It takes 10-minutes to get the train from Sheffield, the need for investment is obvious on the way in, derelict industrial sites scar the landscape between Sheffield and Rotherham…that and a tire fire… and that house from Four Lions. 

Rotherham, like Sheffield 10-years ago, is suffering from years of underdevelopment. But with Sheffield getting the Gok Wan makeover treatment in recent years, Rotherham was never going to be far behind. Like an uncool little brother taking style tips, Rotherham has hit adolescence and is ready to come into its own. Ok, Ok no more crap metaphors (maybe one or two more).

The serious stuff, amaze your friends with the following; in the next two years the Rotherham Renaissance Project will attract £2-billion of private sector investment. ‘Rotherham is the new Berlin’ (as coined by Article) seems apt. Nearby Ulley reservoir nearly burst a few years back, threatening to flood the town, subsequently the whole place flooded anyway but  ‘Rotherham is the new Atlantis’ was something the residents couldn’t get on board with. So now we have one of the UK’s largest regeneration schemes happening on our doorsteps, nearly.

Regeneration and legacy are terms so overused by the Government (especially the Olympic Committee) it is fast becoming the new ‘lol’. But in Rotherham you can see the change happening.  The train station is in DIY format at the moment, every major building seems to be in the process of being raised, awaiting upgrade for the aesthetically obsessed.

Stars in Stripes, the Sheffield artist collective, in keeping with the times, will be breathing a little bit of culture into Rotherham by hosting an evening of their work at the new Rotherham art space. Curator, Peter Martin has allowed the group unrestricted freedom to arrange the 6,000 sq ft of space as they see fit. The result, as Don’t Panic was shown in a sneak preview the other day, is an intelligent display of the artists’ talents. The walls, windows and floor all feature in the work. Everywhere you look is an example of the diverse talents of those involved. The culmination of months of hard work is displayed in eloquent finesse. An impressive Phlegm mural across two of the massive gallery walls puts the paint on the pallet (icing on the cake, paint on the pallet….no? My bad).

For those of you who don’t know, Stars in Stripes are an ever-expanding group of talented artists from in and around Sheffield. If not the work of the whole, you will know the work of the individuals, Geo Law, Nick Deakin, Lord Bunn,  Louise Wheeler, Mute, Faram au Fait, Poodle, Sarah Abbott, Lee Balmforth, Alix Peck, Thomas Ball, Lucy Roberts and Joseph Feather. The cream of Sheffields live art crop my friends.

The exhibit, supported by the Open Minds Theatre Company and Rotherham Council opens on the 27th January to what I’m sure will be widespread acclaim across the Yorkshire region. 2011 looks to be the year for The Stars in Stripes, whilst I have still to muster the effort to do anything productive, Stars in Stripes are leading the way for creatives in Sheffield.

Between 7-10pm on the 27th in Rotherham centre, Old Market building (can’t miss it), there is an opening party, with music, drink, t-shirt printing, art prints, a raffle, and of course, the work….. definitely worth the £2 train fare.