Spike Island

Spike Island is a significant international centre combining working and exhibition space for the contemporary visual arts. The organisation provides time and opportunity for research and development, production and presentation.
Located in the Cumberland Basin at the edge of Bristol’s Harbourside, Spike Island offers excellent studios as well as project space for the making and showing of ambitious new work. Spike Island offers a total of seventy affordable long let studios and a series of spaces for more commercial cultural industries. In parallel to this provision, a programme of residencies and fellowships are accommodated within dedicated shorter let spaces for visiting artists. The programme of exhibitions commissioned for the gallery space takes place against the background of critical debate and the international residency programme for which Spike Island is renowned.

Spike Island has a considerable existing local, national and international audience. The mediation of the exhibition, residency and commissioning programme ensures that a lively and engaged audience has the opportunity to experience and participate in the activities generated by Spike Island.

Spike Island lets out the main central space in the building when it is not otherwise being used for exhibitions. Some flexible meeting space is also available and office and general workspace for commercial tenants, targeted at the creative industries. Click the link for further information on commercial letting at Spike Island.

Spike Island is working on a second stage of capital development. The investment will rationalise the studio and gallery space, and create more residency and project space. In response to artist’s requirements other than studio space, Spike Island has embraced a strategy that will develop facilities with a more open access policy, so allowing Spike Island to establish an associate membership scheme. The development strategy also suggests the inclusion of a cafe and some residential space, when concluded the development will further consolidate Spike as a considerable international resource for the contemporary visual arts, and a vital new location within the city of Bristol.