HYPED 4 TRAMLINES

Sometimes Sheffield pulls something special out of the bag. You can go for months without seeing a single person in the city centre after 6pm, then all of a sudden, an event will come along which floods the city with people. Out of nowhere, Sheffield feels like a big city.

It happened with Docfest, when the city centre was jam-packed with Londoners, identifiable by the takeaway coffees they clutched at all times, and their general air of wealth. (It would never occur to a Sheffield resident to get a coffee 'to go': nobody here is really so busy that they haven't got time to sit down).

And this weekend it's happening again with Tramlines. Now in it's third year, Tramlines is one part urban music festival and one part total chaos. Everyone is playing everywhere, you have to queue to get in your own house, and literally everyone is smiling for the whole weekend. You know that point at a good festival where you suddenly realise that you don't care what happens anymore? When you give up trying to find your friends 'outside the dance stage' and then they tap you on the shoulder? That's what happens at Tramlines.

Anyway. We've got involved in the Tramlines Times, with an interview with Peter and Paul, who've done the branding for Tramlines this year, and also a column for the paper, welcoming people to Sheffield. And we've reworked our logo for the occasion (see above).

We're also 'launching' (ie registering) the official unofficial SPD twitter 'feed' this weekend. We haven't got smartphones, so we won't be keeping you bang up to date with anything.

Right. Enjoy yourselves. We're off to get in the queue for Toddla.

Love

Sheffield Publicity Department

VIEWPOINT NUMBER 3: FLAG UP, ROUTE UP.

We have confirmation. Viewpoint Number 3 is go.





Pictures by Gemma Thorpe.

The maps are out, the route is up, and the flag is standing proud.

You can find your map in one of these places. Once you've got one in your hand, head to Corporation Street/The Riverside Pub to start the walk.

En route, you'll find plenty of markers to help guide the way.









Plus, there's some familiar looking graffiti.




At the top, we've installed our third flag. As usual, the pole is made from a branch we found cut down in a forest. The flag was kindly stitched by Kirsteen at Syd and Mallorys.





They don't tend to hang around for very long. We don't know where they go. Are they removed by overzealous Streetforce operatives? Bored youth? Rival art-led imaginary tourist boards? Who can say.

All we know is that, at 14.19 today, the SPD surveillance satellite (JARVIS1) took this grainy image. The flag was still standing.

VIEWPOINT NUMBER 3: PYE BANK

Our third viewpoint map is out now.

We can't lie. This one is a little bleak.

Viewpoint No. 3 is Pye Bank, an ex-council estate, close to the city centre, on a hill above the river. The buildings have all been demolished, but for some reason all the infrastructure was left behind. Today, all that's up there are empty roads, steps, paths and bricks.

The start point of the route is a bridge over the River Don, at the bottom of Corporation Street. There's a secret old bridge here, blocked off at one end. It looks like this.



Once you get up to Pye Bank itself, you'll find a strong Mad Max vibe going on. Roadblocks, rubble, wasteland. It's easy to feel like you're the last person on Earth. We wouldn't recommend going up to Pye Bank alone. The isolation can feel pretty intimidating. But the view is incredible.

The map includes a cut-out-and-keep roadblock, as a memento of your day. If you don't want to cut your map up, why not photocopy it at your local Tesco?



BONUS PYE BANK INFO

This is what Pye Bank used to look like: massive. Concrete flats and wavy roofed houses. You can find stories on the internet of what it was like to live here. The stories are pretty much the same as the ones you read about Park Hill, or Hyde Park, or any of the other post-war estates, built with too much optimism and not enough money. They're hard stories to keep reading.

Funnily enough, these buildings still exist on some maps. You can even demolish them yourself. Click here for a top down view. And then click here to see the same space without buildings.



Yes Pye Bank is bleak. But it's also strangely calm. In the gaps where the houses and the car parks used to be, the weeds are taking over. Pye Bank is reverting into what it was before Sheffield came along. A scrubby hill, folding into other scrubby hills, above a river, on the edge of the peak district.

Enjoy the view.

ARBOURTHORNE SUMMIT CLUB

Today was amazing.



We installed the second flag on the Arbourthorne summit. We claimed it for the Sheffield Publicity Department.



It looked exactly how we imagined it would. It's probably gone by now. But it doesn't matter. (It does a bit. We really didn't want to leave it).



The flag-pole was made out of found wood, from a forest floor. The flag itself was stitched by the fair hand of Kirsteen, from Syd and Mallorys.



All these lovely photos are by Gemma Thorpe.

On the way down, we turned to see the flag through the grass, flickering in the wind. We stood watching it for ages. It was bloody beautiful. Bloody beautiful. It doesn't get better than this.







Today was a day when living in Sheffield felt just right.

VIEWPOINT NUMBER 2: ROUTE IN PLACE

We've added some clues along the route, to help you along.

First off, there's the stencils. Same vibe as last time: only on pavements (like the marks roadworkers leave) and other previously graffitied objects.



Then there's some new stuff too.

Norfolk Park is too beautiful for spray paint. So we've gone one step further. We've installed a few Viewpoint plaques, beneath the mad orienteering ones that are already in place.





And finally, keep your eyes peeled at the start of the walk for some familiar faces.



Dunner-nunner-nunner

(Bing bing bing)



Dunner-nunner-nunnder

(Ba-ding)

Q. WHERE CAN YOU FIND THE MAPS?

A. In these places. Look out for our super-sweet dispensers.

VIEWPOINT TWO: ARBOURTHORNE

OUR SECOND VIEWPOINT MAP IS OUT NOW

The map takes you to Arbourthorne. We know we said it last time, but this really is a stunner. So high above the city that you feel like you're in the alps, if the alps had been covered in municipal housing in the 70s by an over-zealous city council.

It's a beautiful route: through Norfolk Park (one of the most handsome in the city), up past some lush new wooden houses, and onto a final grass plateau. If you go up here on a sunny day, it's going to look a little like this.

Picture by Gemma Thorpe.

Here are some jpegs of the map. Note: the point of this project is to get you up there with an actual paper map in your hand. Don't go up here with this on your bloody iphone. Arbourthorne isn't ready for touch screens.

The map includes a DIY tree rubbing area. We thought the trees in Norfolk Park were so incredibly beautiful, you might like to make a record of it for yourself. All you need to do is take a wax crayon with you, find an interesting tree, and rub over the top for yourself.

Hey presto: a one-off art-work, and a record of your walk.

PLEASE NOTE: the designer would like to request that you use a cyan blue crayon to make your rubbing. It's not obligatory, but it would look better.

Alright, it is obligatory.

Enjoy the view.