David Shearing’s The Weather Café comes to Leeds

From 1 March- 20 March 2016 ‘The Weather Café’, a major new public artwork, will come to 131-141 The Headrow (opposite Leeds Art Gallery).

Created by award-winning artist David Shearing, this ambitious public artwork is free for people to attend and is open to passers-by. Working together with composer James Bulley and creativetechnologist Daniel Jones, this multimedia artwork brings the weather elements indoors, creating an unusual and surprising experience for passers-by.

Audiences are invited to reflect on their place within the city in this immersive installation that responds to the changing weather of the moment. Inside, the shifting environment evolves as the wind blows, the rain falls and a thick cloud rolls underneath in an ever-changing orchestration of sound and imagery.

David Shearing. Photo credited to Tom Joy

David Shearing’s work operates as a hybrid between fine art and performance practices. Last year, as the winner of the Sky Academy Arts Scholarship, David created ‘The Weather Machine’ with West Yorkshire Playhouse and stage@leeds, an evocative multimedia installation for arts venues.

This new work brings together further collaborations, this time with arts and community partners.

Working with Leeds-based community organisations to share their stories, collaborators include the socially engaged poetry group, Leeds Young Authors; homeless charity and community Emmaus; creative programme for over 55’s Hey Days and community arts organisation Artlink, among others. Groups are working with Shearing to curate and present one off events in the space during its tenancy.

The project has been created in partnership with East Street Arts through their temporary spaces programme and funded by Leeds Inspired. We hear ‘The Weather Café’ is the first in a series of imaginative public interventions that David Shearing will create over the next few years, so watch this space!

For more information visit theweathercafe.co.uk.