Presented by SICK! Festival in association with Word of Warning

###OPEN 5 — 25 March (CLOSED Mondays/Tuesdays)
An award-winning pop-up café — which isn’t just arty, it is ART — a social and artistic hub where spontaneity and performance meet great food and drink.

####Venue + Booking Details
Dates: Thursday 5 — Wednesday 25 March 2015 (closed Mondays/Tuesdays)
Times: Wednesdays — Saturdays, 12noon-7.30pm + Sundays, 10am-5pm
Venue: 8a Gateway House, Manchester Piccadilly Station Approach. M1 2GH
Tickets: entry is free; special events (see below) may have restricted entry.
Special Offer: during Unhappy Hour (6.30pm-7.30pm) enjoy pre-show 2-for-1 drinks offers and great food by showing a ticket for any SICK! Festival event.

####Access Information
A hub for SICK! Festival, the café is in Gateway House on the Station Approach to Manchester Piccadilly, between Ian Allen Bookshop and Chopstix.

####Special Events Timetable for 11 — 25 March
Please right-click to download image | WEEK 1: 5 — 8 March | WEEK 2: 11 — 15 March | WEEK 3: 18 — 22 March
N.B. Eirini Kartsaki now Sat 14 Mar, with “You-Do-It” Sun 15 Mar | Krissi Musiol also appears Wed 18 Mar, 3.30-5.30pm

Read Dani Abulhawa’s thoughts on WEEK 1, WEEK 2 + WEEK 3.

####More
Jenny Hunt + Holly Darton expose the inner workings of their business by presenting everything as art — from the food served, the people serving, the décor and public display of their bank balance, to the lovingly hand-picked charity shop crockery.

Hunt & Darton Cafe encourages playful participation and meaningful social encounters — through its alternative service from hosts Hunt & Darton in their iconic fruit or veggie attire, comic interaction through their ‘set menu’ performances, guest waiters and theme days such as “You-Do-It Day” or “Health & Safety Day”. Popping-up as the hub for Manchester’s SICK! Festival, guest waiters include Pigeon Theatre (7th), Eggs Collective (11th), Lowri Evans + Sara Cocker (13th), Eirini Kartsaki (14th), Krissi Musiol (18th), with more tba.

Responding to SICK! Festival will be theme days such as “Sexy Day” — where it is encouraged to speak frankly about sex with phallic food served up accompanied by sexual innuendo — and hosted talks collaborating with medical practitioners, academics, artists and local groups. Imagine being served tea whilst getting that leg looked at! Or perhaps a bowl of Coco Pops served up with a conversation about mental health…

Food on offer includes cakes (Battenberg!), light lunches and H&D’s signature dish, the roast dinner sandwich.
Things to spot include The Survival Shelf, the “not” menu, Takeaway Art, the Boss mug, the quote of the day, the sugar bearers, and (of course) pineapples.

Hunt & Darton Cafe are proud to satisfy appetites in more ways than one.

####Who are they?
Hunt & Darton are a Live Art Collaboration between Jenny Hunt + Holly Darton, graduating together from Central Saint Martins in 2003. Approaching Live Art from a Fine Art background, they work across mediums with a sculptural approach to performance, choreographing words and movement in a sensory way and setting up alternative spaces — often creating installations to perform within.

Deriving from shared celebrations and anxieties surrounding life choices particularly as women, in Britain, now, their work has been described as deadpan and absurd, often collapsing into humour. They have a persistent fetish within their practice to consistently re-assess their relationship with their audience — embracing awkward moments, risk taking and constantly trying to close the gap between performer and viewer — opting for a raw, underdone, conversational aesthetic.

Hunt & Darton are associate artists at Artsadmin + Cambridge Junction.

####What people have said about Hunt & Darton Cafe

…a pop-up establishment of disarming eccentricity.
Lyn Gardner, The Guardian
In a Fringe swimming with comedians, Shakespeare adaptations, improv comedy and BBC recordings, Hunt & Darton Cafe made its mark as something truly alternative.
Three Weeks, presenting the Editors awards 2012
A uniquely delicious art installation.
Varsity

Online articles about H&D Cafe Manchester have appeared in Manchester Confidential (twice), Manchester Wire + The Skinny NW. Read reviews from Total Theatre + Vice/Munchies.

####Credits
Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England on a Strategic Tour. Hunt & Darton Cafe Manchester is commissioned by SICK! Festival + presented in association with Word of Warning.

####Websites
http://huntanddartoncafe.com | @HuntDarton | H&D Cafe facebook
www.sickfestival.com | @SICKfestival | SICK! facebook