CAROLINE PEDLER ...INSPIRED: hi5 and Word M'art in the Market House

Hey we're back on it!.. here's the poster and the press release and some the artists taking part!

We also have Ryan Jones (Hitchcock Rules) playing live with his band!! refreshments available so pop along for some live music, chat and lots of art.

Art Explosion in the Market House St Austell

Art collective ‘hi5’ and internationally acclaimed poet Sally Crabtree have collaborated to transform the Market House in St Austell for two weeks with poetic performances and exhibitions thanks to support from Feast, Restormel Arts, St Austell Town Council and Cornwall Council’s Creative Team.

‘hi5’ is a collective of five South West based professional artists with track record of using art to change spaces, especially empty shops. The collective include illustrator Caroline Pedler, painter Faye Dobinson, printmaker Paul Bawden, painter, Lucy Brown and designer, illustrator Andy Pedler. For this particular project the group have also invited three guest artists to join them including ceramicist Rebecca Harvey, St Austell based Tamsin Dearing and sculptor James Eddy who will be creating a site specific installation.

Word M’art is a performance based show from the prolific poet Sally Crabtree. “Poetry should be taken down from its ivory tower and given back to the people where it belongs. In Cuba, the factory workers have poems read to them while they work and for them poetry is celebrated. It is as natural a part of their lives as living and breathing and they are not afraid to show their emotions. Here, it is only when there is a marriage, death or a birth that most of us are brave enough to get poetry out! I want to change all that and show people that poetry doesn’t have to be boring, stuffy or elitist. It can be fun, exciting, engaging and uplifting. There’s a poetry revolution going on and I want to encourage people to sign up!” says Sally.

Word M'Art is an interactive supermarket themed poetry installation, which can be set up in empty shops, supermarkets, as a market stall for fetes, carnivals, festivals or as a museum or gallery installation. The week-long launch event in St Austell will see interactive performances such as the Trolley Waltz, Poems in a Tin, ‘I'll Eat My Words’ edible poetry cakes, Shopping List Lotto, poetic cures at the Word M'Art Pharmacy and live musical poetry from the Story Aisle Word M'arts in-store band – viva la poetry.

Caroline Pedler from ‘hi5’, “The Market House in St Austell is an amazing building that houses a number of eclectic shops under the largest wooden ceiling of its kind in the UK. The aim of the collaboration is to energise a space, to give people different reasons to visit St Austell, to bring the shops immediate environment alive and to make art and poetry accessible by taking it into everyday spaces.”

The ‘hi5’ exhibitions are free and will be open from Mon 24May until 5 June from 10am to 4pm daily, except Sundays and Banks Holiday. There is a private view on Thursday 27 May from 5 – 9 pm, this will be a great opportunity to meet and greet the artists in person and enjoy a night of art, poetry, music and creative collaboration. There will be live music and light refreshments will be available from the venue. Word M’Art will be open from 1 - 5 June, it is also free and open from 10.30 am – 4pm daily. There is a free art workshop from 2 – 4 pm, on the 2^nd June with Cosmic for children and young people, under 12’s will need to be accompanied. ‘hi5’ and Sally are closing the project on Saturday 4^,with tea and cake from 3pm.