The brand-new Aviva Studios, a.k.a. the official home of Factory International, has officially opened in Manchester and we got a first look at the impressive new cultural centrewhich first began construction back in 2017.
Marking the single biggest cultural investment project since the opening of the Tate Modern back in 2000, Aviva Studios is a state-of-the-art facility that sits as a striking new addition to the Mancunian skyline with its unique geometric exterior designed by OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture).
The launch, which gets off to an exciting start with its opening production ofFree Your Mind — a Danny Boyle-directed dance-driven recreation of The Matrix — is a historic day for the arts not only in the city but the nation in general, as Aviva Studios is now the biggest cultural institution anywhere in the UK.
Assembled using nearly £1 billion in funds from the government, National Lottery and Arts Council England, Factory International‘s new central hub for MIF (Manchester International Festival) and all other projects will promise to deliver original productions and special events across all art forms.
The coolest part about the 13,350-square-metre building is its multiple large, open and crucially flexible spaces that can be constantly reconfigured to allow multiple artists to create large-scale ambitious works of a kind not seen anywhere else in the world.
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For example, the 21-metre-high Warehouse is the ultimate flexible performance space with capacity for up to 5,000 people standing. It’s taller than four double-decker buses stacked on top of each other, just under the length of a Boeing 747 aeroplane and can be divided by a movable wall.
Meanwhile, the Hall features a flexible stage that can house an audience of up to 1,603 seated or 2,000 standing and both rooms can be opened up and combined to create one large stage. Ingenious stuff.
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This means that as many as three different full-scale artistic productions can be held simultaneously without any visual or noise interference bleeding into the other, thanks to the movable acoustic walls and sound-cancelling curtains which can block noises of up to 100 decibels. So, in theory, you could have a metal gig playing in one room and this mind-bending interactive show in the other.
Free Your Mind, the mind-altering live show running until 5 November, is a journey into The Matrix through dance, sound and fashion.
This is going to reconfigure your mind, body and spirit. After that, the rest is up to you.
From major exhibitions and concerts to intimate performances and immersive live experiences, there will be all kinds of shows and displays for Mancs to enjoy and will no doubt attract countless tourists from all over the world.
The programme for 2024 is already shaping up to be an extremely exciting project, with everything from a surreal retelling of Jungle Book, performances from the likes of Maxine Peake; the Olivier award-winning TRAPLORD, an interactive symphony with BBC Philharmonic (June 2024), a Johnny Marr double-header with a full orchestra and so much more.
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In fact, there is even an AR (augmented reality) installation already on display which is completely free for people to experience visiting during the day and, of course, plenty of food and bar spaces to enjoy when you’re not soaking in the culture.
There is so much going on here that it’s kind of hard to know where to start, but a good place might be checking out the programme HERE to see what’s on in the coming months and into next year.
Featured Image — Marco Cappelletti, courtesy of OMA and Factory International.
News
Full list of road closures set to be in place for Manchester Day 2024
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Day is back for 2024 this weekend, and the full list of road closures set to be in place has been confirmed.
Now that schools are officially out across Greater Manchester, and the summer holidays are well and truly here, the hugely-popular Manchester Day is making a return once again this Saturday 27 July, and as always, it’s set to be “the day summer officially starts” in the city centre – with a massive celebration of “all things Mancunian” on the cards.
The theme of this year’s annual event is ‘Let The Games Begin’, and it’s inspired by the international summer of sport, just 2024 Olympics kicks off over in Paris.
The day will be packed full of free events and activities to get involved with.
Some city centre roads will be closed on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 July for Manchester Day.
These will include:
🛣️Deansgate 🛣️St Ann Street 🛣️St Mary’s Gate 🛣️Market Street 🛣️King Street
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) July 21, 2024
But of course, in order for the all the fun to go ahead as safely as possible, and as tends to be the case for events like these, Manchester City Council says it will need to make some temporary road closures to facilitate it.
The full list of road closures has now been confirmed by the Council, and there’s some major city centre thoroughfares set to be out of action.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Manchester Day is back for 2024 to celebrate the international summer of sport / Credit: Manchester City Council
Manchester Day 2024 – Road Closures
Saturday 27 July
From 6am to 11:59pm, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the following roads will be closed:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street) – access will be maintained to Marks and Spencer’s car park and Number One Deansgate.
St Ann Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street (Cross Street to Deansgate) – no access for deliveries.
All accessible bays, bus lanes, and taxi ranks within the closed areas will also be suspended during from 6pm on Friday 26 July to 11:59pm on Saturday 27 July.
The parking suspensions set to be in place are:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street)
St Ann Street – including the bays outside St Ann’s Church (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Southgate (St Mary’s Street to King Street West)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Victoria Street (Cathedral Approach to Deansgate)
Todd Street (Corporation Street to Station Approach)
King Street (Spring Gardens to Southgate)
South King Street (Ridgefield to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street West (Deansgate to St Mary’s Parsonage)
St James’s Square (John Dalton Street to South King Street)
Cross Street (King Street to Corporation Street)
Museum Street (Peter Street to Windmill Street)
Marsden Street (Cheapside to Brown Street)
Manchester Day 2024: Let The Games Begin! will take over the city centre on Saturday 27 July from 12pm-6pm.
Check out everything you need to know ahead of the event here.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete
Emily Sergeant
Work currently underway on the Rochdale via Oldham line is expected to take several weeks to complete.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has confirmed that land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has now “slowed”, and this means that detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works have been able to get underway.
In order for trams to run again on the crucial line from the city centre to the two major Greater Manchester towns, TfGM says that a small section of track has to be moved back – also known as ‘slewed’ – into its original position.
The overhead line poles also need to be repaired too, the transport operator revealed.
Rochdale line update
Land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has slowed, enabling detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works to get underway.
To get trams running again, a small section of track has to be moved back into its original position… pic.twitter.com/byERjitdi1
Unfortunately though, due to the “complex” nature of these works, and despite the fact that TfGM says it’s actively looking to “accelerate” the repairs, the project is expected to take up to five weeks to complete in full.
On top of this, the detailed ground investigations will also establish whether any further work to strengthen foundations beneath the track will be needed at a later date.
TfGM has apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete / Credit: TfGM
Speaking on the scale of works currently underway, and how long he expects them to continue for, Pete Sommers, who is TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink, said: “I’m sorry for the impact this is having, and will continue to have, on people’s journeys.
“We are working to get trams running through the area again, but this remains a complex and challenging issue and it could still be a few weeks before this happens.
“We will of course keep passengers updated, and I’d encourage people to check our social media channels and website for the latest information and advice.”