I enjoyed my recent trip to Hull to explore the City of Culture, in particular:

- encountering What I Want more than anything else - young people working with artist Mark Titchner at Hull central library to create audio works (books ripping, pages floating down the stairwells, etc), video pieces and the painted Equality for all mural hidden amongst the library's book shelves along with a banner and flag outside, part of a Networked Narrative project

- meeting artist Mark Wigan at the Museum of Club Culture with his bold designs for posters, DMs, clothing, etc taking me back to my clubbing days!

- seeing artist Jasleen Kaur's Ideal Standards carpeted toilet artwork as part of Fountain '17 inspired by Marcel Duchamp's Fountain (100 years ago) and Armitage Shanks (200 years ago)

- gazing at Weeping Window the 14-18 NOW commission of the poppies on tour on the exterior of Hull's Maritime Museum building, which I missed when it was initiated in London

- visiting two exhibitions at the Ferens Art Gallery: Skin with Ron Mueck's stunning lifelike bodies of varying scales, and where I met a local lady who had been painted green for the Spencer Tunick photographs taken in Hull city centre who was excitedly pointing herself out to everyone; and Offshore: Artists Explore the Sea featuring a beautiful video by Saskia Older Wolbers

- checking out the new Humber Street Gallery with the exhibition Somewhere Becoming Sea_ featuring the mesmerick North Sea Semaphore by Isabella Martin with double screens opposite each other

And the best part of my visit was meeting all the enthusiastic and helpful volunteers across the city proud to be from Hull! Check out forthcoming exhibitions and events here including the Turner Prize 2017 later in the year.