Stuart Semple: Happy Cloud

Andrew Anderson

11 March 2017 Entrance is free

Nothing has more impact on your mood than the environment. In a dark, dingy room on a grey and rainy day? Chances are you’re not feeling too chipper. In a bright, sunny space at the height of spring? There’s probably a smile on your face.

Another thing that should make you smile is the fact that Stuart Semple’s art installation Happy Cloud is coming to Manchester this March as part of SICK! Festival. Happy Cloud sees Semple create thousands of floating smiley faces from soap helium and vegetable dye that will then beam down from outside the Manchester Art Gallery, The Whitworth, Manchester Museum and Manchester Royal Infirmary.

But should we be happy just because we see a smiling face? In a world where the terror of Trump, the worry of global warming and the clashes of different cultures hang over us at all times, perhaps not. And that’s what makes this installation so successful: by presenting these fake smiling faces it makes you ask yourself ‘Am I happy? And if not, why not?’

The exhibition was originally presented outside the Tate Modern just when the economy was going down the toilet and caused quite a stir, juxtaposing itself perfectly with those troubles. As we head in 2017 with all its problems and perplexities, Happy Cloud couldn’t be returning at a more pertinent time.

11 March 2017 Entrance is free

Where to go near Stuart Semple: Happy Cloud

Manchester
Restaurant
Fairfield Social Club

Launching in spring 2024, Fairfield Social Club is a multi-purpose site next to Angel Meadows Park in the Green Quarter.

Cumbria
Theatre
The Coro

Nestled in the heart of Ulverston, a rural market town on the fringes of the Lake District, stands The Coro —an esteemed historic hub for arts, culture, and entertainment

Cumbria
Shop
Sam Read Bookseller

Award-winning small bookshop in the Lake District. Est. by Sam Read in 1887. Run by Will Smith and Polly Atkin.

Restaurant
Capri

Capri serves up homely, family-style Italian food in North Yorkshire.

Manchester
Restaurant
Manchester Wine Tours

Manchester Wine Tours is a relaxed, fun wine tour, taking in four or five venues across three hours, plus six high-quality glasses of wine.

Sheffield
Shop
Juno Books

Friendly local queer and intersectional feminist bookshop in Sheffield. Visit for interesting fiction and non fiction books.

Restaurant
The Dusty Miller

Family friendly pub situated in the beautiful village of Mytholmroyd.

Winckley Square
Lancashire
Park
Winckley Square

Hosting a variety of year-round events, from guided walks to jazz evenings, Winckley Square is a Georgian square packed with history in Preston city centre.

What's on: Exhibitions

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(Un)Defining Queer at The Whitworth

Through a fantastic collection of classical and contemporary artists’ work, ‘(Un)Defining Queer’ examines the use of language, histories and narratives to explore what ‘queer’ really means today. free entry

To The Lakes! at Wordsworth Grasmere
Until
ExhibitionsCumbria
To The Lakes! at Wordsworth Grasmere

Find out how the first tourists to the Lake District (a time before mobile phones, specialist clothing and TripAdvisor reviews) experienced the area, in this fascinating new exhibition.

from £6.00

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