People made of cake, a bathtub filled with more cake, wallpaper covered in icing – this is the newest art installation to open in Manchester, and it’s literally good enough to eat.
This is An Edible Family in a Mobile Home, a restaged piece of art that was a major feminist artwork in the 1970s.
Artist Bobby Baker has now recreated this incredible piece of work outside the Whitworth Gallery, alongside the Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990.
Step inside this prefabricated home and you’ll find different figures in each room, each one of them in some way edible.
From the father watching television in his armchair (he’s made of fruit cake) to a coconut cake baby in a crib, to a Garibaldi biscuit teenage boy lying in a bathtub of vegan chocolate cake, to a floating teenage girl made of meringue, visitors will be able to eat their way through the sculptures.
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Each cake inside is made by beloved Levenshulme bakery Long Boi’s Bakehouse too, and having taken a bite of the very first slices – they’re all delicious.
The space used to stage An Edible Family in a Mobile Home is plastered floor-to-ceiling in mid-70s newspaper and magazine pages, advertising everything from secretarial jobs to cigarettes, and documenting landmark moments like the death of Elvis Presley.
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These wallpaper cuttings have then been decorated with icing doodles.
There are also old radio stations playing in the kitchen, and 70s comedy on the TV.
An Edible Family in a Mobile Home at the Whitworth in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Bobby Baker’s work was first created in her prefabricated East London house in 1976, then wasn’t seen for almost 50 years until she restaged it at the Tate Britain in 2023.
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And now it’s Manchester’s turn, with this impressive, playful piece in residence at the Whitworth art gallery until 20 April.
During which time, the artist’s cake ‘family’ will be steadily eaten away by the public.
This installation is possible thanks to public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Bobby Baker said: “Originally I wasn’t overtly considering the work as ‘feminist’, however over the years – and having had children and now grandchildren, I have come to realise that unpaid domestic labour is an incredibly undervalued part of life.
“It is fundamental to how the human world operates – how we look after each other and care for our children and stay healthy.
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“However, domesticity and the work it requires still have words like ‘menial’ attached to it. In 1976 when people came to see Edible Family in what was my actual mobile home, they could contemplate who plays what domestic roles and why – and restaging this now, I feel that this work is still very much relevant today.”
Elsewhere in the Whitworth, ‘Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990’ features over 100 women artists and celebrates their often-unsung contribution to British culture.
An Edible Family in a Mobile Home is free to visit and is open from 7 March until 20 April,
Kacey Musgraves announces massive Manchester arena show early next year
Danny Jones
Country star Kacey Musgraves is returning to Manchester after what feels like forever away from the city, with a brand-new album and a run of live dates.
The female singer-songwriter is one of the most successful female musicians on the country scene, and after a little while away from the UK – barring a recent pre-album launch show down in Kingston – the Texan artist will be coming back to the North next year.
In support of her latest record, the sixth studio Kacey LP, the ‘Middle of Nowhere Tour’ will kick off in Glasgow, before Ms Musgraves makes her way to Manchester city centre.
One of just three British cities named as part of the leg, we can count ourselves lucky.
Hailing from the Southern US town of Golden, Middle of Nowhere, serves as the follow-up to 2024’s Deeper Well (DW), with the solo star now having won multiple Grammys and CMA Awards.
Speaking on this latest project, with finally dropped at the start of May and was immediately met with a positive reaction from fans, even after her lead single, ‘Dry Spell’, she said in a statement: “I started this record while still in the throes of DW after going through a pretty ridiculous breakup.
“The bulk of the record was made during the longest single period of my life, and I found that for the first time, it actually felt incredible being alone and existing in a space not defined by anyone else. I needed that period to really understand that I really don’t need someone to be happy.
“I became fascinated with the concept of liminal spaces, both geographical and emotional. We don’t linger in these spaces long enough. We rush to define where or whatever is next.
“I had a lot of time for reflection, clearing, and leaning into my roots in different ways […] heartbreak-soothing traditional Country music brought me comfort when I was sad.”
Coming to the AO not just for her venue debut but a very first arena slot here in Manchester, we CANNOT wait to hear these songs live for the first time.
Kacey goes on to add: “This album has a lot to do with borders. Unique things brush up against the edges of other things, and the way those melt together makes something new.
“My favourite artists are pretty genreless and have subtle infusions of so many things. But at the core of it, there’s a specific and linear feeling you get in your heart from it.”
Those looking for early access can do so by joining either her official mailing list or via the Arena’s specific venue presale window, which will open from 10am this Thursday, 14 May.
As for general admission, tickets to Kacey Musgraves here at AO Arena in Manchester in February 2027 will be available from the same time the following Friday (15 May). You can get ready to grab yours when go live right HERE.
Country really is having a huge moment right now, isn’t it?
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via AO Arena)
Art & Culture
Smash-hit West End musical Trainspotting is coming to Manchester later this year
Emily Sergeant
Trainspotting The Musical is coming to Manchester.
30 years on from the film that changed everything, and following its successful world premiere run in London’s West End, Trainspotting The Musical is heading out on a major UK tour later this year, and will be taking to one of Manchester‘s most iconic stages in the autumn.
Written by Irvine Welsh – as adapted from his best-selling debut novel – and directed and developed by Caroline Jay Ranger, Trainspotting The Musical has been described by critics as ‘radical, invigorating and life-affirming’ since its premiere.
It’s said to be an unforgettable production that’ll have even the most sceptical audiences leave on a ‘consciousness-altering high.’
➕ ATG+ PRESALE ➕
CHOOSE LIFE.
Trainspotting: The Musical is coming to the Palace Theatre this November. Written by Irvine Welsh.
Groups presale 👉 Tues 12 May 10am General sale 👉 Wed 13 May 10am
— Palace & Opera Mcr (@PalaceAndOpera) May 11, 2026
In 1996, the breakthrough British film of the same name was released and became the biggest grossing UK film of the year, winning a slew of awards in the process – including a BAFTA for Best Screenplay, and even being ranked tenth in the BFI’s top 100 greatest British films of the 20th century.
Now, three decades later, the industrial drug crazed working-class heroes of British youth culture are back… but this time, live on stage.
Trainspotting The Musical is coming to Manchester later this year / Credit: Supplied
“I believe the musical has a bigger, loudly beating human heart than either the book or the film,” creator Irvine Welsh commented as the UK tour was announced this week.
“People need to think about the world we’re living in, and we offer that inspection, but they also need to sing their hearts out and laugh their heads off. It’s what being human is all about. We’ve put together an incredible Scottish cast and I can’t wait to see them bring the musical to life.”
Trainspotting The Musical will taking to the stage at Manchester Palace Theatre later this year from Monday 2 – Saturday 7 November 2026, and tickets officially go on general sale tomorrow (Wednesday 13 May) from 10am.
Daisy Jackson -
6th March 2025 
