Concrete Playground

Spring is definitely sprung. We know this partly because the grass is riz and lambs are getting frisky and what not, but the main clue is that over at COFA, folk are getting stuck into preparations for their annual Spring Fair.

Live music, exhibitions and food will all be on offer, but the beating heart of the Fair is the 75-stall marketplace where entrepreneurial types will be hawking their arty wares.

21-year-old Laura Ives is one of the many designers who’ll be there on the day. She’ll be selling her first collection of Horse & Deer apparel and industrial jewellery, alongside local artist and COFA student Syke.


“The Spring Fair is unique because it's a chance to get a first look at the next generation of emerging artists and designers,” Ives says. “It's a great time to get in on the action before it's all in stores and ten times the price. In fact most artists are students so you could probably barter an artwork down to a carton of cigarettes and a box of Mi-Goreng.”

And if naked consumerism isn’t so much your thing, you can also catch demonstrations from artists and designers working in a range of media. Highlights include a 3D animation demonstration from William Burdis (one of the animators behind Happy Feet) and a clay-wielding demonstration from ceramicist Paul Davis.