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School of art opens period tearoom

Edwardian cafe raises money for students' degree shows.

Manchester School of Art is turning the clock back to the early 1900s with a unique café experience.

Final-year Interactive Arts students, supported by staff, have transformed the Holden Gallery into a period Tea Room, replete with a wait-on service, an aviary of birds and a salon hang style exhibition.

 “We’re bringing a quintessential British experience onto campus,” explains Ryan Higgins, one of Interactive Arts student organising team.

 Tea Room is open to staff and the public each day 11.30 – 4.30 for ‘elevenses’ lunch and ‘afternoon tea’ until February 10, when the pop-up installation ends.

Home-made

The students worked with final-year tutor Jane Brake together with technical staff Marion Poulton, Martin Dexter and Paul Tutty to build a café façade and kitchen-servery, frame prints and paintings and ‘import’ the aviary birds from a Lancashire college.

Sponsored by Lancashire Tea and serving home-made cakes, sandwiches and coffees, the café is also a business venture which will raise money for the students own degree shows.

Marcelle Holt, the project’s promotions manager who has set up a Tea Room twitter site, said: “The shows require material which can run into many hundreds or even thousands of pounds. Tea Room will help towards our costs, but also gives us some invaluable experience in running a commercial event.”

“From an artistic point of view, we have been influenced by William Morris who held an exhibition in the Holden in 1908.  The classic aesthetics are reflected in the Tea Room’s construction, which pays the utmost respect to Morris’ time and the history of the gallery’s architecture. “

Picture by Phil Simpson, BA (Hons) Interactive Arts final year

Holdentearoom@gmail.com · Twitter @holdentearoom · Holdentearoom.tumblr.com

Published Tuesday, 31st January 2012