bio

People made images long before they wrote, farmed or built cities. Making is one of the oldest things we do, and the research says it still keeps us well.

1. 73,000 years ago

   The oldest drawing

   A cross-hatched pattern in red ochre on a stone flake, Blombos Cave, South Africa.

   Henshilwood et al., Nature, 2018
2. 51,200 years ago

   The oldest painted story

   Three figures and a wild pig on a cave wall in Sulawesi, Indonesia: a scene, not just a mark.

   Oktaviana et al., Nature, 2024
3. 2016 a study

   Making lowers stress

   45 minutes of art-making lowered cortisol in about three in four people, with or without experience.

   Kaimal, Ray & Muniz, Art Therapy, 2016
4. 2019 a review

   The arts keep us well

   A World Health Organization review of 3,000+ studies found the arts help prevent illness and support health across life.

   Fancourt & Finn, WHO Europe, 2019

Cities are full of places to consume culture and short of places to make it in company. bio is that place: a café built around a working studio, open to anyone who walks in, with resident artists who stay two to four weeks and end every residency with a show.

Grown, not built. One concrete canopy, three planted openings, a garden with water along the glass, and a ramp that rises through the trees to the studio upstairs. Explore the plans, or tap 3D for the model.

Plans3D model

Ground floorUpper floor

1. 1EntranceIn from the street through the glass, straight towards the bar.
2. 2Coffee barOne flowing, closed counter from wall to wall. Behind it the coffee is made on an oval island under a dome of oak ribs, with a brew bar below sculpted niches and the logo bent in brass.
3. 3Order pointOrder at the counter’s west end, by the till and the cakes under glass domes; collect a little further along, or sit at the stools on its north side.
4. 4Café tablesPebble-topped tables on grown stems with tub chairs, and two deep sofas along the glass.
5. 5The HollowA sunken velvet lounge around an olive tree, right under the oculus.
6. 6Garden and waterPlanted mounds, a stream along the glass and trees growing up through the canopy.
7. 7Ramp upThe ramp starts here and rises gently through the garden to the upper floor.
8. 8StageScreenings, live music and talks, with decked steps, floor cushions and bean bags around it.
9. 9Window nooksThree cushioned benches carved into the east wall under round windows.
10. 10Reading roomA curved sofa and tub chairs round a low table on river stones, framed by the pillars under the upper floor.
11. 11Gallery wallsThe solid north and east walls are hanging space, rehung for every residency.
12. 12Reading podsThree pods cut open so you can climb in, each with a lamp and a side table, on a rug beside a meandering bookcase.
13. 13Study counterA long oak desk under a slot window beside the counter, with lamps: for studying and writing.
14. 14Art tableA long freeform table on the café floor by the counter, for drawing over coffee.

The coffee bar: the closed, flowing counter, the island under its oak ribs, the niche wall and the logo bent in brass

Upstairs: the art studio, with the artist’s nook beyondThe ramp, rising through the garden

The stage, open on all sides, with decked terraces rising round it to sit onWindow nooks carved into the east wall