Wolverhampton artwork unveiled to launch comedy festival

Sculptor, Luke Perry from Cradley Heath, unveiled the commissioned piece 'The Anthinaerium' to commemorate this year's event.

The Anthinaerium is described as a mechanical masterpiece which celebrates the weird and wonderful of Wolverhampton and the Black Country and is the centrepiece of Funny Things.

The word, Anthinaerium, is derived from an old Black Country saying meaning something or someone that's all over the place and doesn't quite know who they are or what they're up to.

Luke worked with the people of the Black Country to design and build the giant automata.

He said: "I've always had a fascination with automatons and I wanted to create something that is traditional and peculiar."

"The piece is based on eccentric oddities of the Black Country culture and represents a modern cross section of the area and features things that people who know the area would understand, and hopefully find funny.

"Anthinaerium is a word for someone who lacks direction and doesn't know where they're going but gets there in the end, I think that's a microcosm for the Black Country as we've never had anyone steering the area but we're always moving forwards."

The sculpture has been made using sustainable wood, metal from Netherton and no plastic.

Members of the public are being invited to come and turn the handle of the interactive piece and see the mechanical mayhem unfold.

The piece has been commissioned by the Funny Things Festival which is a Creative Black Country Project funded by Arts Council England.

Jenny Smith, Director of Funny Things, said: "I want to say a big thank you to all of our sponsors and supporters to help us make this possible, we would not be able to do this without their help."

The sculpture will be in the ground floor of the Mander Centre from October 17 to November 29.

Following the grand unveiling, the organisers and audience members headed to Wolverhampton Art Gallery to watch the debut performance of 'Finding Your Funny Roots' by Poet, Prattlers and Pandemonialists as well as additional volunteers.

The performance took the audience on a journey down memory lane and celebrated what gets people from the Black Country laughing.

Another showing of 'Finding Your Funny Roots' will be performed at the Arena Theatre on October 26 as part of the Festival and will include British Sign Language and also be interpreted.