Greater Mancunians: The photography project capturing the city-region’s heroes
Local leaders, famous faces and community champions are being immortalised in a sprawling photography project capturing the spirit of Greater Manchester.
In a diverse, fluid city that’s made a repeated point of constantly reinventing the wheel, defining the people within its borders has proven persistently problematic.
But Harry Potts thinks he knows what captures the region’s spirit.
“Mancs are innovative, hard-working, creative, and we don’t suffer fools,” he states defiantly.
If anyone knows, it’s him. The Manchester College tutor has spent the past half-decade overseeing a project that’s profiling the characters who have shaped the city-region for the better; famous faces, community champions and local heroes.
“We’ve got a strong identity up here – and I think that’s why pretty much every person has been a joy to photograph,” Harry tells us.
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“They all understand what we’re trying to do.”
As part of a college initiative, Harry has recruited more than 60 students to snap over 70 portraits of Manchester’s key characters for ‘Greater Mancunians’. It’s one of the most ambitious projects of its kind – enabling the next generation of local artists to jumpstart their careers by shooting the stars of today.
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Both The Manchester College and Manchester City Council are officially on board – and a huge stage awaits when the project is finally completed in 2022/23.
Every photo will be displayed in an exhibition of unprecedented scope – alongside a published book in which every subject will have their own mini story. Page space will also be dedicated to the students who took the pictures – chronicling their experience and how they made the shoot a success.
The collection already features Andy Burnham, Shaun Ryder, Johnny Marr, Stanley Chow, Jason Manford, John Motson, Lemn Sissay, Take That, Akse P-19, Ricky Hatton, Peter Hook, Sacha Lord and Christopher Biggins, among others. But the final product is still a work in progress – with at least two dozens Mancs left to photograph.
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“We’ve got no target as such, but we’ll definitely make it to 100 [people],” Harry says.
Talks are ongoing to incorporate the likes of Steve Coogan, Maxine Peake and Christopher Ecclestone into the ever-growing gallery, as well as adopted and honorary Mancs such as Sir Alex Ferguson and even Ariana Grande.
But it all began with born-and-bred Salfordian John Cooper Clarke back in 2016 – in what had originally been intended as a one-off shoot.
“My photography students wanted to photograph John Cooper Clarke and it proved to be a fantastic experience; driving around Salford and making a day of it,” Harry says.
“The rest of the students said we should do another – and it just went from there.
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“Over the next year or so we managed to pick off a few more – including Billy Duffy and Maria Balshaw – and the project got a bit more momentum behind it when the college got involved.”
According to Harry, the biggest obstacle in taking Greater Mancunians to the next level was pitching it to agents based in the south – people that didn’t really understand what the project was all about.
In the end, they took a different approach – asking their subjects to pass on news of the project by word of mouth and “empty their phone books” during photoshoots.
“The London agents didn’t understand what the Manchester identity was,” Harry says.
“But the people we were photographing did. They got it.”
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Lockdown temporarily “pulled the rug from underneath” Greater Mancunians as shooting paused, but now things are back at full tilt – with ambitions to make the project one of the most momentous of all time.
“It’s all been really exciting,” Harry beams.
“We try and get a new student for every shoot – and that way more people can get more industry experience.
“It’s not just photography they learn – it’s setting things up and liaising with the subject after, too.
“Some students who were involved with the project at the start have graduated now. One has even got a job with the college in part thanks to the work she did.”
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As the project proceeds, all Mancuinan musicians, athletes, entertainers, entrepreneurs, politicians, actors, comedians, artists and community champions are being invited to step up for shoots at a poignant or significant location of their choosing.
Anyone who embodies the true spirit of Manchester could be considered.
If you know, you know.
Learn more about the incredible Greater Mancunians project online.
Art & Culture
The UK’s biggest fashion thrift market returns to Manchester this weekend
Emily Sergeant
A huge pop-up fashion fair full of vintage, pre-loved, and small business clothing is back in Manchester this weekend.
Clothes Cycle is the UK’s biggest curated second-hand clothing market.
With a focus on championing sustainable clothing and helping fashion fans find a gem they’ll treasure forever, each pop-up market organised by the student-led initiative sees dozens of carefully-curated sellers offering a wide range of styles and items – including plus-sized, gender-neutral, male and female – come together all under one roof.
Taking over the unique space inside the historic Victoria Baths this Sunday (12 May), Clothes Cycle will welcome more than 100 different sellers showcasing everything from bargain vintage finds and designer pieces, to pre-loved wardrobes and picks from local small businesses.
Organisers say the Manchester event will be a combination of in-person thrift shopping, a filtered car boot sale, and the best of sustainable high street stores.
Sellers on the day will be offering up something for everyone on every budget.
With plenty of bargains under £5 up for grabs, you can expect to find vintage clothing of all kinds, alongside the best of streetwear, y2k, retro, archive pieces, luxury brands, current trends, and handmade clothing if you head down on the day, as well as bags, shoes, jewellery, and lots of other accessories.
The UK’s biggest fashion thrift market returns to Manchester this weekend / Credit: Clothes Cycle Markets
If that wasn’t enough, there’ll also be vendors selling home decor, art and prints, greeting cards, plants, ceramics, and so much more, as well as tooth gem and nail art stalls to get involved with.
There’ll even be three DJs blasting out tunes in various rooms throughout the day.
And if all that shopping gets you a bit peckish, there’ll even be some of the city’s best-loved independent street food vendors pitching up to serve a wide range of mouthwatering grub – including pizza, burgers, dumplings, gyros, streak sandwiches, and ice cream, alongside freshly-brewed coffee, and other alcoholic drinks and cocktails.
Clothes Cycle is coming to Victoria Baths in Manchester on Sunday 12 May from 11am-5pm, and tickets are now on sale from £5 online or on the door – with several concessions and VIP ticket options also available.
Science and Industry Museum reveals ‘gloriously gross’ half term events lineup
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most-visited museums has unveiled its exciting events lineup ahead of half term in a couple of weeks time.
Fancy diving into the “gloriously gross” world of our brilliant bodies?
It’s certainly not an invite you get every day, but as schools across Greater Manchester break up for half term at the end of this month, and parents and carers gear up to entertain the little ones, the Science and Industry Museum has, thankfully, just announced a wide range of events and activities especially for the holidays.
Anyone who considers themselves to be “curious about the incredible inner workings of the human body” are invited to join in with the series of anatomy-themed special events, star-studded appearances, and half term transformations.
And the best bit is that a good chunk of the events planned are actually open for you to get involved with for completely free of charge.
As the curtains on Operation Ouch! are due to close for good on Sunday 9 June, the museum has chosen to dedicate the entire month of May to celebrating the record-breaking exhibition and making sure it goes out in “a blaze of glorious grossness” by having it inspire all the upcoming ‘brilliant bodies’ events – and this half term is no different.
The Science and Industry Museum has revealed its ‘gloriously gross’ half term events lineup / Credit: Science Museum Group
As well as exploring the exhibition before it closes, mini Mancs can also bring a bear (or any soft squishy friend) to the museum and take them round the departments of the ‘Teddy Hospital’, as well as learn all about looking after their brains, bones, and bottoms with fun and fascinating activities, and find out how their skeleton works, what their poo is made of, and why we have blood.
The museum‘s team of Explainers will also be back in action this half term.
They’ll be putting on interactive science shows packed with “fun facts and wow moments” that explore how and why our bodies are all the same, but different too.
There’s so much to discover and explore about our ‘brilliant bodies’ at the museum this month / Credit: Science Museum Group
Away from the ‘brilliant bodies’ events, if you haven’t had the chance the make the most of the museum’s smash-hit gaming exhibition, Power UP, then this upcoming half term is the ideal time to do so.
Revolution Manchester, the museum’s interactive Experiment gallery, and the Textiles Gallery are also open for exploring for free all throughout the half term week.
Both free entry tickets to the museum, and charged-for tickets for Operation Ouch! Food, Poo and You and Power UP, can be booked now on the Science and Industry Museum website.