Current projects include:
The Milk Bar – 11, St Nicolas Street, Bristol
Temporary home to Residence, a community of theatre makers who share space, resources, knowledge and opportunities and Slingshot, designers and deliverers of street and pervasive games and organisers of Igfest
The Showroom and The Parlour – 31 and 31a College Green, Bristol
These are 2 council owned empty shops which have been turned into spaces for exhibitions, installations, small events, window displays etc. See what’s planned in the events/shows page
The Parlour (Upstairs) – 31, College Green, Bristol
Temporary home to Stand and Stare Collective , theatre company creating immersive theatre and Interval an artist lead support network for performance makers in Bristol
The Victorian Toilets– corner of Park Row and Woodland Road
Victorian Toilet block in original state, no longer used as public toilets- available for use, rent free.
The Control Room -disused semi-circular shaped Control Room on Redcliffe Bridge with windows all around it. Available for use for creative projects, rent free- work can only be viewed from the outside as the public aren’t permitted to enter
Tim Etchells neon installation
The College project Capacity is working with Artspace Lifespace and the Home and Communities Agency to create spaces for ceative, educational and community activity at the ex Bristol City College on Marksbury Road, Bedminster. There is a growing and diverse community of artists, community groups and social acitivists based there and a broad schedule of activities. Many different sized spaces are available for studios, workshops, classes, rehearsing etc.. Please contact thecollege@artspacelifespace.com for more info.
Broadwalk Arts Unit 3, Broadwalk Shopping Centre, Knowle
Broadwalk Arts took over a vacant shop in Broadwalk Shopping Centre, Knowle, Bristol to hold regularly changing exhibitions and events. Broadwalk Arts supports artists and makers to curate, publicise and organise their own exhibitions and events. Broadwalk Arts is available for artists, groups and other creative organisations to host exhibitions and events. Those using the space are asked to pay £30 per weeks use, towards running costs and maintenance, and 10% of any sales (although work does not need to be for sale).Contact: broadwalkarts@yahoo.co.uk
Cheltenham Road Library, Cheltenham Road, Bristol
In some underused space, we have provided an open studio area to accommodate 5 local artists- Dan, Andy Council, Mr Jago, China Mike and Lee
The Weighbridge – Brunswick Square, St Pauls, Bristol
Former weighbridge building which had been empty and boarded up for many years, now being used by local artist H.Ren as studio space
The Island – Silver Street, Bristol
Home to Artspace Lifespace and the Invisible Circus’ infamous Carnyville
This city centre project is unique in scale with artists using a whole block of ex-institutional buildings comprised of and linked to the ex central police station and ex central fire station. The Island project includes several venues, a dance space, a circus training room, many studios and office spaces and a host of police cells for occasional exhibitions or happenings.
The Warehouse Little Anne St, Bristol.
Temporary storage space for Puppet Place, Ramshacklicious, Fair Play, Jigantics and other local theatre companies and artists
The Island Dance Space
Freak Street Studios – Nelson parade, Bedminster, Bristol
Carpentry and metalwork workshops with a micro brewery on the way!
A programme of window displays planned………
The Motorbike Showrooms
– 15-19, Stokes Croft
Ex showroom building which has been used for a number of exhibitions, events theatre shows and a pop up shop, including 2 projects funded by the Bristol City Council Empty Shops Fund which ran during 2009-10, Central Reservation and the play The Lamentable Tragedy by Bristol based theatre company The Wonder Club
The Wonder Club's show- The Lamentable Tragedy
Past Projects
Madescapes at 9 Waring house- A eries of exhibitions took place in an empty shop unit under Waring house, Redcliffe
Cycle In Cinema – The Quarry, Leigh Woods
As part of Bristol Cycle Festival in September 2010, we helped secure the use of an ex police shooting range in a quarry in Leigh Woods to use as an outdoor cinema event showing of Point Break.
12 days of xmas ex- Bridewell Police Station cells (2007), Motorcycle Showroom (2008) organised and curated by steal from work
Igfest
Game locations for the games La Noche de las Muertas and 2.8 hours Later, including The Kings Porch, Castle Park, Victorian toilets, Park Row, the old Bank of England, empty shops, multi-storey car parks etc etc
Illuminate have produced 2 major events in South Bristol (Spring Forward in 2009 and The Longest Night in dec 2010) using empty shops and derelict buildings.
Not a Penny off the Pay collective urban art show in The Motorcycle Showroom May 2009 organised and curated by Steal From Work
Horfield Police Station Sommerville Rd, Horfield, Bristol . This disused police station was used by Artspace Lifespace for 2 years (2007-2008). It included studio spaces, a rehearsal and training room, offices and a roof garden.
Phoenix 52 Community Artspace – 202-204 Avondale Road, Barton Hill, Bristol
Phoenix 52 is a volunteer-led community arts project that works in and around Barton Hill, Redfield, St George and Easton. The group took over an empty shop from May 2009 – Jan 2010 to use as a community artspace. The shop was used for a variety of free community arts activities and events including:
-Exhibition space for photographic exihibitions in the shop window
-Studio/workshop space for local artists
-Artists in residence
-Play Me I’m Yours piano installation
-Free celebratory/carnival workshops (giant puppets, t-shirt making, flag making and umbrella decorating) for local people and young children
-Halloween shadow puppet workshop and projection installation in window over Halloween 2009
-Advent calender art installation
capacitybristol 
Hey ruth – great website – really good! well done you! x x
Hey Ruth – we are looking for somewhere to stage Playhouse Creatures towards the end of May/beginning of June. Any reasonably sized space would do but because it’s theatre it probably needs to be a bit insulated (in terms of noise) from the street. We can and are willing to construct a temporary inner core in almost any space and it would be extra great if we could use a space on Gloucester Road (Tile Flair is empty and might be possible?). If not then anywhere in the centre of the city would do.
We are an unfunded company using local talent and with a very good reputation. We fund everything we do ourselves for the sake of putting on good theatre for our community. It would be fantastic if someone could give us a space for 8 weeks of rehearsal and two weeks run. Basic technical stipulation would be a ceiling draft of about 10′ so that we can get a lighting rig up, some access to toilets and room to seat a minimum of 60 people a night. We can sort the seating out. An area which could be used for a backstage/dressing room would be helpful. We are prepared to look at most kinds of places.
Great stuff, the College progressing very nicely
thank you !