Bristol 650

THE TEAM: Mustafa Alhawari, Olivia Elsey, Najah Mohammed, Elijah Morales, Marlene de Rauglaudre, Amardeep Singh, Tom Upton, Oneilla Weeratunge

Research Aim: Bristol is twinned with seven different cities around the world. One of Bristol’s first partnerships was in 1947 with Bordeaux. The students at ENSAP, higher education school of architecture in Bordeaux, spent the week at UWE as part of an exchange programme which seeks to strengthen the bond between the two cities.

Facilitators: Local Learning & ENSAP (Bordeaux)

Description: UWE campus to The Create Centre is roughly seven miles when following the path of the River Frome. The route passes through Stoke Park, Eastville Park, under the M32 into the city centre, through St. Pauls, Castle Park, onto Queens Square, and across Spike Island to the most western point where you can catch a glimpse of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. On the first day of the ENSAP visit, we took this walk together. We took this as an opportunity to get to know the ENSAP students, talk about life in Bordeaux, and spot the similarities between Bristol and Bordeaux’s lives on the river.

The week of exploration culminated in an exhibition in the Architecture studio at UWE, a chance for us to share our realisations in ‘Tales of Space and Entanglement – Bristol Metropolitan Trails’. Together we reflected on our experience of Bristol, sharing feelings and moments through sketches, textures, sculptures, and words.