On Wednesday 1 July 2026, we gathered for Capturing Movement: Truth, Voice and Visibility, an evening centred around the work and archive of Bristol photographer Mark Simmons. The evening explored how protest, community and social change are documented, shared and remembered. At its centre was the work of Bristol photographer Mark Simmons, whose archive provided a starting point for a much wider conversation. Mark’s photographs helped ground the evening in real movements, peo

Over the past few months, I’ve been making a short documentary called Love in Protest in collaboration with Bristol Pride and The Bristol Cable. The film follows Achintya and Jenni as they reflect on love, immigration, protest and what it means when your voice is shaped by forces beyond your control. For Achintya, the fear of jeopardising a visa means public protest is not a simple or safe choice. The film asks what happens when someone cannot fully show up, and what it means

This year, Spatula is developing Print for Pride, a new creative fundraising initiative supporting Bristol Pride. With community events under increasing pressure, we’re exploring a different way to raise funds: one that brings people together, builds skills and creates something meaningful along the way. Print for Pride is about using print, design and collective making to support Bristol Pride in a more hands-on way. Rather than fundraising sitting separately from the commun

This year, Spatula is bringing together a small programme of events as part of Bristol Pride 2026. Across three events, we’re making space for people to come together, connect, express themselves and think about what Pride means now. Some of it is hands-on and playful. Some of it is reflective and conversational. All of it is rooted in the same idea: Pride is something we make together. From zines and placards to conversation and collective memory, the programme creates diffe

Spatula is working with Bristol photographer Mark Simmons to reopen an archive shaped by protest, community and social change across the city. For decades, Mark has photographed people as they gather, organise, resist, celebrate and claim space. His images offer more than a record of individual moments. Together, they reveal something of Bristol’s political and cultural life, and of the people who have continually remade it. Much of this work has remained unseen for years. No

Xylotek has joined Built Environment Declares across architecture, structural engineering and building services engineering, reflecting its commitment to collaborative, lower impact approaches across the built environment.

Originally created as a space for queer people to come together through zine making, print, conversation and DIY publishing, Queer Zine Club has always carried the spirit of creative self-expression and community-led making. Spatula is now supporting the club as it begins to return, helping bring it back to life and develop it into a regular programme. @queerzineclub Zines have a long connection to queer culture, protest and self-expression. They give people a way to tell sto

A first note from Ollie on the thinking behind Spatula - a collaborative practice shaped by honest communication, interdisciplinary work and meaningful exchange.