Crunch 09, the Art Festival at Hay

02 November, 2009
by: Tom Jeffreys

Hay-on-Wye may be most famous for the annual Hay Literary Festival, but lately the small Welsh town has been garnering a reputation for more than just books. Crunch, the Art Festival at Hay, returns this year with a line-up that is sure to drag even the laziest of art folks away from Vyner Street, and down the M4 to Wales.

This November, Crunch 09 sees a gathering that includes some of the leading figures in the world of contemporary art: the likes of ICA curator, Charlotte Bonham-Carter, art critic Godfrey Barker, art world socialite Anthony Haden-Guest, Saatchi Gallery curator Patricia Ellis and esteemed artist, curator and teacher Richard Wentworth.

Crunch 09 is examining the concept of "art in the ephemeral age". With each day split into three distinct sections, there are activities and events to satisfy even the most diverse of tastes. Daytime Art Sessions consist of debates involving big art world players, whilst Live Sessions see music from the likes of Clean Bandit and Richard Strange. Each day ends in a big old knees-up – these Night Sessions feature a range of music courtesy of, among others, DJ Death Disco and Matt the Hat.

We're particularly looking forward to seeing what cutting edge curators Pearce & Ramsey will be getting up to, as well as a site-specific toilet installation by Paloma Gormley and Lettice Drake, the duo behind Frank's, that cool Campari Bar on the roof of a Peckham car park.

Crunch 09 is from 13th-15th November.
Tickets start at £48.
www.artfestivalathay.org

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