
We love anything colourful in Bristol. From our houses to the annual Bristol Light Festival, if it’s bright and beautiful it will win us over. So of course we’re excited about the Cheltenham-based award-winning, art collective Squidsoup taking over Propyard this summer with a world-first immersive experience.
Squidsoup is celebrated for creating immersive experiences that invite an emotional response from audiences. With five of the collective’s largest pieces brought together for the very first time, Beyond Submergence will be a world-first 20,000sq ft. exhibition. Squidsoup has pulled in crowds worldwide, but this will be the biggest-ever showcase of its work in one setting. This won’t be its first visit to Bristol, however, as it first showed work here almost 20 years in 2004.
For those thinking of attending Beyond Submergence, Squidsoup gives this guidance:
You are about to enter a different kind of space, an experience you may not be familiar with. Take the time – before you begin to forget the outside world – to relax and open yourself to the unexpected. Get accustomed to a slower pace, and prepare your eyes and ears, for these artworks are about light, sound, space… allow your mind to wander, to follow through with the associations that may come to it; explore them, enjoy the evocations, feelings and memories they bring.

Starting July 1, the immersive experience will make use of Propyard’s vast industrial spaces and areas. Guests are welcome to explore a series of works that run in a sequence. Squidsoup designed Beyond Submergence to be seen in groups, from any angle, inclusive and immersive. Expect a colourful, sensory overload that utilises light, space, sound, scale, movement and technology.
“Doing it in Bristol feels very fitting,” said Anthony Rowe, Squidsoup founder. “It’s close to home and a seminal moment for us. Putting the project together has been a fascinating process of discovery and rediscovery of our work – we found synergies and connections between these projects that we hadn’t really noticed before.”

Sam Watts, Head of Programming at Propyard added: “You don’t want to miss this! These artworks are inspirational beyond compare. Get ready Bristol – we’ve seen what Squidsoup are planning, and featured in our unique space, this is going to be mind blowing.”
Starting with a gentle calmness, the atmosphere moves through melancholia and joy, using increased scale, edge, brightness and volume to reach a final crescendo where visitors are encompassed with sound and light. By entering into the orbit of a piece, they become part of the experience, a part of the work.
Details of these phenomenal artworks will be announced shortly. Tickets are on sale now here.