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HOME Takes Root Aboard the MV BalmoralMoored in Bristol’s Floating Harbour, the MV Balmoral has long been a vessel of journeys. Once sailing around the UK’s coastline, the historic ship is now charting a new course as a cultural venue and community hub. This February, it becomes the setting for a powerful new exhibition by HOME, a Bristol-based artist collective made up of artists with Caribbean heritage, bringing contemporary art, music and storytelling into dialogue with place, memory and movement.
Founded in 2025, HOME is a community-led initiative bringing together visual artists, spoken word performers and creative writers. The collective is co-led by Nia Samuels, Community Accountability Partner for the University of Bristol’s Reparative Futures programme, which seeks to address the enduring impacts of historical injustice and how these legacies continue to shape student and community experience. Working in partnership with the Balmoral charity and My Future My Choice, this collaboration marks an important step in developing both the artists as a collective and the ship itself as a permanent exhibition and cultural space.
The exhibition opens on Thursday 27 February, with a gallery launch on board the Balmoral from 5pm to 7pm. Visitors will be invited to explore a range of works by HOME artists responding to themes of heritage, belonging and diaspora within the unique setting of the ship. The Balmoral’s maritime history — shaped by travel — offers a resonant backdrop for a collective whose work reflects lived experience, ancestral memory and contemporary Bristol life.
From 7pm to 10.30pm, the evening continues with live music hosted by acclaimed singer-songwriter Lady Nade. The programme brings together musicians and spoken word artists, including members of the HOME collective, weaving music, poetry and performance into a shared celebration of creativity and connection.
The exhibition remains on board the Balmoral through spring, leading into a wider programme of activity connected to Diaspora Festival in May 2026. Further cultural events and exchanges will take place from 30 April to 3 May, led by HOME and featuring Lady Nade, using the ship as a living, evolving venue for dialogue and artistic collaboration.
Diaspora Festival, led by Diverse Artists Network, celebrates diasporic creativity and cultural exchange across the city, championing diverse voices and practices. Together, HOME and the Balmoral are re-imagining what a heritage vessel can be: not only a reminder of the past, but a space for contemporary expression, collective care and future-facing cultural exchange.
Event Listing
HOME Exhibition Launch
📍 MV Balmoral, Bristol Harbour
🗓 Thursday 27 February
🕔 Gallery Opening: 5pm–7pm
🎶 Live Music with Lady Nade: 7pm–10.30pm
Exhibition continues through spring 2026
Additional events: 30 April – 3 May (Diaspora Festival)
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Event Venue
MV Balmoral, Sawdays Canaopy & Stars HQ, Wapping Road, Bristol, BS1 6WE, United Kingdom
Tickets
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