Journeys Festival International Manchester, produced by ArtReach, features an array of world–class art and activities. Running from 4 – 14 October the Festival explores refugee experiences through great art.
The National Football Museum, Selfridges and Great Northern Warehouse will all feature giant outdoor artwork by British visual artist, Kate Daudy, for the duration of Journeys Festival International Manchester. Kate is known for her text-based art in public and private spaces. Her work is based on an ancient Chinese practice of seeking to understand the universe through art and nature. Alongside the four huge art works will be a series of street interventions that will pop-up across the city in surprising locations. Kate commonly uses wood or felt fabric to create her writings, as well as her more characteristic ink drawings. You’ll be able to find these dotted across Manchester during the Festival dates in October.
Kate Daudy said, “It’s an honour to be a part of this Festival and it’s great to see that each year it gets bigger and better. I’m so excited by the chance to display my work across the city of Manchester. It’s not often an artist gets the opportunity to work on such a grand scale. We’re highlighting one of the most serious issues of our time, which is the refugee crisis, encouraging a city-wide discussion about home and identity.’
People are also invited to learn about the artworks by attending art walks that will be hosted by the artist herself and the team behind Journeys Festival International Manchester. Find out more about these guided art walks at www.journeysfestival.com
Kate will also display ‘Am I My Brother’s Keeper?’ at Manchester Art Gallery for the duration of the Festival. This installation is based on a refugee desert tent, in which a family lived for several months, and on which Daudy inscribed observations from refugees from nearly 60 countries.
Alongside these incredible installations people can expect a wide range of music, exhibitions, live performances, family friendly workshops, and ‘Coffee Shop Conversations’.
Dan Williamson, ArtReach Producer for Journeys Festival International went on to explain, “Coffee Shop Conversations are an opportunity to discuss and exchange views on subjects relating to the Festival, sometimes with the artist themselves in attendance. We’re thrilled to be back in Manchester for our third year and to be able to bring work to the city from such respected artists as Kate Daudy, in itself, is a fabulous thing. Then, add our world music day plans at Cathedral Gardens, or our workshop programme, or any of the other exhibitions in the mix and you’ve got a great series of events. Thanks to funding from Arts Council England and Manchester City Council we’ve got 10 days’ worth of events, exhibitions and so much more, it really does feel like our biggest and best year yet.”
This year we can expect everything from a large-scale outdoor art exhibition to a full weekend of live music and creative arts workshops. There’s something for everyone within this major Manchester Festival, which includes activities at The Whitworth, Manchester Museum, HOME, and several Manchester Libraries.
There’s a full day of live music from around the globe at Manchester Cathedral Gardens on 13 October and a brand new interactive trail at Manchester Art Gallery on 7 October produced by international artist collective Travelling Heritage Bureau in partnership with Community Arts North West.
To see the full programme head to www.journeysfestival.com/Manchester or grab yourself a printed brochure from the Whitworth.