The Bridge Studios

Connecting technology with creativity. A creative space for physical-meta production, based at the heart of Frenchay Campus.

The Bridge Studios is an interdisciplinary research lab and a state of the art creative space for physical-meta production.

It was launched on 2 April 2025 by Professor Chris Smith, Executive Chair of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

It was established with a £2.3M investment from AHRC, £830,000 from the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), and funding from UWE Bristol. It is part of AHRC’s strategic Creative Research Capability (CResCa) initiative within UK Research and Innovation's (UKRI) World Class Labs fund.

To kickstart research and innovation at the facility, £120,000 has been allocated to provide seed funding for six projects, enabling academics from the College of Arts, Technology and Environment (CATE) and collaborators to explore its potential. UWE Bristol has also funded three PhD studentships to nurture the development of a vibrant postgraduate research community in the lab.

The space also houses the Music Interaction and Computational Arts (MICA) Lab. This inclusive research group develops and evaluates novel technologies for creative expression, expanding the interdisciplinary scope of The Bridge Studios.

A man using an extended reality glove in a performance space.

Space to collaborate, perform and create

Our facilities are kitted out with the latest robotic, fabrication and immersive technologies, making us a leading space for creative research and innovation.

Facilities and equipment

Aims

Our research at The Bridge Studios aims to:

Explore interdisciplinary applications of digital tools in arts and humanities research, fostering collaboration across technology and traditional creative practice.
Examine creative processes in digital fabrication, audio/visual immersion and design, gaining a deeper understanding of how creativity can be enhanced and supported.
Develop inclusive and accessible technologies to reduce barriers in creative fields, creating interfaces for enhanced creative expression.
Bridge academia and industry, to integrate academic research with the creative economy.
Innovate in digital and robotic fabrication, using sustainable materials, promoting eco-friendly practices in production techniques.
Combine computer science, creative technologies, and material science to create innovative solutions across and between disciplines.

Research themes

This list of research themes will expand as broader users engage with The Bridge Studios. We welcome activity outside of these themes, as long as it aligns with one or more of our aims.

Interdisciplinary digital fabrication for sustainable design: exploring sustainable practices in digital fabrication focusing on using collaborative robotic arms and 3D printing technologies. Understanding materiality and investigating new digital and robotic fabrication techniques in terms of sustainability and circularly.
Embodied and immersive creative interactions and experiences: exploring the use of motion capture, visual and audio technologies for immersive audio and visual creativity and performance.
Computational and generative design and fabrication: exploring innovative practices in digital fabrication, focusing on the use of robotic arms with additive, subtractive and hybrid technologies.
Collaborative human – robotic interaction: developing the use of performative robotic technology in the fields of visual arts, music or performance.
Hybrid experiences: developing new sustainable methods combining virtual and physical experiences to overcome geographical, economic, and cultural barriers. Focusing on equality of shared experience for creative collaboration and performance.
Creative AI interactions: developing creative audio/visual experiences using generative AI to enhance creative expression and accessibility. Challenging biases and expanding access to creative practice.
Creative virtual production: exploring wider applications of virtual production in new creative disciplines, such as architectural, interactive design processes, immersive theatre and documentary experiences, and music performance.