Tentacles: A Travelling Artwork and Creative Conversation

Oldham Coliseum is inviting the town to get hands-on and creative with 'Tentacles' - a new project that brings together art-making, conversation, and community.

Launching on Saturday 18 April 2026, Tentacles invites people of all ages and abilities to take part in creating a major new artwork, and to help shape the future of the Coliseum itself.

Artist Bee Daly has been commissioned to design an installation that will eventually live inside the theatre. But first, it begins its journey out in the community. Through a series of workshops and drop-in sessions across Oldham, you’re invited to stitch, bead, print, and embellish your own piece of fabric, with each contribution becoming part of the final artwork.

These sessions are about more than making. They’re a chance to share ideas, stories, and experiences. Coliseum staff will be there to listen and ask what culture means to you, what makes Oldham special, and what you’d love to see from the Coliseum in the future.

Tentacles makes its first appearance alongside the Manchester Jazz Festival Piano Trail, popping up at Oldham's new Market on Saturday 18 April.

Drop by to explore the travelling artwork, get creative, and add your voice. Whether you stay for five minutes or an hour, everyone is welcome - no experience is needed - and you can make your mark in helping to shape what comes next for Oldham Coliseum.

When the Coliseum reopens, Tentacles will return home carrying hundreds of individual contributions and will represent a powerful artwork stitched together from the voices, stories, and imagination of Oldham.