Paper City in Hull

Paper City is described as “Ten days celebrating colour and the freedom of play”. So it’s the 6th and I’m wandering around Humber Street with my 20 year old daughter Chloe, a former Graphic Art student. But there isn’t much to play with except some origami circles. We are not impressed with Max Lamb, 35,000 gsm which amounts to stock sizes and weights of paper produced by local firm G.F. Smith stacked on each other to form “furniture”. Sadly the paper is water damaged and dusty. We just don’t get it. The huge tapestry of Colorplan paper hand woven by G. Smith employees is more impressive. The firm has a 130 year history in Hull, and this represents amongst other things jobs the company has generated. Next we happen upon a giant model of a cod with a banana inside the skeleton visible from one side. I speak to the propitier of the mobile catering unit Lazarian at the fish and chip van/art gallery. For 1 to 2 quid I get to choose two colours of paper which Liam cuts fish shapes out of which will eventually be part of a huge sculpture. I choose turquoise blue and cream and am given the left over sheet as a souvenir. I am number 943 apparently. And 20,000 people moved through the 7 or so instilations over the weekend dotted all over the fruit market. So there must be a big appetite for paper.”Why cod” I ask. Liam tells me all about the 750 million revenue from one fishery in Hull, cod wars, fishing boundaries. I leave looking forward to being one of the 1,000 or more exhibiting.

We wander back into Humber street and enter a pop up shop where everything is the same colour as the paper I have chosen. Lamps. Pencils. Leather school bags. I overhear an asst. say to a well spoken gent that blue is the most popular colour in the UK according to an online poll. She sees me struggling to wedge the paper sheets holding numerous business cards, including hers in time, under my arm pit. “Oh you have bought some of our paper I can see. You can order more in any batch size”. Have I taken part in a cultural event or have I helped advertise and add to the coffers of a local paper company? The Merchandiser for G.F.Smith goes on to tell me how they helped commission the Manchester based artist But isn’t this the whole point of the year? Local business benefiting from culture and vice versa? 6.30pm I am sat in the Vue Princes Quay Screen 7 Row G seat 7 eating a huge King of New York Hot Dog waiting for Wonder Woman to start. £5? The paper was better value.

#PaperCity #Hull