Go See This News Feed

A New Style of Performance Space Opens in Manchester

info@goseethis.com (Go See This) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:36:08 GMT

On Saturday 3rd March The Houldsworth is set to throw open it’s doors to the public.

The Houldsworth is a basement performance space on Little Lever Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter. Home to the Elite Talent Theatre School, you will be able to enjoy a great range of performances from the actors enrolled at the school's selection of classes, as well as some brand new fringe theatre. Kicking off the programme of events at The Houldsworth is ETTS Showcase (16th March), when you can see a melody of performances from the Theatre's developing young actors.

With full front of house facilites and dressing room, the space is available to hire for anything from performances, gigs, rehearsals, rehearsal readings, meetings or even gallery space and the flexible rates allow you to hire by the hour, half or full day.

For further information about hire or performances at the The Houldsworth’s please visit the website or contact Sally Lawton or Freya Marshall on 0161 2226136

Manchester Welcomes The Lion King

info@goseethis.com (Go See This) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:52:09 GMT

It’s been four years in the making but this year sees The Lion king coming to the Manchester Palace Theatre from 6th December 2012 to 31st March 2013 (previews Saturday 1st December 2012)

Seen by over 65 million people worldwide with music by Elton John and a score by Hans Zimmer, the Lion King is one of the most popular and longest running shows in Broadway History. First appearing on stage in 1997 the theatre production was adapted by Julia Taymore, and with the use ground breaking puppetry and over 54 cast members, tells the story of Simba, the young lion cub, as he journeys through life and its struggles to eventually become King.

“We continue to be thrilled by how UK audiences have enjoyed The Lion King in London, and have long wished to also share this production with audiences nationally. Following years of planning, and after receiving the counsel of some very smart friends in the British theatre world, we are delighted to be launching a production that conveys Julie Taymor’s epic vision and at a moment that feels absolutely right.”
Thomas Schumacher, Producer and President Disney Theatrical Productions.

The Lion King goes on general sale in Manchester on Monday 27th February with tickets available to purchase in person at the Box Office from 8.30am or via the internet & telephone bookings line 0844 871 3004 from 10am.

Good times ahead at Manchester Jewish Museum

info@goseethis.com (Go See This) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:55:55 GMT

On the Sunday 22nd January Manchester Jewish Museum launched their new 2012 annual pass and opening times of Sunday to Thursday 10.00am to 4.00pm and Friday 10.00am to 1.00pm. The new annual pass allows unlimited free entry to the museum throughout 2012, with the revised opening times allowing for more flexiblty and frequency of visits.

For 2012 a new and varied events programme has also been developed to attract people of all ages and interests. For families with young children there will be a Family Workshop at half-term addressing racism and immigration and another during the Easter break based on the Jewish festival of Passover. For those who enjoy a bit of intellectual stimulation, the museums Learning Officer Jeremy Michelson will be presenting a series of history talks, entitled “Flashpoints in Modern Jewish History"

The museum’s new CEO Max Dunbar said...
“There are now plenty of reasons to visit the Museum in 2012. We hope the free pass will encourage visitors to drop in regularly and bring their family and friends!”

Housed in a Grade II* listed building Manchester Jewish Museum is the only Jewish Museum outside London and is the only UK Museum housed in a former synagogue. The Museum has permanent displays charting the history of Manchester’s Jewish community alongside a full programme of annual events. With an award-winning learning programme, working with a range of audiences from schools, colleges and universities to community and adult groups, the museum aims to inspire and educate all audiences about Judaism and the history of Manchester’s Jewish community.

A Post Apocalyptic Manchester

info@goseethis.com (Go See This) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:00:51 GMT

Manchester Apocalypse by artist and photographer James Chadderton is the newest exhibition at Incognito.

Featuring many of Manchester's iconic buildings and landmarks, the show is a haunting, unnerving and photorealistic collection of images created by a fusion of traditional painting techniques, photography and new media.

“Trying to maintain a degree of realism was essential as I wanted the audience to be absorbed into that reality” explains Chadderton. “The focus was to provide images of iconic areas of Manchester such as Urbis and The Palace Theatre in a derelict and eroded state as if involved in an apocalyptic event that somehow left the city lifeless and dissolving over potentially hundreds of years.”

Inspired by conceptual art from films and games such as Fallout, Blade Runner, Threads, 28 Days Later and Terminator, the collection contains the same sense of suspended humanity that flows as an undercurrent through his selection of inspirational media. It’s this sense of suspension that leads the artist to describe the compositions as “human devoid wastelands where the buildings have been left to decay.”

Framed and signed first edition prints are available from £350. Smaller prints are available at £135 and £20.

Incognito is a boutique gift and analogue photography store in Stevenson's Square in the heart of Manchester's Northern Quarter. The basement gallery space utilizes a former walk in safe and will be holding further events throughout 2012.

Transparent Process at Untitled Gallery

info@goseethis.com (Go See This) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:52:57 GMT

Untitled Gallery presents Transparent Process, an exhibition of neon works by Seoul-based artist Namhee Kwon.

Neon is central to Kwon’s current practice which includes text-based works. In Transparent Process Kwon’s installation of white neon numbers in Untitled Gallery transforms the space into an oversize book, with each wall reminiscent of a blank page.

Kwon’s work in Transparent Process subverts the conventional, commercial role of neon as a medium for outdoor advertising; in contrast, the works are placed inside the gallery space to create an installation that mimics a book devoid of content, stripped to its essence of book pages and numbers.

Namhee Kwon (MA Goldsmiths, 2002) lives and works in Seoul, South Korea. Exhibitions include Closer to Contemporary Art (2011), Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, South Korea; Transparent Process (2011), Tenderpixel, London; and Close Encounter (2010), Jeju Museum of Art, South Korea.

Transparent Process is in collaboration with Tenderpixel.

See the exhibition from Saturday 5 November – Friday 23 December 2011
Untitled Gallery, Friends’ Meeting House, 6 Mount Street (Bootle Street Entrance), Manchester, M2 5NS. Open Wednesday – Saturday 12 – 6pm. www.untitledgallerymanchester.com

The Sky’s the limit for Manchester Day 2012

info@goseethis.com (Go See This) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:13:21 GMT

Community groups, volunteers and organisations from across Manchester are invited to put forward their ideas inspired by the theme to create the amazing parade that will wind through the city on Sunday 10 June.

Manchester is a city full of heroes and next year’s parade will celebrate the numerous heroic achievements of the city’s men and women throughout history from science, technology and industry to sports, culture and the arts.

The Sky’s the Limit when it comes to what’s possible if people work together – so all ideas are welcome regardless of the size of the vision or if you think it is even possible.

Artists from renowned outdoor arts organisation Walk the Plank, will work with groups and individuals to bring life to the most adventurous and inventive suggestions with creativity and imagination.

Last year 3,000 participants from 96 Manchester charities, community groups and companies brought the streets of Manchester alive with the help thousands of Manchester people who cheered the parade along.

Councillor Pat Karney, Chair of Manchester Day, said: "I have been blown away by the imagination and creativity the groups have shown in previous parades and the sky is quite literally the limit this year and I’m sure we won’t be disappointed.

"The parade is the perfect opportunity to have a fantastic day out and show your love for your city by coming down with your family and support the City Centre and its businesses.”

Councillor Mike Amesbury, executive member for culture and leisure, said: "First and foremost, the Manchester Day Parade is for families. The last two parades have shown this with generations coming together to enjoy the party and be wowed by the artworks parading through the city.

"Throughout Manchester’s history it has proved that it is a city of heroes and the scope for community groups to be creative with their ideas is huge. I’m really looking forward to seeing what they come up with.”

To apply to take part in the 2012 Manchester Day Parade, fill in the Parade application form at themanchesterdayparade.co.uk/participants.

The application process closes on Friday 23 December and applicants will be informed whether they have been successful by mid-February 2012.

Clock this! Town hall tower tours are Manchester's latest attraction

info@goseethis.com (Go See This) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:59:54 GMT

Although it is a prominent feature of Manchester’s most iconic building, the 134-year old clock tower has only been open to the public on a handful of previous occasions.

Now visitors will be able to accompany official tour guides up the iconic 280-foot (85m) high bell tower from which they will be able to see a spectacular panorama of the city and beyond to the Pennines and Cheshire Plain.

The fascinating tour will also offer the opportunity to get a close look at the mighty Great Abel, the town hall’s eight tonne clock bell, as well as the tower’s mechanical and bellringing rooms while learning about the history of the Grade I-listed town hall, considered one of the finest achievements of Victorian architecture.

Tours will initially run from Thursday 17 November through to 22 December, coinciding with the dates of Manchester’s famous Christmas Markets and giving visitors the chance to have a bird’s eye view of them. It is hoped that clock tower tours will then become a permanent fixture which will be on the ‘must do’ list for any visitor to Manchester.

They will take place at 1pm, 2.30pm, 4pm, 5.30pm and 7pm Monday to Sunday. Children aged under 12 are not permitted.

Councillor Mike Amesbury, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure, said: "Over the years many Mancunians and visitors to our city must have wondered what the view is like from our iconic clock tower, and pondered its inner workings. Now they really can see for themselves in what promises to be a unique and popular visitor attraction, and yet another reason to spend time in Manchester."

Bookings can be made by calling 0161 2344433 between 10am and 5pm or at the main reception desk of Manchester Town Hall (Albert Square entrance). Tours cost £7.50.

Piccadilly Gardens welcomes giant advent calendar

info@goseethis.com (Go See This) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:51:04 GMT

The huge calendar measuring 9m in height and 12m wide will be a highlight of Piccadilly Garden’s Christmas line-up and will reveal a festive message, promote a special event or publicise bargains for shoppers at 7am each day on the run up to Christmas.

The first door of the calendar will be unlocked on Thursday announcing a very special competition by Manchester Arndale running throughout December, and Santa will personally call the winner on Friday 23 December with the good news.

Manchester Arndale will also help celebrate the first day of advent with entertainment from 1pm in Piccadilly Gardens – including the Inspire Gospel Choir – and throughout the afternoon.

Cllr Pat Karney, Manchester’s Christmas spokesperson, said: "The MCR Loves Christmas advent calendar needs to be seen to be believed. It is absolutely enormous and it will no doubt be one of the main talking points and an obvious landmark of Piccadilly Garden’s Christmas programme.

"And so it should be too, with different a festive message or bargain revealed each day – not to mention the incredible competition – the calendar really brings life to the exciting countdown to Christmas.”

Sue Boor, Associate Director, Shopping Centre Marketing for PRUPIM, said: "Manchester Arndale was a key player in the ‘I love MCR’ concept back in August and it is great to see this idea has evolved into MCR Loves Christmas. We are pleased to be able to offer the fantastic prize and give our support to the Christmas marketing campaign.”

Visitors to Piccadilly Gardens are also in for a treat with the return of the traditional family fun fair – including Helter Skelter, Carousel and Wave Swinger – running from Thursday 1 December 2011 until Monday 2 January 2012, excluding Christmas Day.

For the grown-ups, Kro Piccadilly will also be running a log cabin style Piccadilly Christmas bar offering hot cider, mulled wines, warming hot chocolates and festive treats until Christmas Eve.

Work starts on Irish World Heritage Centre

info@goseethis.com (Go See This) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:55:39 GMT

The new centre in Cheetham Hill, Manchester’s most cosmopolitan area, will be unique in celebrating the history and contribution of Irish communities around the world.

The form of the new centre echoes that of an ancient Irish ring fort, with a large walled enclosure creating a unique outdoor public space.

This space is at the heart of a 25-acre complex at Queen’s Road and includes a new attraction telling the story of Irish people worldwide – but before visitors can reach this, they will need to walk through the ‘name walk’ featuring every Irish surname and walk across the water feature representing the crossing that every Irish person had to make to leave Ireland.

The first phase of the project will also include a multi-purpose hall, bar and restaurant, shop, travel agent and business centre – all boasting cutting edge technology and restaurant filled with produce from the centre’s own allotments and bee hives!

It will also include the foundations for phase two, a conference centre, which will go ahead once funds have been raised. This will include a hotel development, an area celebrating the Irish heritage and history with education space, leisure facilities and football pitches.

Councillor Sue Murphy, deputy leader of Manchester City Council and chair of the Irish World Heritage Centre project, said: "The new Irish World Heritage Centre will be another internationally-significant Manchester visitor attraction.

"A much-improved Irish Centre has been a long-standing aspiration of the council and it’s great news that it’s underway, especially as part of a wider scheme which will create new jobs, facilities and business opportunities.

"The new centre will celebrate the contribution of the Irish community to Manchester and beyond, and allow other communities to learn about their experience."

Michael Forde, the Irish World Heritage Centre Chairman, said: "The new centre will be unlike anything else anywhere in the world and since we have been working on the plans for more than 10 years, it is really exciting to start telling people about it.

"Each element of the design has been chosen to represent an element of the unique Irish heritage – from the ancient ring fort outdoor space to the ‘name walk’ - and we hope it will become a place of reflection and remembrance for the millions of Irish people visiting from around the world.”

The scheme will complement the wider regeneration of the area, which in recent years has included the creation of the nearby Manchester Fort retail park and the new Manchester Communication Academy in Harpurhey.

Improvements to this area are seen as one of the ‘key drivers’ in the council’s North Manchester Strategic Regeneration framework, the document which is guiding the transformation of the whole area.

The existing Irish World Heritage Centre in Cheetham Hill is a popular community facility used by a wide range of ethnic groups. Cheetham is the most diverse council ward in the city, with 50 per cent of its population being black or minority ethnic.

But it is too small to meet demand and its current location has prevented it from realising its full potential. The existing centre will remain open while the new centre is built.

The new centre is scheduled to open in summer 2012 and progress on site can be followed on the Irish World Heritage Centre.

Chetham’s images of Manchester’s brave new world

info@goseethis.com (Go See This) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 11:39:07 GMT

The slides were taken by a Prestwich resident, Margaret Openshaw Newbold who died in 1998 and form part of a collection left to the Library by Ian Pringle, a local historian in Prestwich .

Many of the slides are concerned with Prestwich and in particular the alterations in the town in the 1960s and 70s.

Many of the slides are concerned with Prestwich and in particular the alterations in the town in the 1960s and 70s and quite a few show the building of the M62 through Prestwich and its impact on Philips Park.

Alongside these, the Libraries Michael Powell tells us, Newbold also took quite a lot of central Manchester, and especially the demolition of many Victorian and Edwardian buildings to make way for the Arndale and that area bounded by Cross Street, Market Place, Corporation Street and the River Irwell.

Occasionally, he adds, she took a before and after shot, such as the buildings on the river, or the Cathedral before and after sandblasting, but at others she was content to show the sheer scale of the destruction with large views of building sites.

Because of this, says Powell, the pictures are an important resource; there are surprisingly few pictures of buildings about to be hit by the ball and chain.

This article is provided to Go See This by Inside The M60, news site for the people of Manchester. You can view the original article and stories from around the city on the Inside The M60 website.

My Extraordinary Imagination

info@goseethis.com (Go See This) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:48:18 GMT

International Youth Arts Festival are asking people from across the globe to send in their homemade postcards for their online exhibition, My Extraordinary Imagination.

If you're aged between 5 - 26, unleash your imagination and create a postcard with your idea of magical creatures, strange planets or surreal worlds. Share your extraordinary ideas with millions of people around the world by sending your postcard to:

The International Youth Arts Festival
c/o Arts Office, Guildhall 2
Kingston upon Thames
Surrey
KT1 1EU
United Kingdom

Make sure to include your first name, age, town and country and your postcards will be added to the online gallery for everyone to explore.

Find out more about details for participation in the IYAF mail art guide.

Manchester Radical Walking Tours Launched

info@goseethis.com (Go See This) — Tue, 31 May 2011 11:51:00 GMT

“Manchester was the world’s first great industrial centre – the ‘shock city’ of the early C19th – created by the Industrial Revolution”, explains Michael, “and has also been the home of important radical and working class movements, including antislavery, trade unionism, Chartism, Votes for Women, the International Brigade and many others. That radical tradition has been continued in the recent student protests and anti-cuts marches. In my walks I will be sharing my knowledge with those who would like to know more about the city they live or work in or are visiting.”

Michael came to Manchester in 1973 to study history at the University of Manchester, obtaining an honours degree. He also has an MA in the history of Manchester, which he gained through part-time study in the evenings after work at the MMU. He is a Trustee of the Working Class Movement Library with which he has been associated for 30 years.

Michael is a past editor of the North West Labour History Journal and has written numerous articles about Manchester’s history. He has also written two books; Never Counted Out!, a biography of Manchester black boxer Len Johnson who became an active member of the Communist party in the 1940s, and The Wearing of the Green, a political history of the Irish in Manchester. He is a shop steward for the UNITE trade union and has been a member of the union since 1983.

Ministry of Craft launch Manchester’s first Sewing Café

info@goseethis.com (Go See This) — Fri, 06 May 2011 17:11:55 GMT

The idea of sewing cafés originated in Paris, where stylish Parisians, keen to customise their own clothes, flocked to the first cafés to drink coffee and revamp their wardrobes. Now catching on in London and all around the UK, the idea is sure to appeal to creative Mancunians.

It’s the ideal solution for people who aren’t quite ready to commit to buying a sewing machine, and a great opportunity to test drive one of Ministry of Craft’s top of the range models. The equipment will be provided by Stockport based sewing machine manufacturers Janome, who have sponsored Ministry of Craft since they began teaching their varied programme of short, friendly craft courses in April 2009.

The machines can be hired for a one hour session, which will include free tea and coffee, access to the latest craft books and magazines and free use of a sewing machine bobbin. A course assistant will be available to help with any problems, but users must already be confident in threading a machine, filling a bobbin and sewing stitches.

The machines will be availabe for use at £6/hour in the Ministry of Craft classrooms, at Fred Aldous, Art Craft & Design Supplies in the Northern Quarter, every Saturday from 14 May. Space is limited so you can pre-book via the Ministry of Craft website.

Do You Value The Arts?

info@goseethis.com (Go See This) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 15:56:38 GMT

Two new campaigns, I Value the Arts and Save the Arts, went live this September urging the public to voice their support for the arts.

Anyone who values the arts in their community is being asked to register their details on a new website: ivaluethearts.org.uk and on the Save the Arts blogspot. All those who register will be kept in touch with plans that could affect arts provision nationally and in their local neighbourhood, with practical suggestions on what they can do to strengthen the arts in their area.

I Value the Arts is led by the National Campaign for the Arts (NCA), the independent umbrella body for all the arts in the UK. Industry bodies are lining up to support the promotion of the campaign, including the Society of London Theatre, the Theatrical Management Association, Visual Arts and Galleries Association, the Association of British Orchestras, Equity and Audiences UK. The campaign website and associated technology has been made possible thanks to generous donations of skills, time and resources by industry suppliers. No public money is being used to fund the campaign.

Louise de Winter, Director of the NCA commented: “Three quarters of the adult population attend or participate in arts activities every year and an even higher proportion of young people. At a time of recession, more and more people are turning to the arts and culture. Reduced opportunities to take part in the arts could have a major impact on the quality of people’s lives and the vibrancy of their communities. As the Government is encouraging us all to get engaged and create a ‘Big Society’, we believe it is important for those people who care about the arts to get involved in the decision making about what their communities will look like. This campaign gives everyone who cares a chance to have their voice heard and collectively show that the arts provide a valued public service."

Save the Arts is led by the London branch of Turning Point Network, a national consortium of over 2,000 arts organisations and artists dedicated to working together and finding new ways to support the arts in the UK. Their aim is to encourage people to sign a petition which will be sent to the Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt. With similar values to I Value the Arts, they hope to appeal to the government, and point out that it has taken 50 years to create our vibrant arts culture which has social and economic benefits to all.