Woodbridge Festival Announces Open Call For Artworks For Carnival of Colours
WFAM is calling local and international artworks for Carnival of Colours, a new weekend event in Woodbridge, Suffolk, on 16 and 17 March. The weekend will launch the national boom launch tour of chart-topping electronic music pioneer, Richard Norris, and centres around 'Choose Love', a new audio-visual event inspired by the Holi festival, featuring artworks created by international artists and hundreds of local people.
People of all ages are invited to down load the image template below to help creat your artwork for the Open Call - or you can go it alone and submit an artwork of you choice, as long as it’s inspired by a heart shape and we can project it.
The Woodbridge Festival of Art and Music organised weekend will see Norris discuss his autobiography (Strange Things Are Happening) on Saturday, in a Q&A with festival founder and author DJ Ben Osborne. The duo will then play into the night in a back-to-back DJ/ AV set with VJ Girl In A T-Shirt, at the 1975 venue in Woodbridge. The evening launches Norris' national tour, with further events in London, Manchester, Bristol and across the UK. Other activities on Saturday include a Pop-in Art Studio at Suffolk Building Society in central Woodbridge, with professional artists sharing their inspiration and technical know-how with local people. All ages welcome.
Sunday sees celebrations move to the iconic Woodbridge Tide Mill and Whisstock's Place on the riverside, featuring music plus visuals from international artists and local community groups and schools - including artworks created at Saturday's workshops.
Highlights of Norris’ groundbreaking career include the release of the UK’s first acid house LP as Jack The Tab, with Throbbing Gristle’s Genesis P-Orridge, as well as TOP 5 UK and Top 10 global chart hits as half of The Grid with Dave Ballof Soft Cell. Other recent projects include Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve, with Erol Alken, Time And Space Machine and his ambient platform, Group Mind. The list of cultural icons Norris has worked with include Joe Strummer(The Clash), Sun Ra, Brian Eno, The Chemical Brothers and Tracy Thorn. Tickets start at £4.
Sunday's event coincides with the Hindu festival of Holi - where revellers traditionally shower each other with powder paint in a joyous celebration of love triumphing over evil. The event builds on Woodbridge Festival’s traditional Projections for Peace, inspired by St Patrick’s Day; which began during the pandemic.
Participants, and members of the public, are invited to submit their heart-shaped artworks for the Projections for Peace/ Chose Love Open Call. Chosen submissions will be projected onto the Tide Mill and featured in the Choose Love mural - which is being created for the town by Festival Arts Curator and Artist, Alice Stallard.
The weekend has been generously supported by East Suffolk Council, and Councillor Rachael Smith-Lyte and Suffolk Building Society. More information and tickets for Saturday are available via www.woodbridgefestival.com. Sunday's events are Free.
Dates and times:
Saturday 16 March
2-4pm Pop-Up Pop-In All Ages Art Studio and Art Workshops. Free.
6pm-Late DJs Richard Norris, Ben Osborne and VJ Girl In A T-shirt - Q&A and National Tour Book Launch for Strange ‘Things Are Happening’ followed by AV club night. 1975, Gobbit's Yard, Woodbridge, Suffolk. Tickets from £4.
Sunday 17 March
5pm-8pm Projections For Peace, Ben Osborne, Smoove Groove, Girl In A T-Shirt. Open Call Artworks and Tide Mill projections, The Boathouse, Whisstock's Place, Woodbridge. Free.
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Other dates and further Information.
2024 is Woodbridge Festival of Art and Music’s 12th year (2012-2024).
The first Early Bird Tickets for the flagship Saturday in Elmhurst Park were released at the end of January and sold out immediately. Second-round tickets are currently on sale.
New for 2024
New monthly Saturday nights of music and projection at 1975, Gobbits Yard, Woodbridge - announced dates 16 March, 20 April and 24 May.
New monthly nights at the King’s Head, Market Hill, Woodbridge starting Easter Sunday 31 March, Saturday 27 April and Friday 17 May, with more to be announced.
Further events at the Tea Hut on River Wall and a summer of Suffolk Windrush events are planned for spring while a monthly event, Un:Wined, takes place on the first Saturday of the month at Saltpeter Taberna, Felixstowe Beach Street from Saturday 2 March.
With 2024 acts yet to be announced, previous headliners have included Aswad, Jazzie B (Soul II Soul), Orbital, Leee John Imagination, A Man Called Adam, Mark Moore S Express, Richard Norris (The Grid), Red Snapper, Martyn Ware (Heaven 17/ Human League), Horse Meat Disco, The Reflex, XPress 2, Salad, Polar Bear, Les Spaine, Woodbridge Festival and Noise of Art founder Ben Osborne.