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

The Sensory War, Manchester Art Gallery

I have been meaning to visit The Sensory War exhibit at the Manchester Art Gallery for a number of weeks now as I had heard a large number of good reviews an recommendations. Normally I don't venture the busy town center on the weekend but learning that it was the exhibition's last weekend was the push that I needed to get me down to the Manchester Art Gallery on a Saturday afternoon.

I am going to join the ranks and shower the exhibition with praise. It was beautiful and haunting at the same time, covering a large number of genres, periods and conflicts. Each piece was accompanied by detailed text that conveyed the background information of each artwork and how the artist was connected to that particular war. I was particularly touched by images created by victims from Hiroshima and Nagasaki; none of the artists were professionals by any means but the images that they created were touching and extremely telling of the horrors of war. 

The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester - Grand Re-opening!

On Saturday I visited the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester for the first day of its grand reopening weekend after being out of action for a £15 million refurbishment. As a Museum studies student and a member of the University of Manchester, it was a very important and exciting event in this year's calendar and has been highly anticipated, especially by the University's AGMS students (Art Gallery & Museum Studies). Having only lived in Manchester since September, I didn't have the fortune to see the gallery before its transformation so I can not successfully give a comparison between the old building and the new. However, what I did find was a beautiful, contemporary space that still held the charm of the original 19th century building while treating the visitor to a modern, open plan gallery. 

Upon entering on Saturday morning, the gallery was already busy and bustling and the staff were obviously excited and eager to help all of the visitors that came through the doors. The new look galleries are spacious, modern and beautiful and highlight The Whitworth's stunning collections. 

I was particularly interested in Cornelia Parker's work, which is the gallery's first major temporary exhibition to mark the reopening. I am the first to admit that I have never been a fan of modern art; I can not often see the beauty in it, (something which bemuses me and annoys my modern-art-loving friends who have to put up with my disappointed sighs) however I found Parker's work to be both fascinating and beautiful. There is a curiosity in her work and often a hidden beauty in the mediums that she uses that I found particularly interesting. I am looking forward to visiting again in order to properly soak in all of her work, as I found the mass of visitors to the gallery that day made it extremely difficult to focus on any one art work for too long. 

With wonderful temporary exhibits alongside beautiful permanent displays, it is no wonder that The Whitworth gained thousands more visitors on its opening weekend than was estimated. I unfortunately couldn't take the crowds after nearly two hours of battling our way around the various rooms and reluctantly retreated to the gardens. However, my next trip is already planned (with part of that plan being to visit the delicious-looking cafe) and I can't wait to soak up all that The Whitworth has to offer!

Elizabeth Gaskell's House

Elizabeth Gaskell's House was bought to my attention by one of my course lecturers (Helen Rees Leahy), she was one of the curators on the project and talked very passionately about her involvement and all of the work that had gone into restoring the building to it's former glory.

Formally owned by 19th century writer, Elizabeth Gaskell and her husband William, the house was only reopened to the public at the end of last year after being restored to its former period beauty. The rooms have been painstakingly designed and decorated to match the few photographs and descriptions to hand, using original furniture where possible and providing accurate replicas where not. I was impressed that everything down to the same type of horsehair seating has been used on the chairs to give the house the most authentic feel possible. 

Some of the objects and furniture on display did originally belong to the Gaskell's and give an air of authenticity and a personal touch to the restoration. I found the staff to be extremely knowledgeable and eager to share their information with the visitors in each room. Mostly, I found it fascinating that you were invited to touch, sit and fully experience all of the displays, something that I have never come across before. With it being so ingrained in my head that most things in museums aren't for touching, it was hard to get my head around that I could sit on the chairs and take books off of the shelves but I found this to be a brilliant touch to this unique little house. 

I was disappointed that, at the moment, there are only 4 rooms to explore and because of this considered the entrance fee maybe a little too high. There are plans to resume the restoration of the bedrooms upstairs and I think that when that does happen the entrance fee will be perfectly adequate, especially because it lasts for a full 12 months. There is also a lovely little tea room situated in the original kitchen of the house that does nice coffee and cake that is well worth a visit after you have explored the rooms. 

MOSI - Museum of Science and Industry

In my time living in Manchester I had not yet visited MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry) and as a good Museum Studies student I felt the need to visit while mulling over some dissertation topics. Now, I am not particularly charmed by Science Museums and industrial history does not particularly interest me so maybe this should have been a foreshadowing of my visit....However, after slightly falling in love with the National Railway Museum in York I felt that perhaps I had been converted and anyway, never knock something until you've tried it. 

Unfortunately, MOSI didn't capture me the way that the National Railway Museum did. Maybe it is because it isn't as grand or maybe it is because (i'm sorry!) I don't find Manchester's cotton industry that interesting. The child inside me loved the moving displays in Power Hall and the interactive exhibits upstairs in the Great Western Warehouse and from the amount of families with small children that I saw, it looked fun for family members of all ages. There were some lovely displays that I found interesting (Air and Space Gallery in particular) and I am sure that anyone with an interest in the historical industries of the north would find MOSI a fascinating place, but I'm afraid it just wasn't for me.

Manchester Cathedral

Today, while visiting Manchester city center for a bit of shopping, I decided to visit the nearby Manchester Cathedral on a whim. It is a lovely, quiet place to visit; it is a definite oasis of calm in Manchester, especially during a busy Saturday. 

It may be small but it packs a punch. Free of charge to enter, I casually walked in, fully expecting to just have a nose around and snap a couple of pictures. However, when I entered there was a lovely musical performance that was reverberating beautifully inside the building. I had stumbled upon the practice session before the Cathedral's Saturday morning Coffee Concert. I was treated to a trumpet and piano performance from Rebecca and Jane Robertson and also a free coffee while I listened. I am a big fan of the traditional organ and choir performances within churches and cathedrals but it was a pleasant surprise to hear something different that still complemented the surroundings so well. 

With such a beautiful, historic building right on my door step, I can't believe I haven't been here more and will definitely be returning for the next Coffee Concerts! (February 7th and 28th)

My Best 2014 Moments

2014 was a year of travel and changes for me. I've been on holiday with friends and family as well as travelling to Europe alone (scary!) I've moved to the opposite end of the country and began a brand new degree (more scary!) but overall its been a brilliant year and I hope 2015 will be just as fun.

Sagrada Familia

Monserrat

Florence

 Brussells (especially the chocolate!)

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Ronda

Newquay & the Eden Project

York

Moving to Manchester

Harry Potter Studio Tour