12
WINDOWS OF CHRISTMAS CHEER
The windows of
twelve empty shop units in Nottingham city
centre are being transformed into twelve magical scenes that shoppers and
visitors to the city will be able to enjoy in the lead up to Christmas.
12
Windows of Christmas Cheer is
a joint initiative of the Nottingham Business Improvement District (BID) and
Nottingham City Council who have commissioned twelve leading Nottingham
creative specialists to take a window each and design and create a festive scene
of their choosing. It has also been made
possible by a number of agents and property owners in the city who have kindly
loaned properties for the duration of the project.
Designed to be a
festive trail around the city centre, shoppers and visitors are encouraged to
visit all of twelve windows and then vote for their favourite. If they pick the winning window, they will
have a chance of winning £500 to spend at any business that is part of the
Nottingham BID. The designer of the
winning window will also win £1,000.
The twelve windows
are as follows:
·
A
Partridge in a Pear Tree
- Bridlesmith Walk – decorated fruit trees and living walls - by bio urban
designers, Splant
·
Enchanting
Enlightenment
- Carlton Street,
Hockley - a cosy winter scene featuring sculptures with moving lights - by
light sculptor, Adam Spinos
·
Christmas
Heart of Heritage
- Flying Horse Walk – award winning designer Debbie Bryan will be showcasing Nottingham’s lace heritage through a festive scene.
·
Winter
Wonderland
- The Exchange –– the UK’s
most talked about corsetiere, fashion designer and entrepreneur Susi Henson of
Eternal Spirits will reveal a snowy Winter Wonderland.
·
The
Enchanted Forest - Pelham Street – a snow covered forest
intertwined with beautiful jewellery pieces and five gold rings at the centre
of it, all set against a handpainted backdrop – by ethical giftware designers
Elefair
·
A
Cartoon Christmas
- Listergate – a wild and boisterous action packed celebration of Christmas as
seen through the eyes of a child, in the classic British cartoon style of Beano
and Dandy - by illustrator Rikki Marr
·
Magic Kingdom - Carrington
Street – Rob Howie Smith will be creating a
theatrical display of the wolf man’s Christmas lair
·
The
Spirits of Nottingham - St James’ Street – an atmospheric
Christmas scene by costume designers and creators, Golden Cage
·
Angels
in Flight
- Friar Lane - giant white snowflake lighting installation and flying angels –
by world-renowned architectural ironmonger, Philip Watts
·
A
Seasonal Illustration - Maid Marian
Way
– A Christmas tree featuring decorations from many of Nottingham’s
leading creatives - by Mimm
·
Nativity
Scene - Castle Road - a
nativity scene to celebrate the hope that the birth of any child brings – by
architect Dr Valeria Passetti, Conception Architects
·
Santa’s
Workshop -
Derby Road
- a magical glimpse of elves busying themselves creating Christmas gifts and
miniature furniture - a collaboration between Design Playground, headed by Sarah
Davenport who has also art directed the project, Yashmit Amit and Webs
Furniture Training.
12
Windows of Christmas Cheer is
part of wider Christmas campaign organised by the Nottingham BID designed to
attract more people to the city for their Christmas shopping and
entertainment. With the diverse mix of
well known national chains, unique independents, top end boutiques, restaurants
and bars within a compact area, Nottingham is the perfect place in which to
shop and socialise this Christmas.
The initiative is
also designed to improve the landscape in the city centre over the festive
period.
“The aim of this
initiative is to enhance the whole experience of coming to Nottingham this
Christmas and to encourage people to visit different parts of the city to see
what it has to offer which is why we have created the trail,” said Nicola Tidy,
a director of the the Nottingham BID and chair of its marketing group. “It also provides the perfect opportunity for
some of our highly talented creative people to showcase their skills and
creativity whilst also enhancing the appearance of the city centre.”
Councillor Nick
McDonald, City Council Portfolio Holder for Jobs, Skills and Business, said:
“Nottingham is the most creative city in the UK. The 12 Windows of Christmas
Cheer project is a great way to celebrate that, and celebrate the festive
season and Nottingham, by dressing up
currently empty window space and creating something a bit special for visitors
to our city centre. A big thank you goes to all of the window designers, and of
course all the property owners and agents for taking part.
“With £500 worth
of vouchers up for grabs, I’m sure there will be plenty of people taking the
opportunity to check out all 12 of the windows and vote for their favourite.”
The agents and
property owners who have kindly helped with the project are FHP, Lambert Smith
Hampton, Savills, Nottingham City Council Property Plus, Nottingham
Regeneration, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Futures, Bildurn, Bruton Knowles,
London & County, The Exchange and the Park Plaza.
To enter the competition
people need to scan the QR code that appears in the signs in the windows or go
to www.itsinnottingham.com/12windowsofchristmas The closing date for entries
is noon on Thursday 20 December. The
winner will be notified by Friday 21 December so that they can spend their
voucher before Christmas.