This October, your favourite design conference, travels to Sheffield, in the UK, to bring you #OffsetSHEFF which will be part of the Sheffield Catalyst Festival of Creativity (running until November) as well as a key element in Sheffield’s Design Week (22nd – 30th October 2016).
We have already started making plans to create a very special #OffsetSHEFF and have been checking out what is happening in Sheffield at the moment. While we were attending Pick Me Up we had the pleasure to catch up the creative heads of MADE NORTH and we are looking forward to collaborating with them. With a gallery in the heart of Sheffield that showcases and promotes North of England’s finest makers/designers, MADE NORTH is behind the organisation of the Sheffield Design Week 2016, taking place from the 22nd to the 30th of October. This year’s theme is “Design City” and it will bring a variety of venues together to showcase the best of North design and architecture.
Among many design venues, the Sheffield Institute of Art (SIA) Gallery has a history of over 170 years of acting as a creative nest for artists; with a variety of exhibitions from student’s showcases to historic ones, in the past edition of the Sheffield Design Week, the SIA Gallery hosted the exhibition Ken Garland: Structure and Substance which offered a retrospective on the work of iconic designer and photographer Ken Garland.
Another of our favourites is also the Site Gallery in the heart of Sheffield; this gallery is one of the most immersive contemporary art spaces in town, hosting exhibitions that are always thought-provoking, fun and interactive, we cannot wait to see what they will showcase during design week.
Sheffield is a hidden gem of design; getting away from the city centre, you can find the David Mellor Design museum in the Peak District. Royal Designer for Industry and so-called “cutlery king”, David Mellor is worldly acclaimed as a designer and manufacturer who is not only known for his knives and forks but for a series of objects from traffic lights to bus shelters; when visiting the museum, you will have the chance to walk on a 1960s David Mellor’s street filled with his pieces of outdoor furniture.
With the perfect combination between culture and outstanding natural landscapes, Sheffield is a destination that waits to be discovered; from creative design studios to world class exhibitions, Sheffield offers more than you can ever imagine.
Also on the list of things to check out in this gem of the English North is certainly the Millennium Gallery. Hosting a vast array of exhibitions from its permanent Ruskin collection and Design galleries to touring National exhibitions, The Millennium Gallery has also a direct access to one of the largest glasshouses in the UK: the impressive multi-award winning Winter Garden, a venue we have already our eye on.
For those of you who want to take a break from design week and have an immersive experience with nature, don’t miss the Tropical Butterfly House. Rated as number 1 on Tripadvisor for things to do in Sheffield, the butterfly house hosts incredible shows featuring its tropical animals and a spectacular rainforest.
Above all, the Peak District offers the experience to be one with nature with its stunning landscapes. This free-in National Park is the place to be for outdoor pursuits but also for the ones who love heritage sites, as the Chatsworth House, home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, is located on its premises.
However, if you want to combine nature and architecture, the botanical gardens are a must: designed by Robert Marnock in 1836, the gardens are a breathtaking example of landscape architecture and they offer a green escape from Sheffield’s city center.
For all the foodies out there, Sheffield is home to a wide range of markets but The Moor Market in particular offers the most diverse choice for all people from every walk of life, with 196 stalls of exotic as well as organic and locally resourced food.
By hosting the most breathtaking venues in the UK, there’s always something going on in Sheffield. Whether it is for a comedy show, a rock concert or a business event, the Sheffield City Hall offers an enchanting atmosphere with its art deco design and an astonishing Ballroom.
Sheffield also hosts the largest theatre complex outside London comprising three theatres- the Crucible, the Lyceum and the Crucible Studio- offering both in-house production and touring shows.
OFFSET will take place in the Crucible theatre, home to the most important event in professional snooker, the World Snooker Championship; the theatre was built on the premises of the former Adelphi Hotel, which was the meeting place of the local football teams. Designed in 1971 by Tanya Moiseiwitsch, today, the Crucible hosts the world’s most famous theatre productions as well as outstanding in-house productions.
If you’re looking for some more info and insights on great places to visit and explore in Sheffield, head over to Our Favourite Places and you’re sure to find some gems.
We couldn’t be more excited to take over this prestigious stage and we hope to see familiar as well as new faces this October in Sheffield! Tickets are on sale now from Eventbrite and you can find out more information here.
How to get to Sheffield from Dublin:
Fly out from Dublin to Manchester A/R from 30 Euro.
Then take the Direct train from Manchester Airport to Sheffield A/R from £ 23.50, approx. 1h 20 min journey.
From London to Sheffield:
Take the Direct train from London St. Pancras Intl A/R from £ 76.50, approx. 2h journey.
Or, Direct Bus from London Victoria Coach Station to Sheffield A/R from £ 23.20 , approx. 4h journey.
For more info check Ryanair , Trainline.com and National Express Bus .