UWE Bristol is building a 400-square-metre laboratory called The Bridge to smash together digital fabrication tools, virtual reality, and traditional arts and humanities research in a single physical space. The problem is that creative researchers—sculptors, theatre designers, heritage specialists—often cannot access or use cutting-edge technologies because the equipment is locked inside engineering labs with steep learning curves. Meanwhile, the engineers rarely consider the aesthetic, cultural or ethical dimensions of their tools. This gap means the UK’s creative economy misses out on novel forms of production that blend physical objects with digital environments. If The Bridge works, it will create a collision space where artists and engineers work side by side on shared equipment, with a dedicated technician lowering the entry barrier. At least 25% of the equipment will be refurbished from industry, embedding sustainability from the start. The impact could ripple through the UK’s creative and cultural sector—film, gaming, performance, heritage—by enabling new kinds of physical-meta production that currently have no home in existing university infrastructure.
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Summary: Strategic funding and technological innovation are driving world-changing advances in fabrication, robotics, AI, and creative technologies. This progress is opening opportunities for creative research to drive the adoption and application of these technologies for the UK's creative and cultural sector and beyond. However, truly disruptive, interdisciplinary research requires creative practitioners to access and assimilate knowledge and expertise of cutting-edge technologies. We have identified an area of growing research capability at UWE in 'physical-meta production', unsupported by current infrastructure. Throughout educational and industrial structures there is a clear division between the technology enabling the creative industries and the artistic processes of content production. As technology rapidly shapes every facet of the creative economy, the necessary research that considers the aesthetic, cultural and ethical implications often lag. Sophisticated integration of object materiality and touch with virtually immersive environments holds great potential to explore a collision of both creative and digital approaches. The Bridge, a new laboratory at UWE Bristol will unite arts, humanities, and technologies researchers within a unique, interdisciplinary 'collision space'. It will leverage academic, PGR and technician expertise, maximising resilience, resources, and synergies within UWE's creative and cultural sphere. The Bridge will strengthen this growing specialism at UWE in physical-meta production by (1) providing a space for interdisciplinary, practice-based, design-led creative research, (2) driving adoption of emerging technologies in the arts and humanities to stimulate novel forms of creative expression and production (3) break down technological barriers by providing digital skills support, training, and mentoring. Creation of The Bridge will overcome the following shortcomings within UWE's creative research capacity: 1) Inhibitory research environments: UWE creative research infrastructure does not meet the needs of interdisciplinary research for physical-meta exploration. The refurbishment of 400sqm will provide a physically and technically enabled research space that facilitates seamless interactions. 2) Digital Technology Entry Barrier: Many Arts and Humanities (AH) researchers are deterred from using technology within research due to high entry barriers and lack of knowledge, reducing innovation opportunities. The Bridge's equipment will be set-up with user-friendly interfaces and a 1.0 FTE in-kind technician will provide and grow technology capacity. 3) Technician Dispersion: Crucial technician capacity remains within siloed within disparate research centre labs. The Bridge will provide a network space for technicians to collaborate on key research themes and technical expertise. Networking this knowledge base will enable interdisciplinary activities and innovative uses of equipment for new purposes. 4) Lack of Equipment and Dispersion: UWE currently lacks appropriate equipment co-location/workflow to enable physical-meta explorations. The Bridge will be equipped with new equipment, upgraded UWE equipment and items refurbished from industry, co-locating digital technologies and physical lab space. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Sustainable principles and practices will be embedded from project initiation. An accessible and open interdisciplinary research environment will be built whilst simultaneously promoting circular and sustainable consumption. This will be achieved through our commitment to UWE's EDI charter and by sourcing at least 25% of equipment through refurbishment and repurposing existing equipment, respectively. Ultimately, The Bridge will act as a beacon for the West of England and wider regions, seeking novel applications of technology to enhance AH research, whilst supporting the UK's creative and cultural economy.
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