Much-loved collage artist and satirist Cold War Steve has announced a new large-scale collaborative piece, starting with an open callout for suggestions on everyone and everything that makes the city of Sheffield great.
As the city’s Get Together Festival 2025 Artist in Residence, Cold War Steve, aka Birmingham-based artist Christopher Spencer, will be unveiling a brand new piece of work at this year’s festival on 17th May and is asking the people of Sheffield for what inspires them about the place that they call home.
Whether it’s a local legend, underground pioneer, community champ or even a beloved Sheffield landmark, Cold War Steve aims to bring the city together by collating suggestions into something totally unique to Sheffield that celebrates every part of what makes it special, and how it inspires both people here and others around the world.
The man behind some of the most cutting yet darkly hilarious images of the last decade, Cold War Steve has held numerous exhibitions, published multiple books and produced commissions for galleries across the country as well as giant billboard installations for the Glastonbury Festival and a prestigious TIME Magazine cover.
Cold War Steve joins Get Together festival for a milestone fifth edition as one of the country’s leading new music festivals when it takes over Sheffield’s Kelham Island on 17th May for a day full of music, art, food and drink.
This year’s headliners and 2024 Mercury Prize winners English Teacher will be joined by acclaimed songwriter and Bella Union artist BC Camplight, critically acclaimed songwriter Katy J Pearson, Sheffield-born psych-pop project The Moonlandingz, Nottingham risers Divorce and many, many more.
In the years since its inception, Get Together has become a key part of Sheffield’s music scene, with an innovative approach to developing and showcasing both established and emerging talent that has seen artists including Self Esteem, CMAT, Anthony Szmierek, Squid, Confidence Man and Wunderhorse perform at the festival on their way onto some of the country’s biggest festival stages.
In addition to seven stages of live music and late night DJ sets, this special fifth edition of Get Together will bring together the very best independent food and drink, with a huge selection of street food specially curated by Peddler, while Kelham Island Brewery will welcome some of the best breweries in the country for The Kelham Beer Mile.
Kieran Crosby, Festival Director said: “This will be the third year that we’ve had an artist in residence creating original work at Get Together. It adds magic to the day – something that’s truly unique to our festival. Cold War Steve gets our vibe totally and we’re over the moon he agreed to be part of the day.”
Suggestions for Sheffield icons can be left here.
Image credit: Cold War Steve
