It’s called ‘Our Common Ground’ and this is what it’s all about
A huge new floor mural celebrating Bristol’s ‘past, present and future’ has been unveiled in The Centre as the focus for the area that previously had fountains on it. The space will be a large central plaza with regular street food markets, all on top of a huge work of art telling the city’s story.
The work has taken around three weeks to complete – with delays from rainy days – and the artist who designed it told Bristol Live he wanted it ‘to bring the city together’. The artwork is called ‘Our Common Ground’, and has been created in the long space between the Cascade Steps and the statue of Neptune in The Centre.
It has been created by Oisin Davis-Lyons – better known as artist Oshii – and was commissioned as part of the transformation of the Centre Promenade, after the dried-up fountains were finally dug up and tarmacked over to create a bigger area for street food stalls, public events and pedestrians.
The space was handed over to the Bristol Legacy Foundation to come up with a creative art installation and Bristol Live first revealed the plan for the artwork back in July. It covers a whopping 704 square metres, with a huge heart at its centre inscribed with the word ‘Bristol’.
Oshii, a multi-disciplinary artist from Bristol, said: “It’s been such an honour to work on this project. It’s been overwhelming to see it take shape from my computer screen. It’s been a real incredible journey with an amazing team in Upfest and the council and the Legacy Foundation which have brought this to life.
Artist Oshii, with the artwork ‘Our Common Ground'(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)
“It’s about celebrating Bristol. The heart is about unity, but it travels from the history of Bristol, and there’s ideas of resistance, it celebrates the African diaspora community, and looks at Bristol’s history and it moves into what makes Bristol so special today, with the music scene and all the communities that make Bristol so special.
“The heart is really just a sign of what the city means to us. And at the top there’s the future of the city, so the hand prints were taken in an engagement session at the Wellspring Settlement centre in Barton Hill “This is everyone’s work and this space is for everyone, and they are really the future of the city. It really wanted to create something that celebrates us that brings the city together,” he added.
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The work was done by a crew of artists put together by the Bedminster urban art festival organisation UpFest. Its founder Steve Hayles said it took a while. “It took about three weeks, given the weather. It was meant to be a little bit quicker than that. It all got plotted out and then we had a team of some amazing artists, all painters or assistants, who came in and filled it,” he explained.
“It tells a chronological story, like past, present and future, and touches on some really important aspects of the cultural heritage of the city, from Bristol as a port with the slave trade through to modern day Bristol, talking about the music and the culture, and then far end it talks about the future,” he added.
“Our Common Ground” by artist Oshii transforms Centre Promenade into a bold celebration of heritage, identity and unity
Bristol has a powerful new landmark. Our Common Ground, a monumental street-level artwork by multidisciplinary artist Oshii, has been officially completed in the city centre, reimagining the busy Centre Promenade as a vibrant space for cultural connection, reflection and pride.
Spanning more than 700 square metres, the vivid mural is now a striking feature of the city’s public realm. Its unveiling marks a major milestone in the transformation of Bristol’s central spaces, placing African heritage and community voices at the heart of civic life. Monday 29 September 2025 (Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)
“It’s being maintained by the council. There will be a weekly clean-down of it, obviously there’s going to be traders and things on here. It’s a space to be used, but it will be maintained over the years to come,” he added.
Bristol Legacy Foundation is a charity set up in 2019 to address the systemic marginalisation of African Heritage Communities in cultural, creative and public spaces, and this is the biggest, most prominent project they’ve been involved in to date.
“Its bold colours and layered imagery invite people to reflect on journeys, memory and identity, while imagining a shared future built on care and respect,” said a spokesperson for the project.
“Created for the heart of Bristol, the artwork is anchored by a heart inscribed with the word ‘Bristol’, symbolising that it belongs to everyone in the city. Around the heart, masks, hands, eyes and rhythmic patterns weave stories of strength and connection – acknowledging the city’s historical legacy while celebrating the creativity and resilience of African heritage communities today,” she added.
“Our Common Ground” by artist Oshii transforms Centre Promenade into a bold celebration of heritage, identity and unity(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)
“The artwork has been shaped in part by community and stakeholder engagement, through a series of sessions that invited local residents, businesses and organisations to preview early concepts and contribute to the artwork’s development. These sessions helped ensure that the final design reflects the diverse voices, values, and aspirations of Bristol’s communities,” she added.
Installation of the artwork will continue throughout the month. Interpretation panels will offer visual and audio descriptions of the artwork, along with cultural and historical context, which those behind the project said they hoped would ‘encourage deeper engagement and exploration by visitors of all ages’.
Work will now begin to replace some of the trees that had been removed on the eastern side of The Centre.