Bristol's 'invisible homeless' sculpture unveiled

Luke Jerram hopes the sculpture will raise money for the 1625 Independent People's Early Doors campaign

A life-sized glass sculpture of a person sleeping rough has been used to highlight the plight of Bristol's "invisible homeless".

It was designed by artist Luke Jerram and exhibited in Stokes Croft, Park Street, and Welsh Back.

Mr Jerram describes his work as a "genderless figure" with a "vulnerable and fragile form".

The artist hopes his work will help raise money for the 1625 Independent People's Early Doors campaign.

He said for every person sleeping on the street there are "thousands of hidden homeless".

"[Many are] sleeping in hostels, squats and other forms of unsatisfactory and insecure accommodation," he said.

"I was interested to see whether the sculpture would be ignored and treated like street furniture as homeless people often are in a city.

"I hope the artwork will raise awareness of the problem and that the public will feel moved to support the charity, to make a difference."

This life size glass sleeping figure was made as part of an Arts Council funded residency at the Glass Hub in UK