Cap & Dove at Altrincham Library

Created as a new commission by artist Joshua Sofaer, Cap & Dove is a unique mobile arts centre – a mini travelling space that houses a tiny theatre, a museum and a shop.

The specially created mobile arts centre will visit Altrincham Library as it travels to different communities around Greater Manchester between August and October 2021. Visiting 10 different boroughs in the area, Cap & Dove will bring art, design, storytelling and performance to the hearts of communities across Greater Manchester.

Cap & Dove will bring art and storytelling to the hearts of communities across Greater Manchester.

Established as a legacy project for the 2019 Peterloo bi-centenary, Cap & Dove celebrates protest, liberty and equality. Joshua Sofaer, the artist who was commissioned to create the travelling venue to mark the 200th anniversary of Peterloo, has collaborated with a team of Manchester-based artists to make, decorate and design the vehicle.

The basic structure of Cap & Dove takes its inspiration from the hustings, fashioned from two wagons roped together, from which the speakers used to address the crowds at Peterloo. And the title of the project comes from the ‘cap of liberty’, widely associated with historical resistance movements and the atrocities of Peterloo, and the ‘dove of peace’, a universal symbol of reconciliation.

Visit the arts centre on wheels and you’ll find a specially hand-crafted interior featuring wallpaper, food tiles and curtains designed and created by local artists. Celebrating Greater Manchester’s rich and radical history, there is a story behind each fixture and fitting. There is also a shop onboard selling items crafted by local makers, and a small museum displaying artefacts that have been carefully selected from collections at local museums.

At each location, Cap & Dove will be presenting a live performance programme by a specially created ensemble of artists and theatre-makers from Greater Manchester. Artists featuring in the performance programme include: Afreena Islam, Anna FC Smith, Jenny Gaskell, Mark Croasdale and Richard Shields.

Pop down to experience performance, activities and exhibitions exploring themes around democracy, freedom and protest.

The travelling artwork is also set to pitch up at Rochdale Town Centre, Bury Market, Smithills Hall in Bolton, Oldham Gallery, Bramhall Hall, Ashton-under-Lyne Market and The Birtles in Wythenshawe Town Centre. Pop down to experience performance, activities and exhibitions exploring themes around democracy, freedom and protest.