Palm Temple
Luke Jerram · 2020 · School of Chemistry, University of Bristol
Artwork by Luke Jerram. Photo as published on Street Art Utopia (You Walk Right Through Them (8 Photos), 1 November 2026); photographer not credited, camera date unconfirmed.
Palm Temple is a walk-in cedar pavilion made from a lamella dome cut in half, with the two halves set in parallel like palms coming together in prayer. Dichroic panels and a mirrored floor fill it with coloured light that changes with the sky, and an Extinction Bell hangs at the apex. Source Source Checked
Seen Sep 2026 — The newest dated evidence is a University of Bristol press release of 14 September 2026 saying Palm Temple “now sits outside the School of Chemistry” (a report, not a dated photo). Source Reported
💡 4 things to know
- Two palms, one nameJerram cut a spiralling lamella dome in half and placed the halves back together in parallel, like two palms coming together; that gives the work its name. Source Source Checked
- A bell for lost speciesThe Extinction Bell inside tolls 150–200 times a day at random intervals, the number of species estimated lost worldwide every 24 hours in a 2007 UN Environment Programme estimate. Source Source Checked
- Made for a Florence anniversarySky Arts in Italy commissioned it for a television programme marking the 600th anniversary of Brunelleschi’s dome of Florence Cathedral; it was first shown in London in January and February 2020. Source Source Source Checked
- A gift to BristolJerram, who comes from Bristol, donated the pavilion to the University of Bristol, which announced it on permanent display in August 2020. It later appeared in the final season of Netflix’s Sex Education. Source Source Checked
📍 Where it is
Palm Temple stands in the centre of a cobbled courtyard at the entrance to the School of Chemistry, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS. It is free to visit and open every day of the year; openings at both ends allow wheelchair access. Coordinates from OpenStreetMap. Source Source Checked
🗓️ Sightings
- 202031 Jan
On show at Coal Drops Yard, London
- 202011 Aug
University announces permanent display
- 202321 Sep
Backdrop in Netflix’s Sex Education
- 202614 Sep
University: it now sits outside Chemistry
Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark records or reports; red stamps mark loss. Publication dates are not camera dates.
🗞️ In the sources
“The spiral, which is meant to look like two palms coming together in prayer, is a space for visitors to contemplate the impact humanity is having on the natural world.”
“After the presentation of the Palm Temple in London the artwork was looking for a permanent home.” — Luke Jerram
“The Palm Temple art installation outside the School of Chemistry, created by Bristol-based artist Luke Jerram, features prominently…”
✅ The facts
- Commission
- Sky Arts in Italy, for a programme on the 600th anniversary of Brunelleschi’s dome Source Source Source Checked
- Materials
- Cedar wood, dichroic panels and a mirrored floor; lit from within at night Source Source Checked
- Made by
- CAD design and fabrication by Richard Stump and John Hall; engineering by Structural Solutions Source Source Checked
- First shown
- London, January–February 2020: Coal Drops Yard (Time Out) or Lewis Cubitt Square (University of Bristol) Source Source Source Conflicting
🔗 Related
- You Walk Right Through Them (8 Photos) — Street Art Utopia
- The Palm Temple (6 Photos) — Street Art Utopia
- All Artwork Files
All sources & image credits
- lukejerram.com: Palm Temple (artist)
- public-art.bristol.ac.uk: Luke Jerram, Palm Temple (2020)
- bristol.ac.uk: Luke Jerram’s Palm Temple installed at University of Bristol (11 August 2020)
- timeout.com: technicolour temple at Coal Drops Yard (31 January 2020)
- bristol.ac.uk: Sex Education filmed at the University of Bristol (21 September 2023)
- bristol.ac.uk: major artwork coming to new campus (14 September 2026)
- openstreetmap.org: Palm Temple (coordinates)
- Image: photographer not credited in the source post, as published on Street Art Utopia (You Walk Right Through Them (8 Photos), 1 November 2026); a 16:9 share version was made from it.
Last checked: 1 November 2026. How we verify art