A lot of us will have noticed that there’s a new feature on the skyline – and it’s not yet another skyscraper, but something much, much taller.
The skies above Manchester city centre have been dominated since the new year by an enormous beam of light, which gently pulses.
And, as dozens of people have pointed out, it looks unnervingly like an alien invasion…
Others have questioned if it’s a bat signal trying to summon Batman (if it is, he’s ignoring us).
Despite it launching back on New Year’s Day and being quite widely-publicised, some people have still said they had no idea it was happening – or what it represents.
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The light beam is actually a huge, free art project – arguably the city’s largest-ever – created to celebrate babies.
The incredible spectacle has been commissioned by Factory International, the brand-new, £186m arts venue that’s set to open later this year.
The artist behind is is Luke Jerram, famed for his large-scale art installations – he was also behind the 10m Floating Earth at MediaCity last year, which sadly deflated in the bad weather, as well as the giant Museum of the Moon at Bluedot Festival.
First Breath pulses gently every time a baby is born in Greater Manchester, and is meant to represent their first breath.
You can get right up close and walk around Manchester’s light beam, with Factory International sharing a handy video guide of how to get there (down Liverpool Road past the Science and Industry Museum; turn right onto Water Street; pass through the security gate; head up the ramp).
Mancs who have gone down to the installation, or spotted it from across the region, have been full of praise for the project.
One person wrote on our Instagram post: “We were walking the dog on salford wetlands and the beam perfectly lined up with the full moon !!!!! It was amazing.”
Someone else described it as ‘absolutely stunning’.
One Facebook, someone said about the beam of light: “Went to see this tonight…astounding and the start of something very beautiful in Manchester.”
And on Twitter, a user posted: “Visited the new temporary art installation ‘First Breath’ on my way home from work. Needless to say I’m not a spiritual person in the slightest but standing under those lights on my own in silence I felt so moved. Worth a visit for those in Manchester.”
Luke Jerram said: ”I want to reveal, celebrate and connect the hidden community of people giving birth each day in Greater Manchester. Disconnected and yet going through the life-changing experience at the same time, there are on average over 70 babies born each day in the city.
“This new artwork is designed to celebrate the moment a child is born – the extraordinary moment when they take their first breath and a new life arrives in the world.”
First Breath will take place between 4pm and 10pm, every day between 1 and 29 January 2023.
Expectant parents due in January 2023 from all backgrounds and pregnancy journeys can sign-up to First Breath at factoryinternational.org/first-breath.
Featured image: The Manc Group / Factory International
Art & Culture
Manchester announces its first-ever Pride Fringe event with community celebrations all over the city
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is getting ready for a city-wide Pride celebration this month.
Of course, we all know Manchester Village Pride will be returning for 2026 over the August bank holiday weekend, but aside from the official festivities around the Village, an extensive new Pride Fringe event has been announced – with a programme featuring everything from a film festival and shopping events, to live performances, family-friendly celebrations, and more.
Alongside comedy, club nights, exhibitions, and walking tours, venues across Manchester will also come together for a month-long celebration.
You can expect an exciting mix of LGBTQIA+ arts, culture, live entertainment, family events, food, drink and shopping experiences, giving visitors even more reasons to make a weekend – or even a week – of it.
Many of these events will be raising vital funds for local LGBT charities, and on top of that, the city’s hotels will also be joining in the celebrations with dedicated Pride packages, parties, free gifts, and discounts this month.
Manchester has announced its first-ever Pride Fringe event with community celebrations all over the city / Credit: Jason Lock Photography (Supplied)
Pride Fringe will be led by the return of the week-long SCENE Festival.
Back for its third year and kicking off from Thursday 20 August, SCENE will be bringing together some of the biggest names in TV, film, and queer culture for eight days of screenings, panels, live comedy, parties and premieres across 10 Manchester venues – and this year, it’s the festival’s most star-studded programme to date.
Some of the other highlights on the programme include a selection of Pride-themed walking tours and guided trails.
At the forefront of this is a a guided walking tour led by local playwright and tour guide, Chris Hoyle of What’s The Story?, exploring the stories that have shaped Manchester’s LGBTQ+ community.
From Victorian drag balls and the birth of Canal Street, to the Campaign for Homosexual Equality and the city’s iconic Pride Parade, the tour uncovers the people, places, and moments that have helped make Manchester one of the world’s leading LGBTQ+ cities.
Manchester Arndale and Afflecks will also be hosting their own Pride-themed shopping events and workshops, while Aviva Studios, The Refuge, Freight Island, Kampus, and Fairfield Social Club are among the dozen independent venues throwing their own parties.
Families can also head to places like Manchester Central Library and Great Northern Warehouse for storytimes, craft sessions, entertainment, and other child-friendly events.
Pride Fringe will be running from Thursday 20 August, right through to 1 September in some cases, and you can find a full list of events here.
Featured Image – Supplied
Art & Culture
Elbow get behind campaign to save Jodrell Bank from closure
Danny Jones
Manc band Elbow are among the latest to get behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing permanently.
The Greater Manchester natives famously played a sold-out gig at the important scientific and cultural landmark for a very special live album recording well over a decade ago, and know all too well the site’s national and, indeed, global heritage.
Choosing the Observatory and the rare chance to perform a show in the shadow of the world-renowned James Lovell Telescope, it probably remains one of their most significant standalone UK date ever.
With that in mind, the local lads have been left just as worried by the news of its impending closure as everyone else, and have therefore issued a fresh appeal to help keep it open.
Posting a timely statement on social media, the group wrote: “Jodrell Bank has long been close to elbow’s heart. In 2012, the band played beneath the Lovell Telescope for one of the most memorable shows in our history.
“The recent news that funding for the e-MERLIN radio telescope network is set to end in 2028 puts the future of the scientific work at Jodrell Bank under serious threat. It is a remarkable place, with an extraordinary history, and one that continues to play an important role in science, culture and education.”
In addition to reliving clips and images from the historic live set all the years later, they also pointed people towards their ‘elbow – Live at Jodrell Bank‘ album documentary, which has now been made available online for the very first time as part of wider efforts to raise awareness around the cause.
Directing people to key online resources shared by the institution and astrophysics centre itself following their unfortunate update late last month, the push to not only find the funding but sustain support for the facility continues to ramp up throughout the world of science, arts and industry.
For anyone who somehow missed the news – 2028 being the current deadline handed down as per budget cuts across the sector – concerned parties here in the North West and all over the country have since started petitioning to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from shutting down for good.
In addition to being described as a “huge blow” to the field by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), some have even gone so far as to describe the decision as a form of “vandalism” when it comes to research and British culture as a whole.
Having also served as the host venue for the annual bluedot Festival since 2016, the multi-genre science and arts celebration could soon be forced to find a new home.
The battle is far from over yet, and the community has time to rescue Jodrell Bank Observatory from its fate, but it will take lots of money and more notable public figures to make it happen.
Once again, you can do your bit by signing the petition mentioned above right HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
13th January 2023 
