Appetite present Seasonal Specials – a whole host of delicacies for you to try this autumn!

Article by Appetite.

See the Seasonal Specials leaflet here.

Local art organisation Appetite are bringing their Seasonal Specials programme to Stoke-on-Trent City Centre this autumn/winter. The New Vic Theatre led Creative People and Places programme for Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme, funded by Arts Council England has been enthralling audiences in the city with high energy, spectacular work, including their annual festival The Big Feast, for the past 7 years. This year sees a brand new programme of work - Seasonal Specials - being delivered, offering a chance for people across the city region to enjoy high quality art experiences, with daytime and twilight elements.

Working with local partners Stoke-on-Trent City Centre Business Improvement District (BID), Stoke-on-Trent City Council and ArtsKeele, and Without Walls - a consortium of festivals and organisations dedicated to raising the profile of UK outdoor arts to reach diverse and new audiences across the country - Appetite’s Seasonal Specials will be a feast for the eyes & ears, designed to stimulate the senses. Fun and engaging, the Seasonal Specials programme begins with the outdoor exhibition Three Counties Cubes, running from Saturday 24 October – Saturday 21 November. Consisting of four huge illuminated cubes. Three Counties Cubes will be positioned in Stafford Street and will profile the winners and other entries to the ArtsKeele (Keele University) run Three Counties Exhibition which took place over the summer. Audiences will be able to view the cubes at all hours.

Two dramatic sound and light installations will also feature as part of Seasonal Specials over half term, running Saturday 24 – Wednesday 28 October. Chorus by Ray Lee and Shimmer Tree by Dan Fox are both perfect for the autumn/winter season. Chorus towers above audiences in a series of giant metal tripods with rotating arms, each with its own loudspeaker which emits precisely tuned musical pitches to create a pulsating, harmonic drone, that calls out to the audience below.  With red lights at the end of the arms, the effect of a whirling swarm of fireflies, or of planets in motion, is created.

Shimmer Tree is an impressive six-metre high tree-like sound and light sculpture controlled by the wind. As the listener wanders underneath, the directional sound and changing resonances envelope the listener in an evolving and meditative sound bath that responds to the environment.

Appetite Director Gemma Thomas said

“Appetite is absolutely committed to bringing high quality art to the local area. COVID-19 has given us some challenges this year in doing that but we are delighted to now bring our first Seasonal Special to the City. We look forward to people enjoying these installations both in person and remotely as content will be placed on our website. We have deliberately spaced the installations out both physically and also by running over a number of days and times, to ensure we can abide by social distancing measures so that our audiences, staff and volunteers all feel safe.”

Richard Buxton, Stoke-On-Trent City Centre BID Manager said

"We've truly missed the exhilaration and excitement that Appetite's The Big Feast brings to Stoke-on-Trent City Centre during summer this year, so the BID is delighted to be backing their new COVID-safe Seasonal Specials this Autumn/Winter. 

Appetite has an enthralling flair in delivering unique artistry and creativity to our city centre and beyond, and these new Seasonal Specials will be no different. We look forward to unveiling this exciting programme to visitors of all ages."

Councillor Lorraine Beardmore, cabinet member for culture, leisure and public health, said

“The events, art installations and more that Appetite brings to Stoke-on-Trent are always incredible – they play a huge part in the fantastic range of culture across the city. I know my family always look forward to their next offering. Public, accessible work like this is an amazing way of encouraging people to engage with art and culture that they may never have experienced before.

It was obviously right that Appetite’s Big Feast was unable to take place this year – but we certainly missed it hugely. I’m so pleased that the Seasonal Specials are now able to go ahead in a covid-secure way, and provide more amazing artwork for residents and visitors to enjoy. This is exactly the sort of partnership working and creativity in the cultural sector which will help to power up Stoke-on-Trent over the coming months.”

As Seasonal Specials develop Appetite will be presenting more of them through the seasons, and are planning on marking the end of the Three Counties Cubes on 21 November with more artistic work for audiences to enjoy.

Appetite has organised Seasonal Specials ensuring a COVID safe environment for all audience members, volunteers, staff and artists. We have followed all government guidance, including following measures related to Stoke-on-Trent going into Tier 2.

We will be live streaming some elements of the programme so those shielding or not comfortable in coming to the City Centre, can still enjoy Seasonal Specials. We will ask all audience members to help us to keep everyone safe by abiding my social distancing measures that we have put in place, observing the Hands // Face // Space messaging and not coming along if they have any COVID symptoms.

For more details, visit appetite.org.uk or contact us at askus@appetitestoke.co.uk / 01782 381373.

Local art organisation Appetite are bringing their Seasonal Specials programme to Stoke-on-Trent City Centre this autumn/winter. The New Vic Theatre led Creative People and Places programme for Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme, funded by Arts Council England has been enthralling audiences in the city with high energy, spectacular work, including their annual festival The Big Feast, for the past 7 years. This year sees a brand new programme of work - Seasonal Specials - being delivered, offering a chance for people across the city region to enjoy high quality art experiences, with daytime and twilight elements.

Working with local partners Stoke-on-Trent City Centre Business Improvement District (BID), Stoke-on-Trent City Council and ArtsKeele, and Without Walls - a consortium of festivals and organisations dedicated to raising the profile of UK outdoor arts to reach diverse and new audiences across the country - Appetite’s Seasonal Specials will be a feast for the eyes & ears, designed to stimulate the senses. Fun and engaging, the Seasonal Specials programme begins with the outdoor exhibition Three Counties Cubes, running from Saturday 24 October – Saturday 21 November. Consisting of four huge illuminated cubes. Three Counties Cubes will be positioned in Stafford Street and will profile the winners and other entries to the ArtsKeele (Keele University) run Three Counties Exhibition which took place over the summer. Audiences will be able to view the cubes at all hours.

Two dramatic sound and light installations will also feature as part of Seasonal Specials over half term, running Saturday 24 – Wednesday 28 October. Chorus by Ray Lee and Shimmer Tree by Dan Fox are both perfect for the autumn/winter season. Chorus towers above audiences in a series of giant metal tripods with rotating arms, each with its own loudspeaker which emits precisely tuned musical pitches to create a pulsating, harmonic drone, that calls out to the audience below.  With red lights at the end of the arms, the effect of a whirling swarm of fireflies, or of planets in motion, is created.

Shimmer Tree is an impressive six-metre high tree-like sound and light sculpture controlled by the wind. As the listener wanders underneath, the directional sound and changing resonances envelope the listener in an evolving and meditative sound bath that responds to the environment.

Appetite Director Gemma Thomas said

“Appetite is absolutely committed to bringing high quality art to the local area. COVID-19 has given us some challenges this year in doing that but we are delighted to now bring our first Seasonal Special to the City. We look forward to people enjoying these installations both in person and remotely as content will be placed on our website. We have deliberately spaced the installations out both physically and also by running over a number of days and times, to ensure we can abide by social distancing measures so that our audiences, staff and volunteers all feel safe.”

Richard Buxton, Stoke-On-Trent City Centre BID Manager said

"We've truly missed the exhilaration and excitement that Appetite's The Big Feast brings to Stoke-on-Trent City Centre during summer this year, so the BID is delighted to be backing their new COVID-safe Seasonal Specials this Autumn/Winter. 

Appetite has an enthralling flair in delivering unique artistry and creativity to our city centre and beyond, and these new Seasonal Specials will be no different. We look forward to unveiling this exciting programme to visitors of all ages."

Councillor Lorraine Beardmore, cabinet member for culture, leisure and public health, said

“The events, art installations and more that Appetite brings to Stoke-on-Trent are always incredible – they play a huge part in the fantastic range of culture across the city. I know my family always look forward to their next offering. Public, accessible work like this is an amazing way of encouraging people to engage with art and culture that they may never have experienced before.

It was obviously right that Appetite’s Big Feast was unable to take place this year – but we certainly missed it hugely. I’m so pleased that the Seasonal Specials are now able to go ahead in a covid-secure way, and provide more amazing artwork for residents and visitors to enjoy. This is exactly the sort of partnership working and creativity in the cultural sector which will help to power up Stoke-on-Trent over the coming months.”

As Seasonal Specials develop Appetite will be presenting more of them through the seasons, and are planning on marking the end of the Three Counties Cubes on 21 November with more artistic work for audiences to enjoy.

Appetite has organised Seasonal Specials ensuring a COVID safe environment for all audience members, volunteers, staff and artists. We have followed all government guidance, including following measures related to Stoke-on-Trent going into Tier 2.

We will be live streaming some elements of the programme so those shielding or not comfortable in coming to the City Centre, can still enjoy Seasonal Specials. We will ask all audience members to help us to keep everyone safe by abiding my social distancing measures that we have put in place, observing the Hands // Face // Space messaging and not coming along if they have any COVID symptoms.

For more details, visit appetite.org.uk or contact us at askus@appetitestoke.co.uk / 01782 381373.