A brand new art trail is arriving in Manchester city centre next week and it’s set to shine a light on the incredible work of local artists and makers.
50 Windows of Creativity is a new art trail celebrating Manchester’s rich creative culture which will see a huge array of spectacular mosaics, installations, fine art, photography, craft, murals and more pop up in windows, venues, businesses and spaces right across the city centre.
Created by the team behind the award-winning Bee in the City event, 50 Windows of Creativity will aim to transform Manchester into an innovative art gallery and take visitors on a colourful, inspiring and COVID-safe journey around the city centre.
The trail – which is supported by Manchester City Council and event partners Auto Trader and Dandara Living – will seek to raise money for the artists involved, and also the Lord Mayor of Manchester’s Charity Appeal Trust – the We Love MCR Charity.
Visitors to the trail will be able to explore the city via the 50 Windows of Creativity app and a specially-designed interactive trail map.
Each of the 50 Windows of Creativity displays can be found in windows and spaces around Manchester city centre and can be enjoyed within necessary social distancing regulations, so all visitors are encouraged to maintain a safe distance, wear a face covering when appropriate, and be respectful to other trail visitors.
The trail is opening next Monday 26th October and will run through to Saturday 5th December 2020.
The trail celebrates the rich and varied culture of Manchester itself and visitors passing ChriSalon on Princess Street might spot Ric Facchin’s miniature Manchester Builds, which immortalise some the city’s best buildings at their moment in time, whilst the new Kimpton Clocktower Hotel will display a mosaic work by Mary Goodwin, featuring a tryptic of historical Mancunians who are famous by name but not so famous by face.
If you head onto Deansgate, Classic Football Shirts will present mosaicist Mark Kennedy’s replica of the 20/21 Premier League Manchester City Football Club shirt – the design of which was inspired by his work – and Sarah Connell’s Manchester cityscapes of the Etihad Stadium and Old Trafford can be seen at Wesley Barrell.
Mark KennedySneaky Raccoon
Many of the works will showcase creativity sparked by lockdown.
Sneaky Raccoon’s work in Hobs Repro is inspired by the plants and flowers that she photographed while on walks around her neighbourhood and reflecting the sentiment of re-wilding and regrowth.
Others bring a sense of fun and discovery, with Playhouse from Barney Ibbotson Illustration, Ben Clark Design and Playground shown at Hilton House in partnership with Design Manchester bringing to life some of the entries to a global reaching competition to design something to enable people to play at home during lockdown.
Artist and maker Lazerian (Liam Hopkins) will present Curiosity Killed the Cat, which is a conceptual art piece that will morph and change throughout the duration of the project.
Liam Hopkins
Tim Denton’s giant drawing pantograph at Dandara Living explores family connections, friendships and other relationships which create the communities we live, laugh, love and work in, Guy McKinley celebrates humans in all their guises of the present in beautiful colourful stained glass windows at No. 1 Canal Street, and at RNCM, Sumit Sarkar presents a series of sculptures created with a mix of cutting edge digital technology and analogue techniques, which take inspiration from a variety of sources, including religious iconography, science fiction and graffiti.
Large scale visual artworks will pop up around the city.
This includes a mural of Ste Wing by acclaimed photorealistic street artist Akse on Little Lever Street, and award winning photographer Benji Reid’s work, which will be displayed on the facade of the National Football Museum.
Atelier Bebop will take over Selfridges Exchange Square, with large-scale graphic work Cosmos inspired by the sunset of summer and the autumn season, whilst Caroline Dowsett’s mural at Hatch wraps around the whole inside of its container to create an immersive experience, and Hammo has created a sequence of playful little adventurers, clambering over rocks, climbing trees, crossing streams at Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports in Castlefield.
Atelier Bop
Manchester’s ever-present music influence can be seen in the Moovin’ Festival Visual Art Collective’s installation at KSMCR, which captures some of the festival’s madness and magic, whilst one of the many pieces at RNCM includes a photography show from the Manchester Hip Hop Archive.
Elsewhere, in the Northern Quarter, artist Lei-Mai LeMaow’s mural at Yard and Coop takes inspiration from old rave flyers and touches on the current precarious situation regarding the music sector.
Other works challenge the viewer to think and will be on display at other prominent city centre venues.
All pieces on display will be available to buy directly from the artist or maker and the project culminates with an auction on 10 December 2020 streamed live from the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel which will see a selection of pieces auctioned with proceeds going to their artists and makers, and to The Lord Mayor of Manchester Charity Appeal Trust – We Love MCR Charity (registered charity number 1066972) which supports disadvantaged communities and individuals to be the best they can be.
50 Windows of Creativity is being delivered by global public art producers Wild in Art – whose previous work includes the award-winning Bee in the City art trail which took over the city in 2018 – in partnership with Manchester City Council.
Building on Manchester’s reputation for innovation and the key strategic role that art and culture plays in the social and economic life of the city, the event is hoping to allow “residents to reconnect with places and spaces in the city centre again” as part of the council’s recovery programme.
Ben Reed – Head of Creative Development at Wild in Art – said: “We are delighted to have the privilege of working with the many incredibly talented artists, designers and makers and we are excited to reveal their work and displays.
“This project will transform the city’s windows and spaces into an innovative art gallery taking people on a creative journey around Manchester.”
Councillor Luthfur Rahman OBE – Executive Member Culture Leisure and Skills, Manchester City Council – added: “Now more than ever it is so important that we show support for the arts community and I hope that people will take the time to safely explore 50 Windows of Creativity and appreciate the incredible talent that Manchester has to offer.”
The project is made possible by event partners Auto Trader and Dandara Living, with other businesses including Hobs Repro, Ocean Outdoor, Jamieson Contracting, TfGM and Kimpton Clocktower Hotel also stepping forward to support the trail.
You can find the interactive trail map at the Bee in the City website here.
What's On
The Manchester charity that’s championing the community one step at a time
Thomas Melia
There’s a Manchester-based charity which is helping uplift and champion communities throughout the city centre and wider Greater Manchester region.
Us Mancs certainly know a thing or two about community, whether it’s our influential music scene, football clubs, our hospitality scene and so on, but Forever Manchester takes this to the next level.
This charity has been consistently funding and supporting community initiatives throughout Greater Manchester by helping people achieve the extraordinary, all while maintaining plenty of local pride.
Forever Manchester was born from a mission to support the people and places that make Greater Manchester magic, and is all about making sure the community is at the forefront of everything they do.
Credit: Forever Manchester
The community-first charity has invested over £65 million into local communities and awarded £517,968 to over 100 different community groups.
This isn’t a new charity either, Forever Manchester has been deep in our city’s culture for quite some time since launching in 1989, most notably commissioning local poet Tony Walsh’s ‘This is the Place’.
The piece was originally published in 2012 before finding a very special place in our hearts back in 2017 when Walsh performed the poem at a vigil for the Manchester Arena attack.
This love letter to Manchester has not only gone on to become a part of the city’s history but also reaffirmed this organisation’s place throughout communities in the region.
Credit: Supplied
Now, the community-minded charity is ready to make a mark in 2025 with a whole host of initiatives, including a Forever Manchester lottery, pub quizzes, comedy nights and disco bingo.
Anyone looking to find out more information about this community-first charity and see some examples of the work it does can visit Forever Manchester’s official website.
Remember, this is a city that looks after its own – that’s the kind of energy we want to see you keeping up all year long.
And, if you have a soft spot for a tote bag or wall art prints, look no further than Forever Manchester’s shop, where every purchase directly contributes to community activities in Greater Manchester HERE.
Billie Eilish at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
Billie Eilish is ready to take over Co-op Live for four nights of tear-jerking, heart-wrenching, belly-aching hits right here in Manchester.
Ms. ‘Ocean Eyes’ herself is coming to Manchester this month, and we’re on hand with all the info you need so you don’t have to ‘Guess’ anything on the day of your show.
Billie Eilish has cemented her position in the music industry as one of the leading hitmakers, and at only 23 years old, this artist has won nine Grammy Awards and racked up three UK number-one singles.
The American star has been grafting since her early teens, dropping her first ever EP, don’t smile at me, in 2017 at only 16 years old and has reached height after height ever since.
Billie Eilish gig guide
Billie Eilish is playing at Co-op Live in Manchester on 19, 20, 22 and 23 July.Credit: Press shot (supplied)
Her latest album ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’, which is also the name of the tour, is Eilish’s third studio album and it’s stacked with bangers like ‘Birds of a Feather’, ‘Lunch’ and ‘Wildflower’, just to name a few.
Are there tickets left for Billie Eilish tickets in Manchester?
Anyone after tickets to any of the upcoming Billie Eilish gigs in Manchester might be in for a ‘not-so-lovely’ surprise, as you can expect, as most general tickets are sold out.
However, anyone who’s missed out on tickets for Billie’s FOUR-gig run in Manchester can still take a look at a variety of premium ticket packages.
You can grab your ‘Birds of a Feather’ and a ticket or two for the Saturday, 19 July show HERE.
Pack your ‘Lunch’ and put on your best outfit because there are exclusive tickets for the Sunday, 20 July gig HERE.
Your friends will be calling you ‘The Greatest’ when you let them know about the premium tickets still left for Tuesday, 22 July right HERE.
Finally, grab ‘L’amour De Ma Vie’ and sing your heart out with a range of hospitality tickets to choose from on Wednesday, 23 July HERE. And breathe…
Billie Eilish setlist
Chihiro
Lunch
NDA
Therefore I Am
Wildflower
when the party’s over
The Diner
ilomilo
bad guy
The Greatest
Your Power
Skinny
TV
bury a friend
Oxytocin
Guess
everything i wanted
lovely / Blue / ocean eyes (Medley)
L’amour De Ma Vie
What Was I Made For?
Happier Than Ever
Birds of a Feather
What are the stage times for Billie Eilish in Manchester?
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning concertgoers can be safe knowing ‘when the party’s over’ it won’t be well into the early hours.
Doors for ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ tour are scheduled for 6pm with support acts Syd and Magdalena Bay on hand to soundtrack your evening and leave you feeling ‘Happier Than Ever’ before Billie at 8pm.
The first act, Syd, is known for co-founding influential R’n’B band, The Internet (big fans, by the way), and has just dropped a new solo single ‘Die For This’ ahead of her Billie Eilish tour stint.
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre until 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
The ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour’ will mark Billie Eilish’s first ever Co-op Live appearance.Credit: William Drumm (supplied)
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue,e but this must be pre-booked ahead of time and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU, and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day – though estimates will vary, obviously:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes via the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Emily Sergeant -
20th October 2020 
