Seeing a grown-up man wearing a bright red chilli on his head is not something that you come across every day writes volunteer community journalist, Carla Krenzke.
But as the Food Festival in Bishop Auckland took place, the Artists Hub put their own twist on celebrating dishes and engaging with the community.
The team at the Artists Hub, at No.43 Market Place in Bishop Auckland, wanted something simple but fun that brings art into the heart of festival, since it ensures a lot of people come to town.
The rules were easy: create a hat that looks like food – and make it yourself.
Word had spread late, but those who caught wind of it came ready to play. The team at the Hub had provided a bunch of fun hats, like a banana, a hot dog or a watermelon, which resulted in about 30 people coming in wanting to take a picture to capture their silliness – even drawing celebrities like star chef Briony Williams.
But the homemade creations were the stars of the show.
Five-year-old Eva arrived wearing an entire meal on her head — a carefully crafted plate stacked with miniature dishes, each one made by her own hands.
For this creativity she earned the first prize of the competition – a Bishop‘s Key Family pass, ensuring a great time in town by having a free entrance to the castle or the mining museum.
If you think that adults might not be as creative anymore as a child – Nynke Lucas proved that theory wrong.
She created an outstanding piece of art, as she constructed a giant pretzel head piece.
She used isolation foam to build the form of the pastry. She filed, sanded and reshaped the form until it sat just right — the kind of quiet, patient work that most people never see.
And then came the details: tiny fragments, broken and placed by hand to mimic the coarse salt scattered across a real pretzel’s crust.
With this precision and devotion, she earned second place: a Bishop’s Key pass for herself – giving her the possibility to explore her passion for art even more at the The Auckland Project’s galleries.
“It took me a whole day, and I made quite the mess,” said Richard Hartnell, staff member of the Artists Hub, who designed a large Jammy Dodger.
For him and many others the hours spent behind the hats were more than just a craft – they were a way to escape the everyday life.
“Art is an extension to play”
Richard’s eyes lit up when asked what art can mean to somebody and how the Artists Hub brings out these aspirations.
“It can help people who feel isolated or depressed, simply by giving them a creative activity they probably haven’t done since school.
“It makes them take their mind off the things that frustrate them.”
Jilly Johnston, a specialist at the Hub, sums up the meaning of the social enrichment perfectly: “This is a space where creative people can thrive; there is no idea that is too silly; we just want people to come and have fun and be creative.
“We are allowing adults to ‘play’, since art is one of the last sorts of socially acceptable activities to play for grown ups.”
Richard sees a huge pool of talent in the northeast of England and finds it frustrating that a lot of funding and focus mostly gets invested in the south.
If you want to contribute a piece of your artistry to the gallery, you can sign up for the new exhibition called Bloom which begins on 29 June and lasts until 26 July.
The Artists Hub — its exhibitions, classes and the people who run them — exists for exactly this reason: to give creativity somewhere to go.
For Richard, displaying your art can have many different outcomes: you can sell a product… or you can change the world!
Carla Krenzke
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
