Oxford Road will glow this October.
A brand new art installation is coming to Manchester, bringing an array of illuminated pieces of art to Oxford Road for the first-ever Corridor of Light celebration. Celebrating language through light, music and ideas, Mancs will be able to potter along the Oxford Road corridor, uncovering showstopping works by a selection of talented artists.
Led by Artistic Director Maria Bota, the project “will open up the canvas” of the Oxford Road Corridor, giving locals the perfect excuse to visit this area this Autumn. Known as the ‘innovation district’, the installations will tell the stories of the area, with plenty to see for free for the duration.
Consisting of a line-up of awe-inspiring installations (including a stunning disco ball-esque beating heart), guests will also get the chance to witness live performances, too, with collective song and live poetry with The Sunday Boys, live ‘algorave’ at Hatch, and stunning video projections.
Maria Bota, Artistic Director, Corridor of Light said: “Oxford Road Corridor is a brilliant canvas for Corridor of Light. We will regather, sharing our stories of today, and will reveal the stories of the past and the difference those who dwell, study and work here are making to our futures.
“We look forward to inviting artists and audiences to explore the canvas, and to enjoying language in all its forms, through light, music and ideas.”
Where can I see the installations?
The Corridor of Light will take place between 21st and 23rd October, and you can check out what’s on below:
- Opening Moment, 21st October at Manchester Central Library: Collective song, live poetry, and travelling illuminated words come together to mark Corridor of Light’s opening moment, with choral song from LGBTQ+ low voice choir The Sunday Boys in the library’s Reading Room.
- Move Fast & Brake Things, 21-23rd October at University Place: The curved surface of University Place becomes a vast canvas for a new video inspired by the first computer to store and run a programme, which was built nearby at the University of Manchester. The video is the creation of artist Antonio Roberts.
- Algorave, 21-23rd October at Hatch: An algorave is a combination of ‘algorithms’ and ‘rave’: the opportunity to dance to alien rhythms and freaky visuals, all created from code before your eyes.
- Recovery Poems, 21-23rd October at Manchester Central Library (photographed above): Illuminated in large capital letters, this truly beautiful poem and light sculpture reflects on loss as we gather again after lockdown – and what more positive changes we might want to hold onto going forwards. Created by Emergency Exit Arts in collaboration with Deanna Rodger and Robert Montgomery.
- The Fire Garden, 22nd-23rd October at HOMEground: This collection of handcrafted fire sculptures turns an empty lot close to HOME into an otherworldly landscape of flame-lined paths, shimmering shapes and heat. Created by Walk the Plank in collaboration with HOME.
- Our Beating Heart, 21-23rd October at Circle Square: A mirror ball on a grand scale in the shape of a heart will reflect light in fantastical, swirling and changing patterns. Under the name Studio Vertigo, light artists Lucy McDonnell and Stephen Newby design objects that transform the day-to-day environment and turn the world upside down.
- Where There Is Light, 18th-23rd October at The Holy Name of Jesus Christ: Celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Holy Name Church: witness the interior transformed by an immersive sound and light piece from award-winning artist collective Squidsoup and co-commissioned by ArtReach for Journeys Festival International 2021. Accompanied by a soundscape co-created with sanctuary seekers in the UK, the installation questions where we find light in our lives, in ourselves, in others, and in the world around us.
- Black Gold Arts, 21-23rd October at Contact Theatre: As part of Black Gold Arts Festival, Contact’s windows will be lit up with images of Manchester artist and theatre-maker Chanje Kunda. The images feature Chanje’s stunning new film, Plant Fetish, premiering at the festival.
- The Stories Under Our Feet, 21-23rd October at Manchester Central Library: Often overlooked, the benches outside Central Library have something unexpected emerging from beneath them: short, observational poems, outlined in light on the pavement below. Shaped from shadows, the words tell stories inspired by the changing seasons, creating moments of contemplation to enjoy while walking by, or reflect on while resting. Created by UK-based light and text artist Elisa Artesero.