• Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

North East Connected

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Artworks to pop-up across the Tees Valley as part of Viewpoints by Festival of Thrift

A series of thought-provoking artworks will appear across the Tees Valley landscape for a week in August in an extension to the programme for this year’s Festival of Thrift.

Giant artworks in central Middlesbrough, a sound installation in Hartlepool’s ancient Headland church, a travelling tricycle seed bank and a car motoring around with a cow on the roof are being featured as part of Viewpoints by Festival of Thrift from 19 – 26 August.

The installations have been commissioned by the award-winning festival, which is the UK’s national celebration of sustainable living, to challenge ideas of sustainability and offer different perspectives on local or global environmental issues.

Stella Hall, Director of the Festival of Thrift which takes place in Kirkleatham on 22-23 September, said that the artworks were inspired by the Great Exhibition of the North and seek to encourage locals and visitors to get out into the Tees Valley and consider their own views of what future sustainability means to them.

“Each of the artists has taken a different approach to what sustainability means to them, so there is plenty to think about and discuss.  We hope the artworks will also get people out and about in this wonderful area as the pieces can be found across the Tees Valley region.”

Viewpoints by Festival of Thrift is supported by Tees Valley Combined Authority.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “Well done to the Festival of Thrift for securing some very talented artists to help them spread their powerful sustainability message.

“The festival is getting bigger and better each year and we feel taking it out of Redcar and into the wider Tees Valley region is very important.

“This shows how our cultural organisations are pushing boundaries and doing something different to help make our area a more interesting, attractive place to live.”

The artworks will be located across the Tees Valley for the duration of the official Viewpoints week.  ‘Warning Signs’ will be on show in Middlesbrough’s Bedford Street car park and ‘Sonic Anomaly’ at the 12th Century St Hilda’s Church on the Headland at Hartlepool.  ‘Last Ditch Attempt’ and ‘Cow car’ are peripatetic artworks that will travel around the Tees Valley area from 19 – 26 August.

Further information about Viewpoints by Festival of Thrift is available at www.festivalofthrift.co.uk