THE COUTURE-STYLE dresses and dazzling jewellery were unexpected.
They were the kind of items you would expect to find in high-end fashion shops.
But these elegant gowns are fashioned from newspaper and the brooches and necklaces made of buttons and bottle tops.
They are just a few of the colourful and unusual creations that popped up at the University of Huddersfield for one day only.
The innovative event saw a variety of artworks appear then disappear just as quickly.
And hundreds of people, from students to members of the community, flocked to get creative themselves.
The day – called Pop Up Art School – was the idea of senior lecturer Sarah Williamson, of the university’s School of Education.
She said: “The idea is to create hype, to ‘pop-up’ and hold a fantastic but temporary event and then make it disappear.
“I came up with the idea after reading about pop-up restaurants and shops.
“They have become hugely popular in places like London and Paris – and now we’ve brought it to Huddersfield for the first time!”
The day – organised with the help of Sarah’s PGCE art and design group – saw the university’s Quayside building taken over by stalls offering a variety of crafts.
The idea was that visitors would drop in, take part in the activities and learn a skill, from knitting and drawing to making newspaper ball gowns and jewellery from junk.
Sarah said: “We wanted to explore collaborative creativity and also the engagement of people in art through informal and community learning.
“We were really busy and people said they loved the really vibrant atmosphere.
“I think many people are put off by art, but this has sparked a real creativity and shown that anyone can create art.
“Many have learnt a new skill while others have revived an interest in something they used to enjoy – the day has acted as a real eye-opener!”
Sustainability and recycling was the theme of the event and a campus call was issued for unwanted items like ribbon, buttons, used gift wrap, haberdashery, old wool and beds.”
Students from Brooksbank School in Elland were among those taking part.
Art teacher Yvette Hughes said: “It’s been fantastic and really engaged the kids. They particularly enjoyed getting dressed up in the paper outfits.
“I think it has encouraged them to be more open in their approach to things and a bit more experimental in class.”
Student Eloise Crosby, who was helping visitors make junk jewellery, said: “People have been making bracelets and key rings out of things like buttons, milk bottle tops and crisp packets and I’ve been really impressed with the results.
“There’s been a great aura about the place seeing people getting creative.”
