We were part of  ‘The Outer Space’ chill out area for Blue Dot festival at Jodrell Bank. A brand new festival exploring music, science, arts, technology, culture, film and food.

Creativity and science collided at Festival Oldham on May Bank Holiday. This year celebrated Oldham’s rich scientific heritage to mark Manchester as the European City of Science 2016.

Spacecadets designed a Sensory Play Pod specifically for Grow Big’s new out reach project ‘Sense’ which aimed to increase the personal, social and emotional development of children aged three to four and their attitude and aptitude to learning. The project worked with children from areas of deprivation and sessions took place inside the inflatable pod. The project was evaluated by EarlyArts. Here’s what they had to say:

• All centre’s reported an increased sense of calmness when children were in the pod
• Children were more focused, immersed and engaged in their activities during these sessions, which practitioners felt was the result of the special soothing environment of the pod, as well as the capabilities of sensory play to capture and sustain the children’s interests and attention.
• “The Pod provided a space which was calm and secure where children were given uninterrupted time to explore and investigate using their senses”. 
• In one children’s centre, staff reported that one child became engaged with the project despite not engaging with other activities, and they felt this was, at least in part, due to the ambience of being inside the pod
• Overall the project was very successful and met all its outcomes. The pod was particularly effective.

‘We’re so pleased with how the children have responded to the pod and do feel that it makes our project really special.’ Rachel Stewart, Chair of Grow Big’s Trustee Board

Our show ‘Botanical Invasion’ at Oldham Art Gallery came 2nd in the City life awards only 4% behind the winners ‘Animal Mummies’. Other finalists included:

Cornelia Parker, Whitworth Art Gallery

Animal Mummies, Manchester Museum

Play It, Museum of Science & Industry

Marking VE Day, Imperial War Museum North

Our colossal spices are now available for hire, including garlic, 14m chilli, ginger and nutmeg, are awe-inspiring, enormous, and they smell real! Head holes at a variety of heights allow people of all ages to explore the spicy interiors while their exterior skins are host to an array of fascinating and spicy facts. It’s a sensory extravaganza for children and adults alike, and you’ll never look at a spice rack in quite the same way again.

These massive inflatable spices were origionally commissioned by Kew Gardens for thier 2015 Full of Spice festival. They were a massive hit with the festival goers proving to be the most popular exhibition in the festival.

Spacecadet’s ‘Calavera’ continues its 2016 tour. Catch it at:

23 January to 2 April 2016 – The Civic, Barnsley

9 July to 4 September – Maritime Museum, Hull

17 September to 12 November 2016 – Chapel Gallery, Ormskirk

4 February to 1 April 2017 – Mansfield Museum, Mansfield

AniMotion is a brand new touring exhibition bringing together six imaginative artists to create a free interactive exhibition which celebrates the diverse world of animation. http://www.thepoint.org.uk/article/animotion#sthash.tAOhC3YR.dpuf

Spacecadets collaborated with animator Matt Howarth of Puppetman Productions to produce Calavera – a giant Sugar skull inspired by Mexican Day of the Dead with ever changing audience controlled phenakistoscope eyes.

Manchester celebrated its 10th Diwali Mela. The events took place in Albert Square, Manchester city centre. Spacecadet’s created a shimmering inflatable Diwail sign and paraded their majestic Indian elephant in the magical nighttime parade.

Diwali , ‘The Festival of Lights’ – signifies the end of darkness which stands for ignorance and the beginning of knowledge symbolized by lights. Lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for mankind. Celebrations focus on lights and lamps, and fireworks. The festival commemorates the victory of Good over Evil.

We have just been installing our ‘Blood & Bone’ and ‘Microbes’ exhibitions at the Gymnasium Gallery in Berwick-upon-Tweed for the last leg of the Generation Air tour. You can catch it till 12th September 2015.

Gallery Oldham, Oldham Cultural Quarter, Greaves Street, Oldham, OL1 1AL

20^th June – 3 October, 2015

Flowers of gigantic proportions have taken over Gallery Oldham!

An exhibition designed to inspire and engage family audiences. These interactive and contemporary sculptures are animated in a fun and playful way. Visitors will be engulfed in an explosion of breathtaking colour.

“Love it. Really creative & the kids enjoyed playing with it. Like some huge, camp Day of the Triffids.”

“Larger than life and wildly weird J Looking inside them is great fun – makes your hair VERY messy!!”

“Once again a fantastic exhibition @ Oldham gallery. I felt like I had stepped into another world OF COLOUR.”

“I’ve never seen something this creative before!”

“You’d have to be dead inside to not smile at this.”