St Ives is set to start the festive season early with a range of special commissions and arts projects. Tate St Ives is launching a range of commissions and projects during the Winter Festival when the local community take over the gallery with music and performance. Three new installations will be opening together as part of the 2021 Winter Light Commission. Aviary by artist Sammy Lee, Kemeneth, a new work by artist Adam James in collaboration with local residents and Artist Rooms by Sol LeWitt, a newly produced wall drawing in the Tate St Ives’ curved gallery. After a two-year break due to COVID restrictions, this normally annual community event in St Ives, Cornwall, will once again allow gallery visitors to enjoy the exhibitions alongside local choirs, pop-up talks, performance and film, all for a special entry fee of only £1 on each day. This year there will also be online experiences and free, outdoor, immersive ‘augmented reality’ (AR) encounters around St Ives. During the day on Saturday and Sunday December 27-28, the entrance loggia to the gallery will be filled with the voices of the Cornwall Music Service Trust’s Youth Chamber Choir and local primary schools, usually regular performers at the Winter Festival; this year they have pre-recorded performances to share with us under the Directorship of Christine Judge. Visitors will hear the Youth Chamber Choir sing a selection of pieces, both sacred and secular, some seasonal and some less so, and be able to listen out for accompaniment on handbells played by the choir themselves. Primary school children from Mousehole, Trythall and Madron Daniel also share songs they are currently preparing for forthcoming performances, some of which have been composed in their music sessions. When the sun goes down, visitors will experience the new Winter Light Commission Aviary by artist Sammy Lee which projects flocks of computer-generated birds onto the domed ceiling of this entrance space. The Winter Festival is free with a locals pass and for people under 18 or just £1 entry for the day. Timed tickets can be booked online before visiting.