Creative Torbay

Creative Torbay / News / Tue 10 Jan 2012

RedBall UK comes to the English Riviera this summer.....

RedBall UK comes to the English Riviera this summer.....

RedBall comes to Torbay this summer

Tours to Torbay – Plymouth – Exeter – Weymouth – London


Creativetorbay.com and Torbay Council can today announce that the internationally renowned artist Kurt Perschke will be bringing his famous RedBall to the Bay, this summer, as part of his UK tour.

The tour has been devised, organised and is being co-produced by the arts team at Torbay Council and Dartington - it is being funded by a successful application Torbay Council and Dartington put into the Arts Council's Grants for Arts Scheme.

RedBall has intrigued and astounded people all over the world, from Chicago to Barcelona, Taipei to Abu Dhabi. The gigantic ball has already been seen in unexpected locations worldwide - squeezed into alleyways and underpasses, inflated in town squares and squashed into bus shelters and bridge arches. The playful nature of the RedBall sparks the imagination across cultures and continents.

Co-produced by Torbay Council and The Dartington Hall Trust, the RedBall will visit the towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham over the weekend of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, from Saturday 2 June until Tuesday 5 June, before heading to Plymouth, Exeter, Weymouth and then London's South Bank.

Executive Lead for Tourism and Environment, Cllr Jeanette Richards, said: "I am delighted that Kurt Perschke has agreed to exhibit his world famous RedBall here in Torbay. It is hugely exciting and really helps to put Torbay on the map as one of the most influential, cultural destinations in the UK.

"This announcement follows a really eventful few years for us with exhibitions by internationally renowned artists, Anthony Gormley and Damien Hirst, and whilst I am aware that art, in whatever form is not everyone's cup of tea I would encourage residents and visitors to take this opportunity to witness a worldwide phenomenon.

"As Perschke says: "On the surface, the experience seems to be about the ball itself as an object, but the true power of the project is what it can create for those who experience it. As RedBall travels around the world, people approach me on the street with excited suggestions about where to put it in their city."

RedBall UK is accompanied in Torbay by RedBall: Education a unique project in primary schools which aims to engage children and raise aspirations. Harnessing the children’s passions - sport, music, art, business, fashion, animals, journalism - trained facilitators and artists will work with Year Six pupils as they make the move to ‘big school’. Students will be invited to meet Kurt Perschke and see RedBall for themselves prior to the workshops in their schools. The aim is that they will draw inspiration from RedBall and see that anything is possible.

Please visit www.redballproject.com for footage and stories about RedBall and its ongoing world tour.

RedBall UK online

redballproject.com/uk | Twitter @redballproject|

and

www.redballuk.co.uk | Twitter @RedBallUK | Flickr RedBall

For further press information and images please contact Alison Wright PR on

E: alison@alisonwrightpr.com T: +44 (0)1608 811 474 M: +44 (0)7814 796 930

Tour Dates (exact locations to be announced)

Torbay: 2-5 June 2012

Plymouth: 8-12 June

Exeter: 15- 19 June

Weymouth: 21 – 25 June

London: 27 June – 2 July

About Kurt Perschke

Kurt Perschke works in sculpture, video, collage and public space. His most acclaimed work, RedBall Project has travelled to locations including Barcelona, St. Louis, Portland, Sydney, Arizona, Chicago, Toronto and Abu Dhabi, and has received a National Award from Americans for the Arts Public Art Network. Perschke has also completed commissions for institutions including The Museum of Contemporary Art Barcelona, the Vienna Technical Museum, and the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis. Born in Chicago he lives and works in New York City.

Producers, Funders and Partners for RedBall UK

Co-produced by Torbay Council and The Dartington Hall Trust.

Funded by Arts Council England - Grants for Arts.

In partnership with: Plymouth City Council, Exeter City Council, Weymouth and Portland Council and South Bank Centre, London.

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