Our labs
- Bristol Digital Game LabBristol Digital Game Lab (co-directed by Dr Richard Cole and Dr Michael Samuel ): Video games are no longer just entertainment. They are tools for change. From public health to cultural heritage and policy, games are shaping how we learn, connect and solve complex challenges. The Bristol Digital Game Lab, based at the Bristol Digital Futures Institute, is pioneering this shift. The Lab is asking not just what games are, but what they can do for society, for our future. The Lab acts as a connective infrastructure – bridging academia, industry, and the public sector. Their mission is to unlock the power of play for cultural, educational, and civic transformation.
- Screen ResearchScreen Research (co-directed by Dr Miguel Gaggiotti and Prof Jacqueline Maingard) is an interdisciplinary group of scholars and artists based in Bristol and the Southwest researching screen arts and culture. Established in 2007 and located at the University of Bristol, Screen Research carries out leading research in areas including screen style and aesthetics, film and television histories and industries and practice-based filmmaking research.
- Bristol Common PressBristol Common Press (co-directed by Dr Rhiannon Daniels, Dr John McTague, and Dr Jennifer Batt) is a working historical print shop located at the University of Bristol, founded in 2021. It is dedicated to exploring the historical practices and global cultures of print. The Common Press is open to the whole university, and Faculty of Arts, Law, and Social Science colleagues conduct practice-led teaching and research using the historical equipment. Contact us at bristolcommonpress@bristol.ac.uk
The Wonderlab
The Wonderlab (directed by Dr Camilla Morelli) is a new creative space for visual anthropology that brings together UoB colleagues with arts practitioners, building bridges between creative industries and academic research. It aims to develop experimental, playful forms of research and representation that can lead to an enhanced understanding of everyday life and contemporary society. The Wonderlab explores participatory methods, engaging local communities across the world and involving them in collaborative creative tech research, to include a plurality of voices and enable technological and digital inclusion.