Art / public art
Artists Ellie Shipman, Jack Stiling and Barton Hill History Group to exhibit ‘Work in Progress’ on University of Bristol public art commission
Running as part of Charting Change, the University of Bristol’s two-year public art commission for its new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus (set to open in September 2026), Work in Progress is an exhibition of work by artists Ellie Shipman and Jack Stiling, in collaboration with Barton Hill History Group, run by Garry Atterton.
The event will take place from November 21-23 at Bricks Bristol, St Anne’s House, with a programme that includes an informal community coffee morning, networking for women in research at the University of Bristol, a women workers’ reunion, playable sculpture activation sessions and banner making.
Exploring both the industrial history and future technological promise of the TQEC site, the project is supported by the Contemporary Art Society consultancy, and has been informed by research as well as a number of historical artefacts contributed by BHHG.
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As a self-taught inventor and mechanic, Stiling’s practice has focused on the tactile and interactive capabilities of art, inspired by the ever-changing nature of urban landscapes and the ability to harness art in the regeneration and reframing of historical sites.
Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus site photography, 2024 – photo: Jack Stilling
He holds a particular fascination for the “voiceless stories” carried by abandoned objects and items otherwise consigned to waste, aiming to harness them in the telling of new narratives.
Shipman is a visual and participatory artist who uses a range of practices including collage, pattern, and installation to examine what it is to be a womxn. Her artistic training is complemented by an academic background in sustainable development at UWE.
As the lead artist for Charting Change, she is exploring how womxn have shaped the industrial history of Barton Hill, St Philips and The Dings, inviting the public to share their stories and take part. Her findings will culminate in the design of a large textile public artwork that will sit permanently within the new TQEC campus.
Ellie Shipman, Not Working, 2024 (metal apron sculpture) – photo: courtesy of the artist
“Work in Progress reveals our first explorations of the site and its history,” she says; “from Jack’s atmospheric photographs of the changing site, to his playable digger-arm sculpture Groundwork, 2024, which you can use to scoop the earth around it.
“The show will feature patterned textiles as I develop the design for the public artwork, as well as sculptures such as Not Working, 2024, a metal apron made using waste from the construction site to speak to the hidden labour of women who shaped the industry of East Bristol.
“To chart the change of a rapidly developing area with a complex history is a challenge, but this exhibition is an invitation to join the conversation, reflect on change, connect with community and play as we go.”
Work in Progress, the Charting Change exhibition featuring work by Ellie Shipman & Jack Stiling with Barton Hill History Group is at Bricks Bristol, St Anne’s House on November 21-23 at 10am-4pm. The opening night is on Thursday 21 at 6-8pm.
The exhibition programme is available at the University’s dedicated public art website, or by following links from @bristol_uni_publicart.
Main photo: Ellie Shipman (objects of local industry related to the Great Western Cotton Factory, collected by Barton Hill History Group)
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