On Thursday 22nd October we opened the doors to our new space in Liverpool Edge Hill Station.  It was a great evening- thanks to all those who came!

During September and October Metal has successfully launched our two newly renovated, Grade II listed spaces for art, events and conversation - Chalkwell Hall in Southend on Sea, and Edge Hill Station in Liverpool.  These spaces have been created over the last two years, and are now open for business. 

Click here to read a review in Daily Telegraph online by Dominic Cavendish.

Twenty thousand people flocked to Metal's Village Green Festival on Saturday 26th September in celebration of the launch of the newly renovated Chalkwell Hall.  Billy Bragg led his Big Busk from Metal's newly commissioned main stage, following a performance of A13 with The Blockheads and Phill Jupitus.  Other highlights included Camera Obscura, Rebecca Joy Sharp, Seth Paris, Felix Ngindu and the Liverpool Formby Brass Band, CoExist, Southend Young Creatives, Musical Flares with Level 4, The Paper Cinema and a late night, outdoor screening of The Yellow Submarine - among many other things to do and see.  Here are just a few images to give you a flavour of what a fantastic day we had. 

On Thursday 24th September, Jarvis Cocker officially launched Metal's new low carbon space for art, ideas and conversation. 

The permanent, landmark artwork by Ackroyd & Harvey, commissioned by Metal for Chalkwell Hall is being completed today. Strata engages both with the sustainable credibilty of the architectural design of Chalkwell Hall's reburbishment, and a slice of local building history. The material used in the artwork is a waste product from the roof tile industry - thin slips of slate crafted in intensive layers to give a rich quality of texture. Locally, many garden walls around Chalkwell Park are built from over-heated, distorted bricks - a waste product from the once prevalent brick industry. Here at Chalkwell Hall, the slates are laid in a complex, dark surface visually suggestive of geological strata and subtly reminiscent of landscape.

Metal's attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest line of bunting in the lead up to the launch of our new space in Southend on Sea, Chalkwell Hall, is gathering pace.  We are aiming for a length that is the same length as Southend's famous landmark Pier (1.3 miles long).  We need 8,991 flags - our latest count indicates that we have done it - with the help of a huge amount of people, organisations, schools and community groups from right across Southend.  Our next task is to stitch them all on to the 1.3 mile long length of ribbon.  Progress will be on exhibition at our Village Green festival on 26th September 09 at Chalkwell Park in Southend.

For a full programme of events at Village Green download a detailed
programme here