From crips packets to tents to gaint dark balloons - not forgetting a tiny steampunk peepshow, there is no shortage of the quirky , unusual and throught provoking at this year's festival art exhibitions. SIMON PARKIN previews.

Caroline McCarthy

Norwich City Centre, May 10-26, free admission, 01603 766400, www.nnfestival.org.uk

Throughout her career crisp packets, plastic bags and supermarket packaging have been some of the raw materials used by Carline McCarthy. In response to a culture of mass production, her work investigates the materiality of things. During the festival she will be creating a number of subtle and humorous interventions around the city centre. Download the maps from the website.

These Foolish Travels

Norwich Castle Museum, May 11-June 2, Mon-Sat 10am-4.30pm/Sun 1pm-4.30pm, free admission,

Throughout the festival, Norwich Castle Keep UK installation artist Brian Griffiths' collection of tents and temporary dwellings that are both a scaled representation of our cosmos and recall personal experience, from wedding parties to scouting expeditions. Concurrently, Shortcuts & Digressions, Griffiths' personal selection of modern and contemporary sculptural works from the Arts Council Collection is being exhibited.

It's All Up In The Air

The Undercroft, Norwich Market, May 10-26, 12pm-6pm, free admission, 01603 766400, www.nnfestival.org.uk

Rhona Byrne makes sculptural objects that are often focal points for events and social interaction. It's All Up In The Air is a black cloud assembled from modelling balloons. Immediately recognisable as a comedic emblem of pessimism, this object has been re-modelled by the artist to inhabit The Undercroft, opposite City Hall, where it will again entertain a variety of social events including speed moaning (May 11, 4pm-6pm) and laughter yoga (May 25, 3pm-4pm).

Werk Is Free

Outpost Gallery, Wensum Street, Norwich, until May 26, daily 12pm-6pm, free admission,

Coinciding with the May Day and Worker's Day holidays, this exhibition by Matthew Lutz-Kinoy addresses questions of worker's rights, and the figure of the artist. Lutz-Kinoy is a performance artist who develops vibrant narratives through a wealth of creative forms, covering dance, music, painting, film and ceramics.

Tales of Magical Realism: Part 2

Epic Studios, Magdalen Street, Norwich, May 18-20, 2pm-8pm, £5, 01603 766400, www.nnfestival.org.uk

Take a peek into a miniature steam-punk, peep-show world. Based on Sven Werner's feature film Oculista, this immersive installation will allow audiences to embark on a solo illusion-fuelled journey to darkly poetic places.

The viewer has no choice but to propel the story forward, ensnared in a sinister tale seemingly without end.