Cartwright Hall Art Gallery is getting its very own set of decorations this year. Courtesy Bradford Metropolitan District Council.

The days are getting shorter, the nights are drawing in and there’s a distinctive nip in the air. As winter sets in people everywhere are getting out their woollens and preparing for the cold months ahead.

In Bradford it seems this has been taken a step further and even the buildings are getting an extra protective layer.

Artist Kirsten Kaiser, from the city’s German twin town of Hamm, has covered the 25 stone spheres outside Cartwright Hall Art Gallery with red and yellow knitted cosies.

The installation forms part of a new exhibition set to go on display at the local landmark of work by a group of artists from Hamm.

Kirsten Kaiser puts the finishing touches to her installation at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery. Courtesy Bradford Metropolitan District Council.

"When I saw Cartwright Hall this August," said Kirsten, "I thought the flowerbeds and stone balls would make a fantastic site for an installation."

The cosies were hand-knitted in Hamm, following an article in the town's newspaper asking for volunteers, and installed by Kirsten on November 25.

Despite the name, however, they’re not a rather surreal reference to the English habit of drinking tea, but an allusion to the city and Cartwright Hall’s industrial heritage.

"With the exhibition happening in November," added Kirsten, "I wanted to choose something which fitted the season, but also said something about the city and its industrial heritage."

Bradford's textile industry dates back to the 13th century, but it was not until the Industrial Revolution that it became world famous.

Courtesy Bradford Metropolitan District Council.

With plentiful supplies of iron ore, coal and soft water, which was good for cleaning raw wool, and a coal seam stretching as far as Nottingham, 19th century Yorkshire and Bradford in particular became the wool capital of the world.

At the centre of it all was Samuel Cunliffe Lister (1815-1906) whose mills employed over 11,000 people at the height of their powers.

When, at the dawn of the 20th century, the local council came to commission a new art gallery, it was to the mill owner they turned to fund what would become the lavish Baroque style Cartwright Hall.

Yet, as well as referencing Bradford’s days at the centre of the global wool industry, the yellow and red balls are also inspired by the game of pool, which Kirsten noticed is particularly popular in the city's pubs.

Like a very well appointed billiard table... Courtesy Bradford Metropolitan District Council.

Christine Hopper, Museums Manager Central, told the 24 Hour Museum what sort of reaction the installation is getting from the visiting public.

"They’re asking a lot of questions," she said, "they’re giggling at it and they’re looking in amazement."

"It does look very, very startling," she added, "especially in the late afternoon. It looks terrific."

Opening on November 27, the exhibition runs until February 6 2005 and includes work by a number of other artists from Hamm.

As well as the contribution from Kirsten Kaiser, painter and sculptor Helmut Berger, digital artist Ina Fenzelewski and ceramicist Grazyna Maniecka-Gawel all have pieces on show.