HOME Opening - The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things

Manchester's newest neighborhood, First Street,  launched into its opening weekend over the last couple of days. HOME was one of the first buildings in the cultural hub to open, with 'The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things' exhibition opening on Friday night. HOME's inaugural exhibition centers around heartbreak and desire. We are all connected through affairs of the heart and 'The Heart Is Deceitful' can speak to each visitor in a very unique way. 

The exhibition is an eclectic collection of art that includes digital video installations, photography, prints and a temporary tattoo vending machine. 'The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things' is a fitting exhibition to open HOME, a touching subject that can be very close to the bone for some people but also incites reminiscence of both happy and bittersweet memories. 

Douglas Coupland's 'Slogans for the 21st Century' seemed to be a particularly popular piece; a large collection of prints shouting out slogans that particularly relate to the 21st Century individual. Most exhibition visitors spent a while drifting in front of the piece reading the slogans that could be humorous one minute and food-for-thought the next. 

Gemma Parker's 'The Tattooed Lady' was also constantly surrounded with admirers. Modeled to reflect a 20th century penny arcade machine, 'The Tattooed Lady' became a tattoo lucky-dip for its admirers; the audience were invited to turn the handle and dispense their tattoo, an attendant was on hand to apply the tattoos instantly (and yes of course I got one!). 

The exhibition opening seemed to be a success with a large attendance and both the cafe and restaurant packed out with excitable visitors. (It's on the list to visit very soon!) The menu is apparently very similar to the original Cornerhouse menu and I have previously had a very nice pizza there so hope is high for HOME's First Floor Cafe Bar. HOME's opening weekend has definitely gone off with a bang and seems set to become a primary cultural location for Manchester's newest neighborhood. 

'Wonderland by the Waves' at Manchester Central Library

On Friday evening I visited the Manchester Central Library for the opening of 'Wonderland by the Waves' an exhibition curated by students (my friends!) from the University of Manchester. Working in tandem with Arts Management students, a team of MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies students created 'Wonderland by the Waves', an exhibition exploring local history and the traditional Mancunian summer holiday to Blackpool. 

In response to 'Wonderland by the Waves' the Arts Management students created a lovely opening night entitled 'Manchester Wakes: Workers at Play'. The evening was deemed a success with great attendance on the opening evening. I would say that there did not seem to be enough emphasis that the evening was to open an exhibition. It felt as if the team involved in the event portion of the project may have run away with themselves slightly as there was little to no advertisement of the actual exhibition on the night. 

However, the evening was very enjoyable, with appearances from award-winning performance poet JB Barrington and monologues from Jennifer Reid and John Bartley. The Oldham Youth Wind ensemble welcomed people into the library with seaside themed tunes before Levy Uke Up ushered in a seaside singalong with accompanying ukeleles! 

The exhibition itself may be a little tucked away but includes some gems from Blackpool's holiday heyday including treasured photographs and original tram tickets, swimming caps and brochures. The free sticks of Blackpool rock ushered in memories of British seaside holidays as you browsed the classic British 'staycation'.

Salford-born performance poet, JB Barrington, gave a lively and humorous performance of his original poetry, some of which had been created specifically for the event. Some pieces were performed with the accompaniment of students from the RNCM, giving a classical touch to a very modern poet. 

The evening was broken up by performances from The Cosmo Singers from the University of Manchester as well as the Kadenza/Bolton Clarion Choir (below). The Kadenza/Bolton Choir gave a rousing performance of songs from Manchester's industrial past including 'July Wakes' and 'Bolton Mill Lad'. The Cosmo singers made a particular impression with their stunning performance of Deep River by Micheal Tippett followed by an unexpected but humorous depiction of 'The Drunken Sailor'.

The Cosmo Singers from the University of Manchester

The Kadenza/Bolton Clarion Choir

Lunch at Teacup Kitchen, Manchester

Last week, an essay writing coffee break with a friend turned into lunch at Teacup Kitchen in Manchester. I have never visited Teacup before but I had heard very good things from a variety of people. So, when we decided that our coffee break would definitely benefit from added cake, Teacup seemed to be the perfect choice. 

Friendly staff sat us as soon as we entered and offered us menus and table service, something I thought was a nice touch for what I expected to be a little cafe. Teacup Kitchen is actually quite a large and bright cafe with modern but homely decorations. At first I was taken aback with the prices, £5 for a slice of cake?! However, I persevered because I had heard such good reviews. I ordered a latte and a slice of Victoria Sponge while my friend opted for a latte and lemon cake. We then also decided that this was not enough and we would split a brownie between us. 

My reservations about the price were short-lived as the waitress set down a gigantic piece of Victoria Sponge in front of me. It could have been a doorstop. A gorgeous layer of cream and fresh raspberries sandwiched between to think and light slabs of sponge, accompanied with a generous dollop of clotted cream. It was heavenly. 

The Lemon cake was equally gorgeous with a layer of homemade lemon curd and white chocolate curls on top, while the lattes that we ordered came up in cups the size of small bowls. Our eyes were definitely too big for our bellies when we ordered the chocolate brownie to share which came with large chunks of peanut butter and cookie dough and a scoop of ice cream. Everything we ordered tasted just as good as it looked and I am ashamed to say that I was beaten by a slice of cake. The mammoth portions were just too much and I left not being able to finish the whole slice! 

Needless to say, Teacup Kitchen is my new favourite place and I will be visiting again very soon to sample more of the delicious concoctions that they have on offer!