Steel City turned Creative City

For those of us who live and have lived in Sheffield, we all have a certain connection with Sheffield's Steel Heritage. We love being the Steel City, the hard nuts, the iron men and women of the industrial era but what's happening now? What's happening to the factories and workshops that years ago were the forefront of Sheffield's character and employment?

Well, it's the unassuming Creative sector that has taken them under their wings.

The demand for creative space in Sheffield has increased - Instead of moving to London, people study at Sheffield Hallam and then stay in the city. These days, artists are even moving (to Sheffield) from London - Haroon Mirza, 34, who won this year's Northern Art Prize. Companies like CADS are at the forefront of this revolution.

CADS (Creative Arts Development Space) was established 5 years ago and has grown from strength to strength, achieving charitable status in 2013. Its main headquarters are a credit to Sheffield’s creative takeover – Smithfield Studios formerly known as Nickel blanks. This was an abandoned cutlery factory quietly resting in Shalesmoor amongst the other various disused factories and workshops which surrounded it. CADS took it on and waded through plies of cutlery templates, knives, forks, rusty machinery and many other diseased objects/small inhabitants in order to transform it into the hub of artisan productivity it houses today. Jewelers, sculptors, musicians, artists, producers, co-operatives and much, much more have nestled into the old factory.

From the outside, it doesn’t look like much, but if you step through the blue door, you are met by a wealth of artistic ingenuity.

This is the reception to set the scene.

 And the Courtyard...

 And the corridors...

So much diversity, creativity, textures, colours in one building is truely amazing and is a credit to all those involved. For more insights into the artwork at CADS follow our instagram account.