Soft Monument - public art for the University of Bristol
public art
Soft Monument is the result of a two year public art and engagement programme for the University of Bristol called Charting Change. Soft Monument is a spatial public artwork designed specifically for the Story Exchange, a public space for communal conversation and innovation in the brand new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, opening next to Bristol Temple Meads Station in September 2026.
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Soft Monument, 2024 - 2026
14 British wool panels, 370cm long x 120cm wide each hung on mild steel bars, 220cm x 125cm each
Ellie Shipman
Soft Monument is an ode to the invisible labour of women - the work which rarely receives its own monument but is monumental in effort, sacrifice and repetition as well as joy.
The artwork traces the role of women in shaping industrial history, from Barton Hill to the wider world. Four large-scale yet familiar objects represent weavers, welders, seamstresses, and the domestic labour of unnamed women. Geometric repeat patterns evoke the rhythms and cycles of industry, reminding us of the threads across generations which connect us to place.
The monument becomes the negative space within the circle of soft, wool panels which hold invisible conversations, ideas and reflections, honouring those whose unseen contributions have supported people in this space to gather, connect and innovate.
Soft Monument is made of British wool and mild steel. It was fabricated by local women-led businesses: woven by Dash & Miller and the Bristol Weaving Mill; metalwork by Dizzi Lombardo and Lottie Smith and pieced together by Jokoto Tailoring.