Several huge sculptures from the world-famous Burning Man festival will be put on display in the Peak District this year.
Chatsworth House, just across the border in Derbyshire, will be the first place in the UK to host the artworks.
12 sculptures will be placed in the grounds of the stately home, including a giant bear made of 200,000 pennies and a winged horse elevated 20 feet in the air.
Visitors to the grounds will also be able to see a curved jet plane that’s been reimagined as a flower.
The Flybrary by Christina Sporrong – a Burning Man sculpture that will be displayed at Chatsworth House. Credit: Tex Allen
Radical Horizons: The Art of Burning Man will be unveiled at Chatsworth from 9 April and will remain in place until 1 October.
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The free-to-visit outdoor exhibition is going to feature eight existing sculptures and four that will be built on site.
Members of the local community will be invited to help with the creation of the artworks, mirroring the building that takes place at the actual Burning Man festival.
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Burning Man festival in Nevada. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Burning Man normally takes place in the Nevada dessert, attracting tens of thousands of people with its mix of music, arts and community.
Historically, several of the festival’s biggest sculptures are burned over the course of the event.
The festival’s team and artists are now creating a little bit of that Burning Man magic in the countryside of Derbyshire.
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Wings of Glory by Adrian Landon at Burning Man. Credit: Adrian Landon
Radical Horizons will be free to visit, but parking at Chatsworth has to be pre-booked.
Kim Cook, director of creative initiatives at Burning Man, said: “We’ve come to understand Chatsworth as a place to foster innovation, creativity, thoughtfulness and thinkers since its early days, something that is also central to our work and ethos at Burning Man.
“Our hope is that the art in the landscape will provoke joy, new ways of viewing, and be an invitation to make up your own story about meaning as you explore the beautiful expanse of Chatsworth.”
The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, who reside at Chatsworth House, said: “We’re delighted to be announcing this celebratory programme for Chatsworth.
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“The exhibition in the house is a marker in time – a record of our acquisitions that we want to share with others – while the sculptures in the park continue the great tradition of the estate as a backdrop for contemporary works.
“We very much hope that visitors find inspiration here in this special place.”
Featured image: Lodestar by Randy Polumbo at Burning Man. Credit: Espresso Buzz Photo
Art & Culture
National Portrait Gallery to debut ground-breaking digital exhibition in Salford
Daisy Jackson
The National Portrait Gallery has announced a ground-breaking new experience that’s set to make its debut at MediaCity in Salford.
Some of the world’s most famous paintings will be brought to life in an immersive digital exhibition, called Stories – Brought to Life, that will tell the stories behind iconic portraits.
FRAMELESS Creative has partnered with the National Portrait Gallery on the project, which will be the first major touring art experience by any UK art institution and makes up a long-term partnership called National Portrait Gallery Unframed.
Those who attended the hugely popular and acclaimed Van Gogh Alive experience will already know a little of what to expect – famous paintings reimagined with digital projections, visual effects, and audio technology.
FRAMELESS has been granted access to the National Portrait Gallery’s collection to create Stories – Brought to Life, which will tell the tales of people who have shaped history, from the Tudors to the present day, in an innovative new way.
While the exhibition will premiere here in Greater Manchester next year, there’s a planned national and international tour to follow.
The National Portrait Gallery will be debuting a ground-breaking digital exhibition in Salford / Credit: MediaCity
Rich Storton, general manager at FRAMELESS Creative said: “We are delighted to announce this new long-term partnership with the National Portrait Gallery. We hope that by unleashing the power of digital storytelling we can help the Gallery to bring art to a whole new audience.
“We’re living in a changing world and there is a real need for new experiences that help open up art and culture to new audiences and crucially help ensure that national institutions such as the National Portrait Gallery and their incredible collections continue to be accessible and have cultural significance for the next generation.
“MediaCity is a vibrant cultural hub attracting a hugely diverse audience. This combined with its proximity to major transport links and focus on technology made it an obvious choice for premiering our first experience.”
Rosie Wilson, Director of Programmes, Partnerships and Collections at the National Portrait Gallery said: “The National Portrait Gallery aims to share our unique collection of portraits with as wide an audience as possible and explore the human stories that shape our history and culture.
“This exciting new partnership with FRAMELESS, inspired by our Collection, will enable us to take these stories outside of the Gallery walls and bring them to life in new, innovative ways.”
Caroline Aikman, Director of Marketing, Brand and Place at MediaCity said: “We are honoured that the National Portrait Gallery and FRAMELESS have chosen MediaCity as the first stop on the tour of this unique immersive experience.
“We’ve hosted many arts and culture events, experiences, festivals and exhibitions over the last few years and we can’t wait to welcome visitors to Salford when the experience opens its doors in May next year.”
There’s some FREE festive craft workshops taking place at MediaCity this Christmas
Thomas Melia
A handful Christmas-inspired workshops are happening down at MediaCity, and lots of them are free to take part in.
Starting tomorrow (11 December), anyone who’s looking to get artsy in the run up to the big day can try their hand at three different Christmas activities, and have a go at making and creating items to keep and treasure forever.
There’s a free ‘Bauble Bar’ where you can learn how to make those brilliant hanging ornaments that make your tree gorgeous.
This workshop is suitable for all skill sets, which means you don’t have to be the next Da Vinci to design one of these little trinkets, as a friendly host will be walking round the class to help everyone make a beautiful creation to take home with them.
The second free event is a Christmas card making workshop, where there will be stationery provided for you to create some cute and snazzy designs, so get ready to freestyle your own drawings if you’re confident, or hone your craft by following the range of patterns and templates that will be on-hand for you to trial.
This final crafty class gives visitors the opportunity to create a two-layer wreath that’s sure to become part of your annual festive decor.
The ‘Christmas Wreath Making’ class provides all the materials you could need, but due to the cost of this, this isn’t a free event and tickets are a reasonable £10 instead.
/ Credit: | Ksenia Ya | Jonathan Borba (via Unsplash & Pexels)
All of these fun Christmas activities are happening at innovative event space, Hot House, which is designed to host creative workshops like these festive-themed crafts.
Although the ‘Bauble Bar’ and the ‘Christmas Card Making Workshop’ are both free, booking a ticket to secure your space is still required.
Daisy Jackson -
10th February 2022 
