Wednesday Lensday: Paper City

On Sunday, we managed to catch the last day of a sculpture exhibition in and around Hull’s Humber Street. The area where the marina stands was once a dock and Humber Street was a hub for traders, particularly fruit merchants.

However, it fell into decline and lay mostly derelict for some years, before being transformed into an eclectic mix of bars, restaurants, artisan cafes, music venues and art galleries.

Above: an installation in the art gallery – blow it and it lights up in different colours!

So it was the natural choice to house the Paper City exhibit, part of the City of Culture events. The ten day display explored our relationship with paper and play, with eight artists and designers invited to create something using one of the most fundamental mediums for creativity.

The paper itself was supplied by a Hull company, G.F. Smith. who have apparently found the world’s favourite colour: Marrs Green. I’m not entirely sure who they asked to derive this opinion, certainly not me – I’d have gone for a more demure, earthy green. Or Purple. Can’t beat a bit of purple!

Being a fan of origami, I was intrigued with how these structures, some around 10 foot high, had been formed. And whilst not strictly an example of the Oriental craft, they were fantastic, intricate designs. Some cut, some folded, all distinctly different.

Several took the theme of fish, or the sea, to complement the City’s history – these seaweed kites (below) were some of my favourites, helped by where they had been displayed in the old, abandoned smokehouse.

All in all, another great event from the Culture 2017 team! Do stroll through the rest of our little ‘paper trail’… and just one more question before you leave: What is YOUR favourite colour? Let me know in the comments!

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IMAGE CREDITS: All my own, so please be sweet and ask before sharing.

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