Manchester’s new arts Factory
The Manchester International Festival is in full swing, bringing the arts to Manchester’s residents and visitors alike.
It now has a brand new home, a purpose-built £210m building officially named the Aviva Studios, which will be the base for Factory International going forward.
The 2023 festival has spawned a blockbuster exhibition of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s visually arresting immersive sculpures.
But instead of flocking there, I went to see the exterior of the new building at close quarters and tested its pulling power for the photographer.
THE VERDICT? FIND OUT BELOW
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Critics might say that the squat front building, made with corrugated metal, is nothing more than an overblown shed.
But I was immediately immersed in the plethora of textures and angles that radiate from this apparently simple construction and took a wealth of shots.
The tall ribbed concrete of the second section of the building is quite an edifice, with a bank of windows and more corrugated metal at the rear where few of the festival-goers were straying.
The unfinished building was on show in winter for the First Breath light installation
They were enjoying the atmosphere of Festival Square, where music was playing and there are plenty of places to sit to have something to eat and drink.
The building may not be to everyone’s taste, but I enjoyed the exterior so much that I barely looked inside, which is a flexible warehouse space for performances and exhibitions.
Have you visited? What do you think of Aviva Studios, which is adding to Manchester’s rapid expansion?
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