Avon Street Artist Residency: Esther May Campbell and Chiz Williams

Artist Residency 

Their residency takes a deeply engaged approach, embedded within the local community. Through conversations, workshops, shared activities and artistic research, they explore the stories, experiences and connections that shape this unique part of the city. 

The residency builds on existing relationships developed through previous engagement work in this area, including Esther May Campbell's project Uncommon Ground at the neighbouring Gas Lane site. Working alongside local organisations, young people, residents and community groups, the artists are developing a richer understanding of the area's character, history and future. 

The residency focuses on connecting local people, places, materials and ecologies associated with Avon Street and the River Avon. By creating opportunities for dialogue and participation, the project seeks to ensure that a diverse range of voices are heard and valued as the area changes and grows. 

Alongside the creation of new art work, the residency will help shape the next phase of public art at Avon Street. Insights, relationships and creative responses developed through the project will inform a future permanent commission, ensuring that community knowledge and lived experience are embedded within the site's long-term cultural legacy. 

Bundles – Play Days

One of the partnerships to emerge from the residency is with Kitchen Table Photo Club at The Dings Youth Club. Young people are exploring their neighbourhood through photography, play and collective creativity. 

This work culminates in Bundles, two free play days in The Dings Park featuring photo play sessions, an exhibition of images and music by local children, limited-edition photo play cards and a treasure hunt, inviting local people to experience the area through fresh perspectives and playful discovery. 

Dates:

• Saturday 18 July 2026, 11am–4pm  

• Sunday 19 July 2026, 11am–4pm 

Free for all ages, no need to book 

Location:
The Safe 'Ouse, The Dings Park (by the basketball court), Oxford Street, Bristol BS2 0QN 

About Esther May Campbell

Esther May Campbell explores the links between image-making, story and play, while creating compelling images and films for public transmission. Intrigued by the potential to co-create via myth, ritual and old analogue photography, images emerge that are moving and alarming. She is often found working with young people around her kitchen table in Bristol. However, recent commissions further afield include image making with children in the Wye for the River Festival (2023/4), exploring songlines of city woodlands for MAYK (2024) and re-animating the concrete of Acton for the London Short Film Festival (2024). She completed a ten-month residency at St Paul’s Adventure Playground resulting in a city-wide exhibition and publication, ScrapBook. To date, her images have been published in books, films and print media, while farmyard exhibitions have touched thousands. Her explorations are generously funded by The Arts Council, WECA, Channel 4, BBC, BFI amongst others.

About Chiz Williams 

Chiz Williams is co-founder and Lead Mentor at Kin – an intergenerational collective of community-makers. Current occupations include coaching at Packers FC – a community football club, being a director of Cables & Cameras, venue and production disco-ordination and co-developing RADMIN programmes that explore 'what artists can do for business'. His most consistent work in the last 23 years is as part of the workforce at the Cube Cinema, Bristol. 

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