‘Tiny Wilderness’ public art at UWE Bristol’s Frenchay campus

Vital habitats and the ecosystem benefits of non-flowering plants such as mosses, lichen and liverworts, are the inspiration behind a series of sculptures at the university’s Frenchay campus.

The ‘Tiny Wilderness’ art installation features bronze sculptures and brick clay seating structures, set in green space outside Purdown View, a 900-bedroom student village which opened in 2024.

The designs were created in collaboration with staff, students and local residents working with Juneau Projects, a public art organisation run by Philip Duckworth and Ben Sadler, and Arnolfini, Bristol’s International Centre for Contemporary Arts.

Between September 2022 and July 2023, nearly 300 people, including children and community groups, took part in a 36 free events and workshops called ‘Bryophyte Club’.

The creative workshops generated a number of submissions in clay and wax modelling, with the final designs made into the ‘Tiny Wilderness’ sculptures, situated outside Purdown View. The space is designed to be welcoming for the local community, to connect people to nature and to be a place for meeting, recreation, study and quiet reflection.

William Liew, Chief Financial Officer at UWE Bristol, said: “We’re delighted so many people showed an interest in this initiative, which we hope will provide a long-term benefit to both the local community as well as future students in years to come.” 

*Bryophytes (brai·uh·fites) are a group of plants that include mosses, lichens, liverworts and hornworts. In the UK there are around 1,100 species of bryophyte.