When In Stoke

Good day today at Hanley Bus Station in Stoke on Trent, part of RedNile’s series of Factory Nights. Pitt drove, and despite setting off late and having to deposit children en masse and en route weren’t too late. Found it ok, parked up in the last space left on the park and found the main group pretty much immediately. Unfortunately I had to go for a piss, could I find anywhere on site, course not. Ended up in pub and by the time I’d returned the peloton had moved on. Took photos of desolate buses before climbing some concrete steps onto a concourse and there they were. More photos of grim graffiti daubed walls and piss stinking arcades before we bumbled off to meet Carol who has worked at the café for as long as most of us could remember. Then we gathered round Mike, Janine and Suzanne who led our merry crocodile the short distance to Perrin’s garage, an art deco design from the oldie days and now part Thai restaurant, part ongoing office development all lovingly overseen by the owner who’s name escapes me. After this it was on to a charming pub also up for demolition (name escapes me but Landlord ale is something of a delcacy in these, or any other parts) via Airspace gallery where we admired their Airvent calendar window display. Good stuff.

Good to meet up with people I’ve met before; students (Michelle), Curators (Rob, Anna, Greg), collaborators (Nat) and fellow W-CA-ers (Charlie and Nat again).

Reading this I realise that some of my favourite words have something in common; Kiosk and Depot were already there but now Factory has entered mine and Various’s Lexicon of Post Industrial Love.

In other events Various did a jumble sale last weekend, sold very little and boy was it cold!

And on Friday I attended a works event at Chesters Mexican. Good evening and fun was had by one and all. 

Meanwhile Friday night saw an opening of Simon Starling’s When In Rome at Movement. Turned up late (again) but still managed to watch Simon’s lovely film and enjoy a fabulous cup of non alcoholic punch. Lovely stuff!

Tomorrow is walk day on the Malverns. Did one two weeks ago when half a dozen of us huffed and puffed our way up and down a medium paced hill before retiring to the Red Lion in Malvern for a light lunch.