The month-long Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival concludes this Saturday, 31st October with exciting themed events, including a scary silent disco, late night opening on Halloween, and the announcement of the People’s Choice winner for the Open Exhibition.
The special late opening of Warrington Museum & Art Gallery is part of Culture24’s Museums at Night, the UK’s festival of after-hours events, where visitors can experience museums and galleries like never before.
The WCAF15 Closing Party invites guests to experience an evening of ghost stories, characters, performance, horror and magic. Spooky characters will guide visitors round the museum’s dark and haunted rooms, and they will come face to face with ghosts who will entertain, educate and enlighten audiences with horrible tales from Warrington’s past.
There will be Halloween face painting along the way, as well as an eerie silent disco. Children under the age of 13 should be accompanied by an adult.
They’ll also be a special performance of The Haunting of Museum Street – Smoke & Mirrors, written and directed by Rowan Arnold from Blackwood Events, who specialise in theatrical storytelling and scare entertainment. The cast includes students from Warrington Collegiate who are new to the cast this year.
During the past month, Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival has featured an extensive programme of activities spanning the contemporary arts spectrum, including installations, live performance, film screenings, workshops, placement opportunities and talks from industry professionals. And this final week will see the event end on a high.
Derek Dick, Exhibitions and Services Manager at Culture Warrington, commented:
“The programme for the final week of WCAF15 continues in the same vein – with strong, exciting events encouraged to challenge, inspire and entertain.
“The special event we are hosting for the Closing Party, The Haunting of Museum Street – Smoke & Mirrors, promises to be an evening full of thrills and we are delighted that it forms part of Culture24’s Museums at Night festival.
“There is less than a week left to experience WCAF15. So come along and see the very best contemporary art that the country has to offer, here in Warrington.”
Additional highlights during the final week of WCAF15 include the Ted Bundy Project and Shaun Ryder Beermat Workshop.
Ted Bundy Project is a one-man performance by artist Greg Woehead, looking into the life of American serial killer Ted Bundy. It will be staged at 7.30pm on Thursday 29 October at Pyramid arts centre. Tickets are £13.
Shaun Ryder Beermat Workshop is part of a show of the same title, which forms part of the Birmingham Pavilion at WCAF15. The show is an open and collaborative project for which artists are asked to amend and distribute a customised beer mat bearing the face of Shaun Ryder, the Happy Mondays frontman, UFO believer, reality TV star and columnist. The beermats have been distributed across various venues at the festival – but now visitors are invited to rework and reimagine them. The free workshop runs between 12.00pm and 6.00pm on Saturday 31 October at 16-18 Sankey Street. No booking required.
WCAF15 is organised by Culture Warrington, in partnership with NORTH. This is the fifth consecutive year the town has hosted the event which spans a number of host venues.
NORTH is a new initiative aiming to build strength for contemporary art in the North of England. Together with Culture Warrington, the partnership has highlighted the breadth of talent within the region, as well as attracting national and international artists with support from Arts Council England. Specially commissioned to present the festival’s headline visual arts exhibition, NORTH presents The Dream Of Modern Living? – Contemporary Artists Explore IKEA.
WCAF15 also features Pavilions For The North Of England, curated by organisations and individuals who shape the arts in the North, including the Manchester Pavilion by BUREAU, Middlesbrough Pavilion by Platform A, Newcastle Pavilion by VANE, and Birmingham Pavilion curated by IKON gallery. The cities represented are Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Middlesborough, Newcastle and Sheffield. Entry to all of the pavilions is free.
Warrington has been chosen as a bridge point between two of the North’s ‘art powerhouses’, Liverpool and Manchester, and the half-way point between London and Glasgow. Pavilions will be staged in eight venues across the town, from formal spaces in Pyramid arts centre to ex-retail units and railway station platforms.
Full programme details for WCAF15 are available at www.warringtonartsfestival.co.uk