Where now stands Bristol’s built-up shopping centre, Broadmead, a wildflower meadow and woodland used to thrive. With their beautiful project Broad Meadow, Bristol based artists Sylvia Rimat and Charli Clark are bringing back the nature that used to grow in Bristol’s busy shopping district.

After a successful opening as part of Mayfest last year, Bristol City Council and WECA have commissioned Broad Meadow to grow over the next 3 years.

Join us for the launch event of Broad Meadow wildflower installation and audio experience at the John Wesley’s New Room courtyard, which can be entered from Broadmead West, right next to Broad Meadow installation (outside the Arcade), BS1 3EA.

Join Broad Meadow Lead artists Charli Clark and Sylvia Rimat to celebrate the launch and listen to 'Habitat City: Celebrating Home', a talk by Regenerative Architect, Urban Designer and Educator Funda Kemal. Funda will be discussing the importance of protecting habitats for all species: both human and more than human, and the responsibility we have when developing the built environment to avoid putting both existing and newly created habitats at risk.


Launching this June and growing over the next three years, Broad Meadow invites you to step back in time and imagine the natural landscape that once flourished in Broadmead. 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. Please bring a pair of headphones to be able to listen to the full sound experience.

Accessed via smartphone, the audio journey evokes the lost landscapes of central Bristol — from the Neolithic woodland to the 11th-century wet meadow that was regularly flooded by the River Frome. Designed with biodiversity and history in mind, the installation features carefully selected wildflowers that mirror those that may have once grown in the area.

Broad Meadow can be experienced over three sites:
Broadmead West (outside The Arcade)
Merchant Street South (near the corner of Philadelphia Street)
Merchant Street North (near TK Maxx)

Come, take a moment, and reconnect with the nature that once thrived where concrete now stands.

For more info visit https://www.broadmeadow.art
Instagram: @broadmeadowbristol, @sylviarimat @charliclarkart
Facebook: @SylviaRimat

Commissioned by Bristol City Council and West of England Combined Authority
Supported by MAYK, Broadmead BID, Festival of Nature, Pervasive Media Studio and Residence.

Photo credits: Paul Blakemore

Entry requirements: no age restrictions — Read more — Read less