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Appledore Visual Arts Festival 2008
The festival is unusual in that it offers visitors the opportunity to interact with many of the artists involved, as well as being able to get really close to – and even touch – some of the works that have been created.
Over the course of the weekend, the village of Appledore in North Devon will welcome some 100 artists from all over the country and host over 70 exhibitions, workshops, talks and art-creation events, alongside craft stalls and live music – many of which are free. This year's theme is Ritual Feasts and will be an artistic celebration of the ceremonies and traditions associated with eating and drinking.
The festival was founded by internationally-renowned ceramic artist and Appledore-based Sandy Brown, who commented: "As a ceramic artist, touch is incredibly important to me in creating my work and yet audiences don't often get the chance to experience art through that medium. So when the idea of the festival was conceived, being able to get close enough to touch some of the works was seen as fundamental".
The unveiling of Sandy's new body of work Ritual: the Still Point and the Dance, which has been over a year in the making, will be a highlight of the festival. Visitors will actually enter the exhibition by climbing through one of Sandy's large-scale sculptures.
A series of film shorts is also included in the festival programme for the first time. Other events offer visitors the opportunity to create edible mandalas (ritualistic designs representing the universe which are used in both Buddhism and Hinduism), join in the mysteriously-named Deep Soup Ceremony, or take part in competitions from painting estuary views to showing off their cake decorating skills; while youngsters can take part in workshops from animation to carnival art, or help make a giant clay birthday cake on the quay.
Other participating artists include the well-established, such as Mike Dodd, exhibiting in Appledore for the first time; and Clive Bowen, widely recognised as the best slipware potter in the world; as well as those just starting out, such as the students involved with the Young Torridge Ceramic Project. Mike and Clive, together with other artists from the Devon Guild of Craftsmen, have created Modern Banquet, an installation which aims to show that the dining experience is greatly enhanced when the utensils and furniture are beautiful works of art.
Dates
May/June 2008: 29/05/2008 - 01/06/2008
Thursday 09:00 - 22:00
Friday 09:00 - 22:00
Saturday 09:00 - 22:00
Sunday 09:00 - 22:00
Tickets Information
| Ticket Type | Ticket Tariff* |
|---|---|
| Festival Pass | from £3.00 |
Note: Prices are a guide only and may change on a daily basis.
Road Directions
Appledore is situated in North Devon, located between Barnstaple and Bideford.
To get to Appledore from London, the Midlands and the rest of the UK take the M5 into Devon. Leave the M5 at Junction 27 and take the A361 (North Devon Link Road) to Barnstaple.
Approaching Barnstaple remain on the North Devon Link Road and head for Bideford (Bude). Directly after crossing the New Torridge Bridge take the right turn on the roundabout and Appledore is signposted from here.
Public Transport Directions
There are good rail links from Paddington and Waterloo to the South West.
The nearest train station is located in Barnstaple from where there is bus service to Appledore via Bideford.
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