4 minute read
Manchester International Festival spreads its wings with events in Rochdale
SHILPA GUPTA
4 - 20 July
A thought-provoking sound installation at Rise Innovate (R-Kix) in Rochdale town centre will share stories from local communities, collected and connected by Mumbai-based artist Shilpa Gupta.
Created in partnership with Rochdale Development Agency, the sound installation uses a series of singing microphones to immerse audiences in different perspectives in this moving work of art about waiting, persistence and hope.
Shilpa Gupta said: "The sound installation merges text and sculpture in a dynamic, choreographed composition. Suspended microphones, each counterbalanced by a dimly lit light fixture, move fluidly through the darkened gallery, weaving between visitors. Subverting their usual function, these microphones - now transformed into speakers - emit spoken words that traverse geographies, carrying memories of distant places into the present. The work extends an invitation to participate in a collective act of listening."
Commissioned and Produced by Factory International, Manchester. In partnership with Rochdale Development Agency.
FREE event. No booking required.
Discover more at: factoryinternational.org/whats-on/ shilpa-gupta
FULL FESTIVAL
3 - 20 July
Manchester International Festival 2025 will feature new work from Blackhaine, Eric Cantona, Edgar Davids, Juliet Ellis, FAFSWAG, Andy Field and Becky Darlington, John Grant, Germaine Kruip, Juan Mata, Ntombizodwa Nyoni, The Royal Ballet, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Rosabel Tan, Santiago Yahuarcani and more.
The Festival will continue to build and strengthen its relationship with the people of Manchester and the North West with nearly 800 local people and 600 children taking part.
"Manchester International Festival has a well-deserved reputation for programming pioneering work from across the creative spectrum and the 2025 programme is no exception...It’s also great to see that some events will take place in Rochdale and Wigan so local communities can experience the activities on their doorstep. MIF brings audiences from far and wide to the city, while involving communities across Greater Manchester and bringing significant economic benefit. We’re proud to support the festival and I look forward to experiencing some of the events over the summer."
THE HERDS
3 July - Manchester
4 July - Heywood
5 July - Leigh
Is that an escaped giraffe, a hyena or perhaps a hungry baboon in Heywood?!
Life size animal puppets will take over the streets of Heywood on 4 July as part of Manchester International Festival and Rochdale, Greater Manchester Town of Culture in a breathtaking, untamed spectacle.
Public art meets climate action in THE HERDS – a monumental migration of puppet animals on a 20,000km journey from the Congo basin to the Arctic Circle.
Roaming through cities in West Africa and Europe, the animals are fleeing north to escape climate disaster. THE HERDS is a visual dramatisation of the climate crisis and a stark warning of what may come if animals are forced to flee their natural habitats.
With over 70 life-sized puppets operated by local participants and volunteers in each city, THE HERDS is a public art project on a scale never attempted before - a testament to both the scale of the crisis and the collective effort needed to fight it.
Presented by The Walk Productions and led by Artistic Director Amir Nizar Zubai, it follows the international success of The Walk in 2021, which saw a 12-foot tall puppet of a Syrian refugee girl called Little Amal travel from Turkey to the UK.
Bringing searing questions about the climate crisis to our streets, THE HERDS is a call to action that cannot be ignored.
FREE event. No booking required.
Discover more at: factoryinternational.org/whats-on/ the-herds
THE HERDS Greater Manchester is produced by The Walk Productions in partnership with Factory International. Greater Manchester events delivered in association with Rochdale Borough Council and Rochdale Development Agency, and Wigan Council.
