Taking place between Fri 04 and Sun 13 Oct, Journeys Festival 2019 returns to Manchester with a bumper selection of exhibitions, events, performances and family offerings that showcase the talented work of refugee and asylum seeker artists and performers. Here’s a whistle-stop tour of some events worth popping in your diaries..
Dance Away The Spiders is a performance combining visual art, textile art, dance and movement which responds to the themes of repression, resistance, trauma and immigration. Told from the perspective of young refugee women, this production is a vibrant celebration of the participants’ home nations alongside the different cultures they now call home.
Taking place at the People’s History Museum, The Channel is an eye catching and thought provoking digital art installation that invites participants to connect with people indefinitely detained in UK immigration removal centres through an old fashioned telephone box. Throughout its week-long showcase, attendees will be able to hear real messages sent by real people and respond with their own thoughts and questions.
Those looking for something a bit more lively might want to get themselves down to Journeys Live, a day-long event due to take place in Cathedral Gardens which showcases talented artists from all around the world who now call Manchester home. Expect performances from the Manchester International Roots Orchestra, the Women’s Unity Choir and Kora expert Jali Nyonkoling Kuyateh. Meanwhile, food will be provided by the Sanctuary Kitchen, offering a selection of international dishes at pay-what-you-feel prices.
Over on the third floor of Manchester Museum you’ll find This Garden is Ours, a collaborative art project that explores the many links between human migration and the multi-country journeys taken by plants. Running until Fri 01 Nov, this free-to-visit installation features hand-made pottery, photographs and other media offered by artists as a way of sharing their own stories through horticulture.
- Words:
- Simon Bland
- Published on:
- Wed 2 Oct 2019
In this thought provoking art installation hosted at PS Mirabel, artist Mei Yuk Wong offers a look into the day-to-day lives and personal hidden stories of refugees throughout history. Through archival material, printed textiles, photographs, letters and notes provided by the University of Manchester, the artist invites you to reflect on these powerful stories in relation to the current events of today.