Shows of Sheffield

Shows of Sheffield was a retail inspired exhibition in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the National Fairground Archive (NFA) for Festival of the Mind 2014. The exhibition was curated by Felicity Hoy and Professor Vanessa Toulmin Director of the NFA and took place on the old Post Office floor at Castle house. The space was filled with 3mx3m shops made from reclaimed wooden pallets built by Mesters Events. 

The project aimed to celebrate and reflect both the inspirational Bramwell Taylor Collection relating to illegitimate entertainment practices in Victorian London and also the material that relates to early pop up shows and shops in what became the West End of London (encompassing Regent Park, Regents’ Street, Charing Cross Leicester Square). The idea was to push the boundaries of current high street retail and make people think outside the box in order to animate a small shop; with hope that these ideas would be taken forward into the real world. There were 7 artists in the exhibiton, each with £1000 of funding to create their magical Shop Show. We had a great selection of themes from Menageries and Wild beasts, Mechanical Wonders,  The Sideshow Act: IDEAS: Body Shock & Tattoo, Photo Booths and Mythical Beasts. Commissioned Artists include: Sarah Jane Palmer, All J Carr, HeppoArt, A Smith & A Savage, Al Redbeard Richardson, Neil Davis and Pete Thornett from Dangerous Productions. Amber Savage from Vulgar Sheffield was commissioned to direct the design and dressing of the venue and walkways with items from the National Fairground Archive.

To find out more about the NFA vist: www.nfa.dept.shef.ac.uk