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±«Óãtv Coventry & Warwickshire and Arts Council West Midlands are collaborating on a unique gastronomic and artistic project – Eat Your Art Out – to produce an edible food sculpture of Coventry city.

On Saturday 5 September, community groups from across the city are getting together at Coventry's Lower Precinct Shopping Centre to create a large outdoor sculpture made from assorted foods that represent their vision of 21st-century Coventry.

The people of the city are then invited to feast on the culinary creation and discover the true taste of Coventry.

The six community groups [see Notes to Editors] involved in the project have been working for eight weeks with specialist food artist Prudence Staite, experimenting with various food produce and choosing six different themes that they feel embody their city.

Siobhan Harrison, Creative Project Manager, ±«Óãtv Coventry and Warwickshire, says: "This is an incredibly exciting project because it brings together totally different community groups. It has been fascinating to watch how each group's experience of life in Coventry has informed the themes they have chosen to represent."

She adds: "Food is a shared human experience and this project is all about a shared vision of the city that everyone, regardless of age, race or gender, can relate to. I can't wait to see and taste the final sculpture."

Ron Collins, from Coventry Rugby Club Supporters Group, says: "Its amazing. I'm 50 years old and I didn't know anything about our city. Doing this Eat Your Art out thing; it's about fun, it's about food, about things you can do with food but it's also about art and looking at the things in the city. I like Coventry, it's a great place to be, it's home."

The activity is part of the Made In England project – a collaboration between Arts Council England and ±«Óãtv English Regions which celebrates the way the English landscape and its population enable creativity, in a rich exchange of ideas that migrate, visit or reside in England.

Aileen Muir, Arts Council's Head of Broadcasting, says: “Eat Your Art Out is one of many Made In England regional arts projects developed with the ±«Óãtv. Each one is taking a unique look at what it is about England that inspires people's creativity. We're very excited to be using the arts to encourage people to reflect on our customs and identity.â€�

Personal accounts of the project can be heard on ±«Óãtv Coventry & Warwickshire on DAB digital radio, online and on 94.8, 103.7 and 104 FM.

Notes to Editors

The following groups are involved in the project:

Green Garden Café, who will be working on a theme of peace and reconciliation using fair-trade vegan and vegetarian produce.

Coventry Rugby Supporters Club, who will reflect the many different sports clubs in the city with an obvious focus on the group's passion for Coventry Rugby Club.

Nettica, Coventry Youth Service are working on the theme of Industry.

±«Óãtv Listeners Group called Black Boys Can who have chosen to reflect Whittle Arches and the green spaces in their sculpture.

The Godiva Sisters will represent Lady Godiva, Coventry's most famous icon, using mostly chocolate.

Healthy Hearts Group from Wood End Family Project and Grapevine's H Team and Healthy Buddies, who have decided to focus on famous people from Coventry and will represent through food Clive Owen, Pete Waterman, Marion Devonish, The Specials, Frank Whittle and Mo Mowlam.

Made In England is the title of an initiative developed and managed by ±«Óãtv English Regions and Arts Council England, exploring the nation from a range of diverse artistic perspectives, with activities in arts and community venues and across ±«Óãtv TV, radio and online.

The initiative is part of a wider partnership agreement between the ±«Óãtv and the Arts Council, which aims to increase public value by strengthening arts programming and developing new talent and participation in the arts.

BJO