BRING YOUR KITCHEN BACK TO LIFE
YOU’VE probably walked past them hundreds of times without even taking a second glance.
On The Hayes in Cardiff stand several metal bollards which look just like all the others in the city centre.
But if you take a closer look, you’ll find incredible pieces of art hidden inside.
You might feel a bit odd stopping and bending down to peer into one of the bollards. But if you do, you’ll be treated to a series of miniature worlds created as part of a £1.5m scheme.
If you look inside you can see works by artist Jane Edden and students at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama called Post Secrets.
There are 12 of the ordinarylooking posts that have “Edrychwch tu Fewn / Look Inside” written on them in orange text.
You’ll find a tiny little window to peep into to observe the art inside.
The artist, Jane Edden, previously described her work to Cheap Arts Cardiff as “a moment of stillness in a very busy street”.
Wiard Sterk, executive director of Safle, the agency that commissioned the artwork, said previously: “It’s a little bit of a secret.
“After they were first installed I rode past on my bike in the evening and just stood there looking in at them all.
“I forgot myself and it wasn’t until I looked up I realised I was getting some very strange glances and it took a while before somebody plucked up the courage to ask me what I was doing. When I told them they couldn’t believe it.”
The art, which cost £30,000 because specially designed bollards had to be ordered, was commissioned as part of a £1.5m public art scheme in the city centre.
The scenes through the peepholes show tiny black and white characters in different poses, some sitting down, some standing up, giving the impression of being a fly on the wall in somebody’s house.
Ms Edden, who has previously produced artworks for the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent, said previously: “Within the bollards are miniature constructions, created in a stylised monochrome form. Some of these environments seem to transcend the space that can be perceived to be within the bollards.
“This interplay with the interior and exterior space is designed to create the feeling of looking into another place or world.”
She created the scenes by taking pictures of drama students at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama acting out scenes.
Put together, the different miniature scenes tell a story, according to Mr Sterk.
He said: “We’re hoping that as more and more people realise they are there, others will notice people looking through the peepholes and its popularity will spread that way. It’s really a very interesting idea, almost like a piece of performance art.”
A FAST expanding chain of vegan fast food restaurants is to open its latest site in Cardiff.
Oowee Vegan has submitted a planning application to Cardiff Council for 49 Wellfield Road, in the suburb of Roath.
The application is a change of use from retail to restaurant. The most recent tenant of the unit is the shop Flying Tiger.
The Bristol-based vegan fast food chain has been expanding over the past year.
In June last year they opened a venue in Dalston, east London, followed by a site in Brixton in November. This week they opened a permanent kitchen in Brighton at The Western Pub and Taphouse, on Cranbourne Street in the south coast city.
The chain, which also has two sites in Bristol, was started in 2016 by Verity Foss and Charlie Watson.
The first Oowee opened as an American-style diner serving classic meat dishes. The original North Street restaurant is still running, serving steaks and meat burgers. However, the duo quickly realised there was growing demand for their vegan menu and decided to launch two vegan diners in 2019, they are on Baldwin Street and Picton Street.
In January, the pair announced a new menu in Bristol, including a chicken alternative from Daring Foods. Verity told BusinessLive’s sister site Bristol Live: “I just really wanted to up Oowee Vegan as a brand and I’m really proud of the menu.
“It’s so dirty and delicious and a few of the dishes will feature at the London restaurants we’re opening.”
The planning application says the new venue will create 20 full/part-time jobs and operate between 9am and 11pm.
The new site would have capacity for 10 sit-in covers at any one time, adding that while a proportion of takeaways will be collected by customers the rest will be delivered via a platform based delivery service such as Deliveroo.
In 2019 Oowee Vegan won the overall Restaurant of the Year, as well a Best Vegan Restaurant, at Deliveroo’s inaugural Restaurant Awards.
Last month an application was lodged with Cardiff council to turn the ground floor of 53 Wellfield Road into a shop with a cafe.
The site is currently home to Boutique 53 and only has permission to operate as a retail unit.
The applicant, Thornedge Properties Ltd, plans to use 60% of the site as retail space and the remaining 40% as a cafe area serving hot and cold drinks and hot food.
They also plan to use the outdoor seating area at the back of the property to seat up to 12 people.