohen-Rose explores the liberatory relationships to time and the body that can arise when we cultivate empathy for the more than human and even more than living world.
PERFORMANCE: MA-FFECT
CHARLIE LOCKWOOD WITH AMETHYST PHOENIX
7.30–8pm, Associates Space
An experimental performance by UWE MA Fine Art student Charlie Lockwood, merging Butoh-inspired movement with audio visual feedback loops, exploring the subtle energies that emerge from in-between spaces. This performance contains partial nudity.
PERFORMANCE: BELTANE DANCE
HONEY REGLER HITCHINS AND GEORGIA PRICE
8–8.15pm, UWE Fine Art Studios
Honouring the traditions of Beltane (May Day festival) and the peak of Spring, BA Fine Art students Honey Regler Hitchins and Georgia Price lead a May pole performance and crown the Open Studios May King and Queen.
DJ SET AND INSTALLATION: SUSPENDED UTOPIA
TOM PRICE
8.15–8.45pm, Associates Space
Step into a utopia celebrating dance, music and drag culture through a live DJ set and installation showcasing Bristol’s vibrant drag scene, by UWE MA Fine Art student Tom Price.
STUDIO ARTISTS’ YARD PARTY
9pm-12am, Sculpture Yard
Spike Island Studio Artists are hosting a special after party with live DJs, light installations and a bar. The Yard Party is the Studio Artists’ annual fundraiser, supporting artist bursaries, mentoring and social events for the community of over 70 artists. Book your ticket here (£6)
SATURDAY 3 MAY
WORKSHOP: NARRATIVE ZINES
SPIKE PRINT STUDIO
11–11.40am, Spike Print Studio
Artist Andrew Wilson leads a narrative zine workshop using photocopying and collage techniques. Drop-in, £5 per participant.
KIDS WORKSHOP: DREAM AND MAKE
LAURA PHILLIMORE
11am–1pm, Associates Space
A drop-in session of discovery based, creative activities for children aged 5-11.
LIVE PRINTING
SPIKE PRINT STUDIO
12–1pm, Spike Print Studio
Live postcard printing with Spike Print Studio’s roving Adana Letterpress machine.
WORKSHOP: FLOWER CROWNS
12–2pm, UWE BA Fine Art Studios
Drop in and make a festival-inspired colourful flower head band. Open to all ages. Led by BA Fine Art student Sophie Cridland from the UWE Therapeutic Arts Society.
PERFORMANCE: SPIN TO WIN
MARTHA LAIDLER
1–5pm, UWE BA Fine Art Studios
Spin the wheel to find out which vape flavour you are, to determine your fortune. With BA Fine Art student Martha Laidler.
PRINTMAKING WORKSHOP
DAISY FISHER
1.30–3pm, Associates Space
A printmaking workshop using recycled materials, led by UWE BA Fine Art student Daisy Fisher.
PERFORMANCE: BELTANE DANCE
HONEY REGLER HITCHINS AND GEORGIA PRICE
2–2.15pm, UWE Fine Art Studios
Honouring the traditions of Beltane (May Day festival) and the peak of Spring, BA Fine Art students Honey Regler Hitchins and Georgia Price lead a May pole performance and crown the Open Studios May King and Queen.
DROP-IN CHATS: UWE MA FINE ART/CURATING
2–4pm, Outside MA Fine Art studios
Interested to find out more about doing an MA in Fine Art or Curating? Chat to Dr Steven Paige, Programme Leader, MA Fine Art, or Dr Marianne Mulvey, Programme Leader, MA Fine Art: Curating, about UWE’s postgraduate arts courses, ran in partnership with Spike Island and other cultural organisations across Bristol and the South West.
PERFORMANCE: HOUSE OF COMMONS
MARTHA LAWRENCE
3–3.15pm, UWE Fine Art Studios
Two parties engage in a confrontational talk using the Parliamentary language rules of the House of Commons. Communication, relationships and human connections are explored in this new performance led by BA Fine Art student Martha Lawrence, featuring collaborators from across UWE’s School of Arts.
WORKSHOP: LINO PRINT LANDSCAPES
SPIKE PRINT STUDIO
3–3.40pm, Spike Print Studio
Create your own lino plate with artist Lee Nutland, and print it using a handheld Japanese baren. Drop-in, £5 per participant.
PERFORMANCE: EKKO
MICHAELA SHAHINI
3.30–3.40pm, UWE Fine Art Studios
EKKO is a live performance by BA Fine Art student Michaela Shahini that explores sonic preservation, resonance, and decay through sound sculpture. The performance will use feedback loops, resulting in a shifting experience where the sculpture both emits and destroys its frequencies, reflecting on the preservation and loss of both material/memory.
LIVE DRAWING
SARAH-JANE MCCARTHY
3.30–5pm, Associates Space
A live drawing performance exploring mark making and movement. The audience will be invited to participate by adding their own marks.
SUNDAY 4 MAY
WORKSHOP: MONOTYPE STILL LIFE DRAWING
SPIKE PRINT STUDIO
11–11.40am, Spike Print Studio
Create your own multicoloured monotype prints with artist Jess Pratten while drawing from still life. Drop-in, £5 per participant.
WORKSHOP: SURREAL! COLLAGED! PUPPETS!
CONTAINER 22
11am–12.30pm, Associates Space
Artists Jasmine Smail and Sarah Garland De Carvalho invite you to create your own puppet show using drawing, collage and collaborative word games.
LIVE PRINTING
SPIKE PRINT STUDIO
12–1pm, Spike Print Studio
Live postcard printing with Spike Print Studio’s roving Adana Letterpress machine.
WORKSHOP: SCREENPRINT AND MONOPRINT
MARGARET DOREY AND CONNIE BALLANTYNE
12–2pm, UWE Fine Art Studios
Experiment with screenprinting and monoprinting and go home with a handmade print. BA Fine Art students Margaret Dorey and Connie Ballantyne will offer demonstrations and support to create interesting compositions and textures using techniques such as masking, layering and mark making.
WORKSHOP: WEAVING WITH WORDS
SHARNE TASNEY
1–2.30pm, Associates Space
A creative workshop where memories, reflections and hidden histories are shared and woven into a collective tapestry using yarn, paper and text.
DROP-IN CHATS: UWE MA FINE ART/CURATING
2–4pm, Outside MA Fine Art studios
Interested to find out more about doing an MA in Fine Art or Curating? Chat to Dr Steven Paige, Programme Leader, MA Fine Art, or Dr Marianne Mulvey, Programme Leader, MA Fine Art: Curating, about UWE’s postgraduate arts courses, ran in partnership with Spike Island and other cultural organisations across Bristol and the South West.
SCREENING: MAWUTA O MALIVHA TRE(R)ASURES IN THE WATER
LEEZA AWOJABI
3–3.30pm, Associates Space
Mawuta o Malivha Tre(r)asures in the Water is a poetic documentary showcasing the Bakweri people of Southwest Cameroon and their engagement with historic Christian missions.
SCREENING: FUGITIVES IN THE ARCHIVE
HEATHER MARKS
3.30–4.30pm, Associates Space
A double screening of Spike Island’s 2024 Digital Commission with an introduction by the artist and a short discussion about fugitivity and archival repair.
ALL WEEKEND: INSTALLATIONS
VIRTUAL ARTWORK: WE ARE ONLY PARTLY REAL
STEVE DUTTON AND MICHELLE MARIE FORREST
First Floor Mezzanine
A new virtual exhibition commission produced in collaboration with digital artist Stephen Gray, exploring the potential of Virtual Reality as an artistic medium in itself.
INSTALLATION: POST-WAR I & II
BEA KAYANI
Outside Studio 111
A series of transmedia durational paintings where geographies and sanctuaries for displaced communities are reshaped into mythic shapes, and interweaved with live plant matter.
SHOWCASE
SHOP AND TOM HODGKINSON
Unit 113 / Second Floor
Shop is a boutique motion design studio founded by Neil Harris and Tom Hodgkinson. Co-founder and artist Tom Hodgkinson will show recent collage work in the studio, alongside a showreel of productions by Shop.
SOUND INSTALLATION: IT’S OKAY
ALICE SHEPPARD FIDLER
First Floor Stairwell
An audio installation investigating the relationship between power and reassurance. Drawing from the aesthetics of public announcements, the work invites the listener to question the forces and events we cannot control.
INSTALLATION: HANGING IN THE BALANCE
ELLIE SHIPMAN
Loading Bay
An installation featuring hand knitted baby hats discarded by hospitals, exploring the value of women’s labour, intergenerational care and the immense unknowns from cells dividing. Join artist Ellie Shipman in a cosy reading area on m/otherhood.
INSTALLATION: WHAT PAINT CAN BE
BO LANYON
Outside Studio 31
Two large-scale paintings celebrating the raw, alchemical materiality of pigment and paint. Rooted in PhD research, these works merge gestural abstraction with the rich depth of hand-made paint, inviting close, immersive viewing.
VIRTUAL ARTWORK: IMBER ATOMIC SHELTER, INSPECTION SYSTEM
ELECTRICITY BOARD
Sculpture Studios
A virtual artwork exploring an abandoned 1950s atomic shelter through the eyes of a repurposed robotic rover.
INSTALLATION: WORK IN PROGRESS
JO LATHWOOD
Commissioning Bay
Work in Progress is a structure by artist Jo Lathwood forming part of an upcoming solo exhibition at East Quay, Watchet. Exploring British pub culture through a queer lens, the exhibition highlights the origins of pub signs, Alewives, and forgotten histories.
SHOWCASE
SPIKE ISLAND WORKSPACE
Ground Floor Corridor
A selection of artwork and a showreel of films made by the creative residents in Spike Island Workspace.
BAR: PINK PALACE APARTMENTS
UWE BA Fine Art Studios
A drinks bar installation exploring memories of film through cardboard, conversation and photo ops. Created by BA Fine Art student Killian Hartnoll and a team of collaborators. Bar open Friday 6–9pm, installation open all weekend.
ALL WEEKEND: EXHIBITIONS
DANIELLE DEAN: THIS COULD ALL BE YOURS!
Dean’s exhibition at Spike Island centres around Hemel, a new film that serves both as a personal essay and a portrait of Hemel Hempstead, where she grew up. Archive footage and images of the town today interweave with references to Quartermass II, a 1957 sci-fi horror B-movie shot there about the arrival of a non-human entity that infiltrates the minds of residents and endangers life with a toxic black slime.
DAN GUTHRIE: EMPTY ALCOVE / ROTTING FIGURE
Empty Alcove / Rotting Figure is a new commission and solo exhibition by artist Dan Guthrie. Working primarily with moving image, Guthrie’s practice explores representations and mis-representations of Black Britishness, with a particular interest in examining how these manifest in rural areas.
THE CORRIDOR SALON
First Floor Studios
A display of artwork by Spike Island studio artists, with select pieces available to purchase.
CONDITION REPORT
SPIKE ISLAND TECHNICAL TEAM
Studio 30
Condition Report showcases the creative talents of Spike Island’s Technical Team, featuring works by Jackson Bateman, Josh Gleave, James Hankey, Ben Hartley, Samuel James Hunt, Olivia Jones, Frances Kelly, Jo Lathwood, Elliot Steele and Rich White.
STEGANOGRAPHY
UWE BA Fine Art Studios
Steganography is the practice of concealing an image in plain sight. This group exhibition uses this idea as a way to talk about how we consume and are consumed by images, how memory affects perception, how images generate structures, and how we can deconstruct structures through images. Curated by BA Fine Art students Will Hilless and George Lawrence.
SHADOWS OF TOMORROW
UWE BA Fine Art Studios
Filled with artwork born from the discarded and forgotten, this dark installation lures you to delve into the depths of your mind to explore the omnipresent shadows of fear and post-apocalyptic dystopia. Curated by BA Fine Art student Colette Teteau.
QUIET SPACE: THE LOWN FRAGMENT
UWE BA Fine Art Studios
Calming and meditative sound-based artworks are brought together in this dedicated quiet space for Open Studios visitors. Curated by BA Fine Art students Matt McLean and Daisy Fisher.
PLACE, SPACE & BODY
UWE MA Fine Art studios
UWE MA Fine Art students present their work, across 2 interlinking spaces: MA STUDIO/HALLWAY, adjacent to the BA Fine Art studios. The work circles the student’s preoccupations and research around materiality, time, and our current challenging contexts, through video, performance, installation, painting, drawing, sculpture, and sound.
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