Titled, "South Asian Artists and British Collections", her paper will introduce research into the acquisition and interpretation of artworks by FN Souza and Avinash Chandra by UK public collections, including Tate. She will introduce the ways in which Souza and Chandra were considered �����Ƶ�exotic�����Ƶ� by British critics and curators during the 1950s and 60s, and how such perceptions informed institutional framings of their work.

Archival research has revealed ambivalences on the part of collections to regard modernist painters of South Asian heritage active in London during the post-war period as part of the story of British art. Correia will present how those ambivalences have informed subsequent understandings and misunderstandings with reference to Souza�����Ƶ�s painting Crucifixion (1961) in the Tate Collection. 

She argues that significant biases and blind-spots about Souza�����Ƶ�s work found in Tate�����Ƶ�s acquisition documents continue to ripple through the gallery�����Ƶ�s online texts and display captions. 

You can view the artwork on the Tate website.

Alice Correia�����Ƶ�s talk is organised by the , University of Leicester, and will be held on Friday, 20 June 2025, 1.00pm to 2.30pm.

After winning the race in Liverpool last year, the Manchester team didn�����Ƶ�t manage to finish in the top three. Congratulations to Lancaster who came first, followed by Edge Hill and Liverpool.

The event, hosted in Manchester for the first time since the pandemic, was opened with a speech from Professor Nalin Thakkar, Vice-President for Social Responsibility at the University of Manchester, who highlighted the importance of unity and the spirit of collaboration.

Dragon boat racing has been a traditional Chinese paddled watercraft activity for over 2000 years and began as a modern international sport in Hong Kong in 1976. For competition events, dragon boats are generally rigged with decorative Chinese dragon heads and tails. For races, there are usually 18-20 people in a standard boat, and 8-10 in a small boat, not including the helmsman and the drummer.

In this year's competition, eight finalists took part in the Business Innovation category and ten students took part in the main Chinese Bridge competition. Sandy participated in both.

The "Chinese Bridge" International University Student Chinese Competition is an international competition organized by the Center for Language Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Education of China aiming to strengthen academic and people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries through language and culture.

Sandy is from Gibraltar and has been studying Chinese for nearly four years. She studied in China for a year, living and communicating in a real language environment, which significantly improved her language skills.

Her research focuses on the impact of cultural activities on students' physical and mental health, which not only reflects her interest in education and culture but also reflects her desire to connect Chinese and other cultures, and benefit society.

Want to improve your Chinese so you can compete next year? Check out our .

The day concludes with Creative Manchester�����Ƶ�s Solstice and Equinox event and an exclusive DJ set by Jazzie B himself. 

The summer solstice event brings together two remarkable cultural figures against the backdrop of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Jodrell Bank, home to the iconic Lovell telescope. This unique combination of research and public engagement events contributes to Creative Manchester's ongoing mission to foster dialogue between different creative disciplines and cultural perspectives.

The conversation, chaired by Dr Sophie Everest, Lecturer in Film Practice and Filmmaker, will explore the intersections of music, history, and cultural heritage in a setting of scientific discovery and innovation.

Coach transport to and from Jodrell Bank and admission to the Solstice and Equinox event are included in the conference ticket. 

Celebrating Jazzie B's legacy

Trevor Beresford Romeo OBE, known as Jazzie B, is a DJ, music producer, entrepreneur and founding member of the iconic music collective, Soul II Soul. Born in London to parents of Antiguan descent, Jazzie began DJing in the 1980s on pirate radio and holding parties adapting the reggae sound system. This evolved into the formation of the Soul II Soul Collective and signature sound, a number one single, global success, two Grammy Awards, and the sale of millions of records.

Soul II Soul and Jazzie B have left an indelible mark on British culture, not only through their music but also via legendary club nights, fashion lines, retail ventures, and radio shows on both pirate station Kiss FM and the BBC. Jazzie was awarded an OBE in 2008, and in 2024, Soul II Soul received the MOBO Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of an enduring impact on British music and culture.

Archival Collaboration with The University of Manchester

The event is part of an ongoing collaboration between Jazzie B and researchers at The University of Manchester, who are working together to document his extensive personal archive. This archival project represents an important effort to preserve and study the cultural impact of Soul II Soul and the broader musical and cultural movements they influenced.

Following their conversation, the evening will culminate in a special DJ set from Jazzie B himself, bringing his signature sound to the First Light Pavilion�����Ƶ�a rare opportunity to experience his musical artistry in such a unique scientific setting.

The Solstice and Equinox Series: Bridging Arts and Sciences

The evening event is part of Creative Manchester's Solstice and Equinox series, which brings innovative creative artists to The University of Manchester's four Cultural Institutions. Each of our unique cultural institutions �����Ƶ� the Whitworth, the John Rylands Research Institute and Library, Manchester Museum and Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre �����Ƶ� focus on building civic, national and international partnerships to advance the social, environmental and individual wellbeing of our communities.

The award-winning series follows the pair as they retrace the steps of the Grand Tour across Europe, exploring art, culture, and identity with warmth and wit. The programme has been praised for its engaging storytelling and emotional depth, earning widespread acclaim and now, one of television�����Ƶ�s highest honours.

Rob Rinder studied at the University of Manchester, graduating with a double first in Politics and Modern History, a joint honours degree spanning both the and the . His academic achievements laid the foundation for a distinguished career in law, broadcasting, and public engagement.

The success of Rob and Rylan�����Ƶ�s Grand Tour has seen it renewed for a second series, where the duo will travel to India and retrace the steps of Rob�����Ƶ�s favourite author E.M. Forster.

We are proud to celebrate this achievement and to count Rob among our inspiring alumni.

Moonraking Festival Committee Member and Project Organiser, Sky Burton-Smith says:

Slaithwaite (called �����Ƶ�Slawit�����Ƶ� by locals) is a semi-rural Pennine village in the Colne Valley, West Yorkshire, with a rich history dating back to the Romans and Anglo-Saxons. The Industrial Revolution�����Ƶ�s canals and railways brought mills, industry and textile workers. 

Today it retains historic industrial buildings, including mills, churches, and stone cottages. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal remains a central feature, with scenic walking routes attracting tourists. The local economy has diversified, with independent shops, cafes and small businesses. The village is now a thriving community with traditions of creativity, ethical cooperatives and the handmade. We will tell this story of change in the project.

The 17-month programme focuses on participatory community heritage activities, researching, archiving, interpreting and celebrating local histories. It marks two significant anniversaries: 40 years of Slaithwaite Moonraking Festival in February 2025 (an extraordinary community light-festival based on a local legend) and 100 years of Slaithwaite�����Ƶ�s Carr Lane central parade of shops. These anniversaries will bring people together, with shops and shopping as a theme for the programme exploring changing social and economic history. 

The project aims to conserve and revitalise Slawit�����Ƶ�s heritage through multi-generational learning activities, developing skills and increasing capacity to sustain heritage of local traditions and stories.

Slaithwaite Moonraking Festival was established in 1985 by Satellite Arts with Slaithwaite Community Association. It was run by Satellite Arts�����Ƶ� Gill Bond until 2023, and is now sustained by a dynamic committee of local residents and artists. The biennial festival retells a humorous legend of quick-thinking smugglers, illicit barrels of moonshine, the canal and outwitting authorities. It is renowned for its parade of candle-lit willow and paper lanterns, and the �����Ƶ�raking out�����Ƶ� of a giant moon from the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. Previous Moonraking Festival themes have included circus, forest, pantomime, mythical beasts, and space exploration - with shops this year�����Ƶ�s festival theme.

The Carr Lane Parade of shops is in the centre of the village opposite the canal. They were built in 1925 in an art deco style by entrepreneur John Jagger after the council had demolished previous buildings to widen the road. This element of the project focuses on the story of the eight units in the centre and memories of a century of shopping.

The intangible cultural heritage is uplifted through a combined approach of uncovering cultural and commercial heritage together, exploring oral histories, accents and dialogue, and ephemera and memories. Plus, celebrating the folk traditions and craft skills of the incredible Moonraking Festival.

Jenna first met the Moonraking Festival Committee during research in the Colne Valley for the project, Creative Adaptive Solutions for Treescapes of Rivers (CASTOR). She says:

To find out more about the project and its activities, visit the .

On 29 April 2025, and the hosted a compelling in-conversation event featuring Professor (Harvard University) and Professor (University of Manchester), at the Alliance Manchester Business School.  

The afternoon began with a welcome address from Professor , Vice Dean for Research in the Faculty of Humanities, who introduced the speakers and highlighted the significance of the discussion in today�����Ƶ�s political climate. 

In a wide-ranging dialogue, Professors Lamont and Younge explored the politics of recognition and multiculturalism in the context of Trump�����Ƶ�s second presidency, drawing comparisons between the US and UK. Their conversation focused on the experiences of working-class communities and racialised groups, and the cultural shifts occurring amid political backlash.

Professor Lamont, currently a Leverhulme Visiting Professor at Manchester, shared insights from her new book project, which investigates recognition claims across different social contexts. Her reflections were enriched by her interdisciplinary work in sociology, African and African American studies, and European studies at Harvard. 

Professor Younge, known for his incisive journalism and sociological commentary, brought a sharp lens to the discussion, highlighting the role of media, memory, and political backlash in shaping public discourse around identity and belonging. 

The event concluded with a lively audience Q&A and a drinks reception, offering attendees the opportunity to continue the conversation informally. 

This event was part of Professor Lamont�����Ƶ�s Visiting Professorship, hosted by Professor Andrew Miles and the Department of Sociology.  

was delighted to host the inaugural event in a new series examining the critical role of arts centres across the UK and Ireland, in at the University of Manchester on 29 April. 

Led by Honorary Research Fellow Dave Moutrey in partnership with , the event brought together cultural leaders, researchers, and policymakers to explore the funding landscape and future potential of these vital community institutions.

Arts centres have long served as dynamic spaces for creativity, inclusion, and local engagement. Often operating outside the spotlight of larger cultural venues, they have nonetheless played a transformative role in shaping artistic practice and fostering social cohesion. Their significance was particularly evident during the Covid-19 pandemic, when their adaptability and deep community roots proved essential.

The event commenced with a networking lunch, followed by a presentation of new research by Ray Morrison, Research Associate to Dave Moutrey. Morrison�����Ƶ�s analysis of Arts Council England (ACE) funding data offered a detailed view of how arts centres are resourced and the implications of current funding models.

A panel discussion followed, featuring Gavin Barlow of Future Arts Centres and Dr Jennifer Cleary of Arts Council England. The panel engaged in a robust dialogue on the findings, considering how funding structures influence the sustainability and reach of arts centres, and what strategic changes might be necessary to support their continued evolution.

This event marks the beginning of a wider programme of research and public engagement led by Moutrey during his fellowship. With the support of Future Arts Centres, the series will continue to investigate the development, impact, and future trajectory of arts centres, particularly in the context of ongoing political, social, and economic challenges.

Kenneth delivered a well-received session titled "Ethical AI in Information Governance: Shaping the Future of Information Management." His presentation focused on the growing importance of ethical considerations in the deployment of AI technologies within the field of information governance. He addressed key concerns such as transparency, accountability, and compliance, as well as strategies for ensuring that AI tools are implemented responsibly to enhance efficiency, decision-making, and organisational effectiveness.

During the session, Kenneth also explored current and emerging AI regulatory frameworks from the EU, the US, and other regions, offering practical guidance on mitigating risks related to bias, data privacy, and data integrity. 

The session sparked meaningful dialogue among attendees and emphasised the importance of maintaining human-centred values as we continue integrating AI into complex information ecosystems.

Reflecting on the event, Kenneth said:

This engagement not only highlights Kenneth�����Ƶ�s emerging leadership in the evolving discourse around responsible AI in Information Governance and Compliance but also showcases our university�����Ƶ�s commitment to contributing to cutting-edge developments in digital transformation and ethical innovation.

We congratulate Kenneth on this achievement and look forward to seeing the continued impact of his work on the future of ethical information governance.

Led by module lead and coordinator  and programme director , the visit included in-depth tours of two of Restore�����Ƶ�s major operational facilities: Heywood (Birch Business Park) and Zeus (Agecroft Commerce Park, Swinton). These sites provided students with an immersive experience into the daily operations and strategic practices of records and information management on an industrial scale.

Designed as a practical extension of classroom-based learning, the study visit aimed to give students a first-hand understanding of how theoretical concepts in records and information management are applied in professional environments. Students explored key departments and functions within Restore, directly observing how complex processes like document classification, secure storage, digitisation, and compliance protocols are executed in real time.

During the visit, students had the opportunity to explore the physical repository, witnessing how records are stored and preserved under strict security and environmental controls. 

They observed operations in action, following the full lifecycle of records from intake and processing to storage, retrieval, and secure disposal. Students also engaged with industry professionals who shared their experiences and insights into the real-world challenges and solutions in records management, compliance, and risk.

The experience offered students a deeper appreciation of data security protocols, legal and ethical considerations, and the technological infrastructure that supports large-scale information governance. They observed how digital systems facilitate efficiency and compliance, ensuring Restore can effectively manage vast volumes of information while upholding legal and ethical standards.

This enriching experience brought course concepts to life and emphasised the importance of connecting academic learning with industry practice. It helped students gain a clearer vision of their future roles in records and archive management and underscored the value of experiential learning in developing job-ready skills.

We extend our sincere appreciation to  for their continued support of our academic mission and for providing our students with such a valuable professional development opportunity. 

Through partnerships like this, the University of Manchester continues to prepare students for impactful careers in the field of information and records management.

On Wednesday, 30 April internationally acclaimed artist, Chila Kumari Burman came to the University in her capacity as the 2024-2025 Pilkington Visiting Professor in Art History.

In an illuminating keynote public lecture, Burman discussed her new commission Chila Welcomes You currently on display at Imperial War Museum North, Salford. Burman�����Ƶ�s work for the IWMN addresses themes of South Asian migration to Britain, working-class entrepreneurialism and the importance of having access to diverse visual cultures. 

Burman�����Ƶ�s lecture was expertly led by Iris Veysey, Senior Curator, IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund, and Burman talked to an enthralled audience about her recent adoption of neon-lights as artistic medium, alongside earlier important print and collage work from the 1980s and 1990s.

Burman and her work came to prominence in the 1980s, and she is a central figure in what has become known as the Black British Art Movement. Born and raised in Liverpool, early in her career, Burman used her artistic practice as a form of social activism, and etchings and photo-lithographs made as a student at Leeds Polytechnic addressed such issues the Northern Irish hunger strikes; anti-Apartheid struggle in South Africa; Anti-Nuclear protest; and the riots of 1981- in Brixton, Toxteth and elsewhere. 

For Burman, the process of art making was, in her words, a way of trying to �����Ƶ�understand what is going on in the world�����Ƶ� and her position in relation to contemporary events. 

Today, Burman is perhaps best known for her remarkable Tate Britain Winter Commission, Remembering a Brave New World, 2020, which was a unabashed and uncompromising celebration of British-Asian culture in a hyper-vibrant array of glowing neons and wallpapers. Throughout her career, Burman has harnessed the various techniques of assemblage and her new work at IWMN includes an installation of found and assembled everyday objects; a large-scale neon homage to her mother�����Ƶ�s clothes shop, and her first work in tapestry.

The Pilkington chair in Art History is among the oldest chairs in Art History in the country. It was founded in 1956 by sisters Margaret (1891) and Dorthy (1890) Pilkington, who were born in the 1890s in Pendleton, Lancashire to the wealthy Pilkington family, owners of Pilkington Glassworks and the Pilkington Tile Company. Margaret in particular was attracted to the visual arts at a young age and studied wood engraving at the Slade, where she was a pupil of Lucien Pissarro. It is particularly appropriate then that Burman, who also studied printmaking at the Slade, is this year�����Ƶ�s Pilkington Visiting Professor.

Following her keynote lecture, on Thursday 1 May, Burman also gave a talk for MA students on the Curating Art module, addressing her experiences as a DIY artist-curator and the pitfalls and pleasures of working with curators at major institutions. It was a lively discussion! 

Later that day, Chila also led a tour of her fascinating and exuberant exhibition at the IWMN to both undergraduate Art History and post-graduate students from across AHCP programmes; another inspirational event - watch out for a student review of the visit in

The disaster, which occurred on Saturday 15 April 1989 at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, caused the deaths of 97 people and injuries to hundreds more, in a crush on the overcrowded terraces of Sheffield Wednesday�����Ƶ�s Hillsborough Stadium. 

Despite the overwhelming evidence of negligence and safety failings, the South Yorkshire police blamed the victims, alleging that Liverpool supporters had misbehaved, a narrative amplified by parts of the media. Families fought for 21 years against the first inquest verdict of accidental death before it was finally quashed in 2012. 

At the new inquest in 2016, the jury determined that the 97 people were unlawfully killed due to gross negligence by the police match commander, that there was a series of other failings by the police, emergency services and Sheffield Wednesday, and that no behaviour of supporters contributed to the disaster. Criminal prosecutions followed but resulted in only one conviction of the former Sheffield Wednesday club secretary, for a health and safety offence.

Guardian Investigations Correspondent David Conn, who won the Press Awards News Reporter of the Year in 2024, has covered the tragedy and the families�����Ƶ� fight for justice for nearly 30 years. His work helped to establish the Hillsborough Independent Panel, whose 2012 report led to the quashing of the first inquest verdict. Conn has also highlighted legal injustices like racial bias in �����Ƶ�Joint Enterprise�����Ƶ� laws and systemic failures in accountability.

In his lecture on Thursday, 13 February, Conn discussed the legal failures that followed the disaster, and discuss the , the principal reform families are calling for which would impose a statutory duty of candour for police and public authorities, and ensure that victims of disasters or state related deaths have the funding for lawyers to represent them at inquests and inquiries. Human rights barrister Pete Weatherby KC, who has long advocated for Hillsborough Law, explained its purpose and provide a response to the lecture, with Anna Morris KC chairing the discussion.

This inaugural Mark George Memorial Lecture honoured the late Head of Garden Court North Chambers, who represented 22 Hillsborough families during the 2014-16 inquiry. George played a pivotal role as legal counsel for 22 families during the Hillsborough Inquiry (2014-16), helping uncover the truth after nearly three decades of struggle. The series honours his dedication to justice, education and advocacy. 

The event also marked the launch of Conn�����Ƶ�s Simon Industrial and Professional Fellowship, which will bring him together with experts from the university to advance research into fairness in legal processes and amplify voices impacted by injustice.

This year�����Ƶ�s Festival of Libraries is headlined by Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Poet Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who will be joined by a host of authors, poets, historians, performers and more.

After winning Best Event at the Manchester Culture Awards in 2024, this will be the Festival�����Ƶ�s fifth year.

has curated a series of six free events for the Festival programme, showcasing our research, in partnership with the , and .

Writing for Wellbeing workshops will see poets from the Centre for New Writing run three sessions at Middleton, Oldham and Walkden libraries, exploring how creative writing can positively impact wellbeing.

At Bolton Central Library, Manchester Histories and Creative Manchester will unveil their new Heritage for Wellbeing Toolkit, sharing insights into the toolkit�����Ƶ�s development and inviting attendees to participate in one of the activities firsthand.

The Linguistic Diversity Collective have two workshops on offer. �����Ƶ�What�����Ƶ�s in a word, and what�����Ƶ�s in a dictionary?�����Ƶ� will look at how dictionaries define words, and will take place at new Festival partner Manchester Cathedral Library.

�����Ƶ�Blackout the Jargon�����Ƶ� is a session of blackout poetry at Cheadle Library, inviting attendees to find art and meaning in scientific texts.

Find out more about the University�����Ƶ�s Festival of Libraries workshops and book your free places by visiting .

Following on from a successful series in 2024, this year's events bring together University of Manchester researchers, creatives from fashion, music and publishing and professionals from the technology industry for important conversations about emerging technologies.

Throughout this series AI will be the focus and approached via three different themes. The pace of development of this technology is rapid and leads the creative sector into previously unchartered territory, which may prove as much a threat as it provides opportunity to the future of the creative and cultural industries.

Please book your free place via .
 

Creativity + AI: Music
Monday 12 May, SISTER, M1 3NJ
How can creative businesses take advantage of emerging technologies and create opportunities for innovation and knowledge exchange? A panel of expert speakers will explore applications, challenges and opportunities of AI in the Music industry focussing on creative technologies for composition, inclusive economic development of regional and national creative clusters and more.

Creativity + AI: Publishing
Monday 16 June, Oddfellows Hall, M1 7HF
The rapid expansion of AI is impacting and changing the publishing industry. We will be asking a panel of publishers, authors and librarians to reflect on the pace of change in the sector, and where they see opportunities emerging for their work. We will be asking how best we can take advantage of new technologies and how new technologies are taking advantage of creatives.

Creativity + AI: Fashion
Thursday 26 June, Arbeta, M40 5BP
How can fashion businesses can take advantage of emerging technologies affecting design, materials, production and retail, and create opportunities for innovation and knowledge exchange?

We talked about music, Karen�����Ƶ�s interest in uncovering and showcasing forgotten artefacts of Black music history and working with Creative Manchester and the .

Tell us a bit about yourself and your areas of interest.

Where do I start - My background is in business administration, television, and radio production and in popular culture, music, and social histories.

I specialise in pop culture as I am one of those people who held on to the pop and soul magazines, music releases in its many formats, and artefacts through the years and this ultimately led to the perfect transition into working in television as I had the research in my head and in my home.

I have a deep and declared interest in Black British social affairs and music, which also extends to across the black diaspora as well as the effect of migrant communities on the neighbourhoods of Manchester. I have explored this across Caribbean, Sikh, Irish, Italian, and African communities. Now I have to say that I always bring the international perspective to my work, as international musicians impact our culture, and British culture has a huge impact on international musicians of note.

I have a curious mind and realised some time ago that sharing stories is particularly uplifting to creators, collaborators and lovers of Black music. I also realise it was, and is, deeply upsetting and saddening to those, who feel consistently overlooked, to not have their stories heard and see them in popular culture. Feeding into this is also how much Northerners are overlooked in the general conversation about the culture in the UK, and in particular, the Manchester Black music scene.

For the past fifteen years I have curated for a variety of exhibitions, which has involved curating archival footage and soundscapes. This work includes the Emory Douglas exhibition �����Ƶ� Emory is the illustrator of the Black Panthers - and also Belle Vue in Manchester.

I am an advocate for women in music and artists from the R&B, soul, dance, rock, and reggae fields in Manchester. I actively support all genres but artists from these areas find it difficult to have their voices heard in their hometown, irrespective of success.

I am also known for my passion to raise the profile of Black music history. With this Fellowship, I wish to bring a less selective view of how Black British music, and its history are presented. People, who know me, know I am always at a gig, exhibition, live dance or art event.

Why did you apply for the Simon Industrial Fellowship? How did you feel it could help you explore your areas of interest?

This Fellowship appealed to me as I wanted to explore further recent conversations, I had been having about the process of creating hit songs with music producers. When I chatted with Anne-Marie of Creative Manchester she suggested this pathway to explore this further. This Fellowship enables me to reconnect a random conversation that is in fact a hugely important documentation of music history with a social context.

I am passionate about expanding the knowledge base of the history around Manchester music history and also how Black musicians and DJs have impacted popular music in the UK. This fellowship gives me the opportunity to amplify the voices of those working within this sector. Why? Because audiences deserve to know their contribution and we should highlight the people, who have given us so much without recognition.

What work are you carrying out, or hoping to carry out as part of this fellowship?

My research is exploring the roots of British popular music from the Black perspective, speaking with key musicians about their entry points into pop music and what the commonalities are in these experiences. I am speaking largely, but not exclusively, to Mancunian producers and those, who had to leave the city to develop. I am also in the midst of some exciting research conversations, but I will share the results of those later this year.

What is the benefit and impact of the fellowship on Creative Manchester and the British Pop Archive at the John Rylands Library, respectively, and how are you finding working across both organisations?

I am hoping that that the and Creative Manchester will have a greater understanding of the creative talent that informed the British Pop Music experience. Through the years what is deemed as pop music shifts and changes. Commercial appeal and money-making have squeezed certain popular forms out of the so-called mainstream channels �����Ƶ� this has not stopped the music from being loved and being played in homes, clubs, and laptops.

Due to my everlasting eclectic musical tastes coupled with my continued organic access to these music makers I feel that the history of these lived experiences will give a fuller historical context to the British Pop Archive, to the city of Manchester and re-address the narrative of those artists, producers, songwriters, who have brought the seasoning to British pop. I have interviewed hundreds of music creators from Skin and Willard White to Brinsley Forde and Lianne La Havas. 

My interviews have been the spark to a few iconic meetings and music collaborations that have connected British artists to international musicians. Interviews have often been conducted through my TV producing and radio presenting work, but not always. Many of the interviews and musical experiences have been done independently, and via word of mouth. I have also often heard great musical history anecdotes from non-musicians as, of course, music is a unifier.

By continuing to have conversations that will take the form of music panels and podcasts some of these fascinating and valuable histories will be captured. Creative Manchester have been really supportive of my work and ideas over the past few months, and it is exciting to be involved with such an innovative arm of the University. 

I love the fact that The British Pop Archive is based here in the city of Manchester, and it has been fascinating and positively challenging to have an insight into the processes of the foundation of this archive, and to discuss where it is going �����Ƶ� for a pop music nerd what could be better?

Taking place from Sunday 25 �����Ƶ� Friday 30 May, highlights of the programme include a film screening in partnership with the Women in Revolt! Exhibition at the Whitworth Gallery, Professor Richard Dyer in conversation with acclaimed music journalist Jon Savage at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library, and a lecture entitled Between Desire and Dissociation: Queer Magical Thinking in Hetero-Authoritarian Times by Tavia�����Ƶ� Nyong�����Ƶ�o of Yale University.

The Sexuality Summer School is organised by the Centre for the Study of Sexuality and Culture (CSSC) and funded by The University of Manchester Faculty of Humanities, Manchester Pride and Screen.

For more information and tickets, visit the .

On 11 March, presented an enlightening event featuring David Olusoga OBE, Professor of Public History, in conversation with journalist, radio broadcaster, and author, . 

Together, they explored the themes of Kavita�����Ƶ�s multi-award-winning BBC podcast, . The podcast series sheds light on one of the darkest chapters in Britain�����Ƶ�s colonial history: the 1943 Bengal Famine, where an estimated three million Indians, who were British subjects, died. 

The event was introduced by Professor from the History Department at The University of Manchester. 

Informed by her 25 years of experience teaching and researching the cultural and social history of colonial India, Anindita's introduction included historical and geographical context for the 1943 Bengal Famine.  

David and Kavita discussed the making of the podcast, from archival research to finding interviewees who lived through the famine. Kavita explained the conditions that led to the build-up of the famine, and they explored why it has taken so long for this history to be discussed both in Britain and India. They also discussed why the public debate around the British Empire remains contentious.  

The event concluded with an engaged Q&A session from the audience.  

The building, unveiled by President and Vice-Chancellor Duncan Ivison, provides state-of-the-art practice and rehearsal spaces for students, equipped with the latest sound-proofing technology and musical instruments. 

The celebration event featured performances by students from Manchester High School for Girls, including Ethel Younge�����Ƶ�s March of the Woman and Errolyn Wallen�����Ƶ�s What is a Girl, commissioned for the school�����Ƶ�s 150th anniversary.

The event also highlighted the talents of women and gender-diverse musicians through performances by the Manchester University Music Society (MUMS) MUSICA festival.

, Head of the Music Department, remarked:

Speaking to professionals who make powerful arts-based participatory research happen, we get a sense of the importance of creative practices in sustaining relationships and connecting people together. The work taking place with partners like , or , embedded in the diverse communities of the region, reveals that artistic approaches provide both wide ranging possibilities for research collaboration and nourishing experiences for public participants, arts professionals, and academics. 

The unique expertise of skilled arts practitioners can enable research teams to address big questions holistically, maintaining academic rigor, while ensuring a duty of care and responsibility to those whose lives and experiences are being rendered in the research space. Arts-based participatory research collaborations can generate compelling, effective, impactful outputs, while championing responsible human-to-human connection.

Arts-based practices aren�����Ƶ�t just a �����Ƶ�nice thing to do�����Ƶ� or a way of adding ornament to more �����Ƶ�serious�����Ƶ� research methods; they�����Ƶ�re a vital force for expression, connection, and creative thinking which bridge academic, public, and professional experience. They often lead to surprising insights, and can help make complex, often sensitive topics, more concrete and accessible to a wide range of people.

Genuinely collaborative partnerships can foster meaningful participation and promote more equitable research practices. Where arts-based methods are encouraged and supported, especially through sustained long-term collaboration with arts-sector specialists, public participants can have a clearer creative agency within research projects.

But we are aware, as we have discovered in our project, how this work can be under supported, how inflexible structures can challenge, even impede, the development of mutually beneficial research relationships. Even in our own approach to conducting this research, we experienced barriers to efficiency and creative modes of engagement.

To cultivate trusting, meaningful relationships with non-academic partners, ore work is required to ensure that institutional structures support arts-based participatory research methods, by which collaborative partnerships can develop fruitfully and responsibly. We hope in our Findings Report(s) that by outlining both the affordances, and challenges, in developing arts-based participatory research, we might better understand the steps needed to enact a more reciprocal, creative, and welcoming research culture.

.

The artist exchange is central to the project, uniting poets, illustrators, and playwrights from both cities to create new work. As part of the exchange, artists from Manchester will visit Nanjing in March 2025. The creative collaborations will explore the ecological theme of Real Contentment, inspired by Han Dong�����Ƶ�s poetry. 

A new bilingual illustrated poetry collection and play will be released later this year. 

The programme is funded by the British Council�����Ƶ�s International Collaboration Grants. 

The six selected artists are:

• Han Dong mainly writes poems and novels. He is a representative of the New Generation Novelists. To date, he has published around fifty works including collections of poems, novels, novellas, and essays. His first novel Banished! was long-listed for Man Asian Literary Prize 2008. Some of his selected poems have been translated and published in Capriccio on the Way to Buy Salt, and anthologised in The Qilin�����Ƶ�s Gaze: Poems by 12 Contemporary Nanjing Poets. His novels include Metamorphosis of an Educated Youth, Me and You, and My Plato. His poetry collections in Chinese include Dad�����Ƶ�s Looking Down on Me from The Sky, Miracle, and Sorrow or Eternal Life. He is a winner of the Lu Xun Literary Award, Golden Phoenix Medal, and Chinese Media Literary Award for Long Fiction.
   
• Amy Lever is an award-winning writer/actor from Manchester. As a writer her work includes the award-winning, five-star reviewed �����Ƶ�Life Before the Line�����Ƶ� (Cambridge University Edinburgh Fringe Prize). She was named runner up for the Alpine Fellowship Prize for Playwriting, a finalist for the Channel 4 Writing for TV Awards, selected for Channel 4 x New Writing North Development Scheme and was a part of The Warner Bros Writers Exchange Programme with Warner Bros, The Royal Exchange and Wall to Wall.
   
• Zhou Meisen is a fiction writer and screenwriter and now serves as the Vice President of the Jiangsu Writers' Association. Influenced by Balzac and Dickens, his works are characterised by strong realism and plot twists. In his works readers can find a focus on under-class characters�����Ƶ� destinies and critiques of injustices from the suppressive political forces on individuals. . His novel Made in China was  a winner of the National Book Award and National Bestseller Award. His other works include a twelve-volume Zhou Meisen Anthology and the TV script for In the Name of the People, among others.
   
• Eleanor Mulhearn is a visual artist and storyteller, whose multidisciplinary practice spans illustration, animation, sculpture, and installation. Drawing inspiration from materials discovered in archives, libraries, museums and places, her work explores fragile, overlooked, and diverse histories, stories, and ecologies. Through engagement with these spaces, Eleanor creates narrative-driven, lyrical works, thematically engaging with the non-material world. Since 2002, Eleanor has collaborated across art, design, and theatre contexts, working with diverse artists and institutions, nationally and internationally, within group and solo projects. Eleanor is Programme Leader for BA (Hons) Illustration with Animation, and a researcher, at Manchester School of Art.
   
• Charlotte Shevchenko Knight is a poet of both British and Ukrainian heritage. Her debut collection Food for the Dead, published by Jonathan Cape in 2024, was a winner of an Eric Gregory Award (2023) and the Laurel Prize for Best First Collection UK (2024). Shevchenko Knight is an NWCDTP-funded PhD candidate at the Manchester Writing School.
   
• Yao Yuan is Director of the Landscape Painting Institute under the Nanjing Painting and Calligraphy Academy, reflecting her commitment to art for ecology, as well as Founding President of the Nanjing Kai-Ming Painting and Calligraphy Academy. Asan acknowledged expert, she is also a member of the Committee of Traditional Bird and Flower Painting of Jiangsu Artists Association. She has been featured by multiple art galleries and exhibitions at the regional and national levels in China. In 2017, her works were included at the Influence: Women in Art Exhibition at NYC Grand Central Terminal, and she gave a lecture on Chinese traditional ink painting at the UN Headquarters New York.

In addition to the artist exchange, a school engagement programme involving Year 3-6 pupils has also been launched, fostering inter-cultural understanding and addressing our relationship with the environment through creative expression. The work created by the artist exchange and schools programme will be shared at the Festival of Libraries in June 2025 when Manchester hosts the artists from Nanjing.

Anita Ngai, Creative Producer for the project, says:

Chantal Harrison-Lee, Global Lead for International Collaboration Grants at the British Council said:

This project is funded by the British Council�����Ƶ�s International Collaboration Grants, which are designed to support UK and overseas organisations to collaborate on international arts projects. It�����Ƶ�s delivered in partnership with Nanjing University of the Arts, University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and Manchester Confucius Institute.

Read the original .

AHRC-funded project (2022-2024) built a coalition of researchers and partners from across Greater Manchester to understand creative health better. This included working with Cartwheel Arts to understand more about communities�����Ƶ� access to creative health activities in their local area. 

Findings from this research have been published in . We also wanted to understand the .

We are working on future publications from this research that reflect on the challenges of implementing a civic strategy and explore some of the distinctive approaches to creative health within Greater Manchester.

To help build research networks we held Creative Health events in June 2023 and June 2024. In 2023 the Organisations of Hope Symposium focused on networks between research, policy and practice in Greater Manchester. 

In 2024, our also brought together other researchers from across the UK working on similar projects. Panels at this event focused on: ; ; and . 

Attendees at the event also tried their hand at reflecting on creative health research through . Artist Domenique Brouwers ran a session and .

We are continuing to work closely with our partners at Greater Manchester Combined Authority Integrated Care Partnership, NHS Greater Manchester and other universities from across the region on an ambitious 3-year programme of work (2024-2027) supported by Arts Council England. 

The Greater Manchester Creative Health Place Partnership will pioneer new ways of supporting residents to live as well as they can, by creating new, community-led approaches with culture and creativity at their heart. We have also developed strategic partnerships with key partners on creative health research, regionally and nationally, from , and in Greater Manchester, to and the #BeeWell.

Look out for future reports as this work develops! For more information on any of this work please contact: creative@manchester.ac.uk.

Resources and links:

• Greater Manchester Creative Health Strategy 
•  
• storybook 
• Report on the
• Creative Health Symposium 2024: ; ; ; ; . 
• Announcement of Place partnership 3-year programme of work (2024-2027) supported by Arts Council England 

The CreaTech Innovation Lab is a half-day workshop convened by the research platform and the University�����Ƶ�s Business Engagement team with facilitation by the creative consultancy . 

In the course of one afternoon the teams worked on developing a research project focused on a challenge brief provided by the participating companies.

The event brought together several businesses, including , and BandShare - working within creative, cultural and digital sectors with a team of academics to inform their challenge brief by new knowledge, technology or methodology stemming from academic research. 

Over the course of the workshop teams developed tangible project plans to pitch for seed funding to develop the project.

Throughout the afternoon the teams worked through a dynamic, creative process of defining their problem and generating a range of solutions. By the end each team concluded with an optimal project plan and pitch, which was presented to an expert panel of judges for seed funding, with an emphasis on projects with the potential for larger collaborations in the future.

With the third CreaTech Innovation Lab completed the project teams now look towards the next six months to develop research addressing the businesses�����Ƶ� challenge briefs and scope out future opportunities with the University.

Our heartful thanks go out to our panel of expert judges, industry and academic participants and our facilitators from Future Everything.

To stay informed about Creative Manchester�����Ƶ�s work in the CreaTech theme and our other events and activities please .

This year will be the 9th International Mother Language Day observed in Greater Manchester, a celebration of the cultural diversity and vast number of languages spoken across the city region.

, one of the University�����Ƶ�s research platforms, will offer a series of events to mark the occasion in collaboration with partners and colleagues. All events are free to book and all are welcome.

• 19 February 2025 �����Ƶ� - Hear from researchers, poets and collaborators about how they came together in the aftermath of the pandemic to create a book capturing local communities' experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic. This event will be held at Contact Theatre at 12pm.
• 21 February 2025 �����Ƶ� �����Ƶ� A talk by the 's Dr Alex Baratta on accentism within British teacher training, held at Manchester Museum at 12pm.
• 21 February 2025 �����Ƶ� - A language themed trail around Manchester Museum offering visitors of all ages a chance to learn about and celebrate languages and multilingualism. The trail is held in partnership with the and Manchester Museum and takes place from 1pm.

To find out more about International Mother Language Day and the city�����Ƶ�s celebrations, visit the .

As the latest academic to deliver one of these inspiring lectures, Peter will use his talk to delve into the compelling world of Baroque opera, exploring its historical significance in promoting equality and reconciliation.

Having garnered international recognition for his advocacy of 20th century and contemporary music, Peter is a distinguished professor currently teaching in the Department of World Arts and Cultures at UCLA. He has received numerous prestigious awards for contributions to European culture, including the MacArthur Fellowship and the Erasmus Prize.

Peter�����Ƶ�s visit to Manchester follows the launch of a major new partnership between the English National Opera (ENO) and Greater Manchester. The organisation�����Ƶ�s exciting relocation project will see the development of longer-term strategic partnerships with venues and organisations across Greater Manchester, all working to create operatic experiences for communities and raise the curtain to the opera-makers of tomorrow.

Professor Maggie Gale, Vice-Dean for Research at the University of Manchester�����Ƶ�s Faculty of Humanities, said:

Following the lecture, Peter will be joined by distinguished academic, critic and curator Professor Maria Delgado, who will discuss his illustrious career and current interests. Professor Delgado is the Vice Principal at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. Her extensive work across Spanish-language theatre, film and cultural memory has garnered her numerous accolades, including the ATHE Lifetime Achievement Award in Academic Theatre and the Cross of the Order of Alfonso X the Wise for her services to culture and education.

Reserve your spot on .

The University of Manchester is one of three stakeholders in the organisation, and each year offers a diverse series of workshops for the Festival of Libraries. These workshops are organised by the research platform and delivered by academics across the . 

The award went to the Festival of Libraries for its 2023 programme which included a vibrant selection of dance, theatre, music, comic art, poetry and family events, all of which were free.

Headline events featured Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, Drag Artist Cheddar Gorgeous, award-winning poet Raymond Antrobus and Icelandic novelist Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir in residence at John Rylands Research Institute and Library.

The University of Manchester�����Ƶ�s 2023 event offerings included a workshop looking at dictionaries and word meanings, delivered by the Linguistic Diversity Collective,�����Ƶ�Writing for Wellbeing�����Ƶ� workshops led by poets and authors from the Centre for New Writing, and a family-friendly session exploring food in children�����Ƶ�s literature, run by the Programme in American Studies.

Head of the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, Thomas Schmidt, commented:

The Festival team, including Creative Manchester Director John McAuliffe, took to the stage to accept the award at the ' ceremony at The Hilton, Deansgate, which took place on 23 November.

The next will take place 4-8 June 2025.

• Dave Moutrey: Director of Culture and Creative Industries for Manchester City Council;
• Julie McCarthy: Strategic Lead for Creative Health, NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care / Greater Manchester Combined Authority;
• Sameed Rezayan: Head of Learning, Factory International.

The appointments have been awarded an Honorary Research Fellowship in the Drama department at The University of Manchester. The Fellowships recognise the outstanding contribution and ongoing work that Dave, Julie and Sameed make to the vibrant creative and cultural industries sector in Greater Manchester. 

The research projects they will embark upon align with the research themes within the University�����Ƶ�s ; Creative Industries and Innovation, Creativity, Health and Wellbeing, and Creative and Civic Futures. 

From 25 to 27 November the conference took place at The Lowry in Salford, bringing together business leaders, researchers, policymakers, and creative visionaries to explore the dynamic intersection of creative research, business innovation and research and development (R&D). 

As an annual nexus for thinkers and makers, the conference provided a unique platform for delegates to connect, explore pioneering R&D projects, and engage with the global conversation on creativity and opportunity, with this year focussing on creative cities. 

were delighted to support the conference as a local event partner, showcasing the (OHOS) research project, which is a collaboration between the Universities of Manchester and as well as . 

The event kicked off with fringe events in Media City, Salford, on 25 November, followed by the official programme that highlighted cutting-edge research and collaborative opportunities. 

Throughout the conference Creative Manchester presented an engaging expo stand with representatives from the Creative Manchester team, and the Research and Business Engagement team of The University of Manchester. 

As part of Creative Manchester's presence at the conference the �����Ƶ�Our Heritage, Our Stories�����Ƶ� R&D showcase illuminated the work of the academic team to address critical challenges in digital cultural heritage. 

In an era where communities have increasingly adopted digital technologies to capture and preserve their histories, OHOS responds to the urgent need to archive and link community-generated digital content (CGDC). 

The OHOS project brings together a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the Universities of Glasgow and Manchester, collaborating with The National Archives and leading UK heritage organisations. Their mission to dissolve barriers preventing the discovery and integration of diverse community-generated digital content addresses the risk of CGDC being lost or isolated. 

At the OHOS R&D Showcase stand Post-Doctoral Research Associate Hanna Schmueck demonstrated interactive visualisations of the project's innovative approach to archiving community narratives. 

A conference highlight was the presentation by Professor Lorna Hughes (University of Glasgow), Professor Hannah Barker (University of Manchester), and Professor Goran Nenadic (University of Manchester) on 27 November. Their session explored the project's diverse outputs, showcasing how sophisticated automated tools can make previously hidden community stories discoverable and connected, as well as discussing the ethics and challenges of working with community-generated archival materials. 

The OHOS project aims to change our understanding of historical archives by developing cutting-edge tools and AI methods. By creating meaningful links across diverse collections, the project will not only preserve but also reimagine community-generated content, ensuring these vital narratives survive and thrive for future generations. 

Further information about the , , and can be found on the OHOS website. 

Events took place on campus at the Martin Harris Centre, including an in-conversation with former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, an evening with award-winning cook and food writer Meera Sodha, and a very special appearance by poet Jackie Kay who read from her latest collection. 

Over at Central Library, Scottish author Andrew O�����Ƶ�Hagan joined us to discuss his latest novel Caledonian Road, and legendary music producer Joe Boyd celebrated his engrossing new book And the Roots of Rhythm Remain: A Journey through Global Music. 

Foreign correspondent Lindsay Hilsum joined Creative Manchester director John McAuliffe to share some of her favourite poems and memories from her decades-long career, and Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Powers went on to bookend the Festival with his recent event on 8 November in support of his new novel. 

HOME was host to David Peace, discussing his gripping new novel Munich, and to George Monbiot�����Ƶ�s event, hosted by Professor of New Writing Jeanette Winterson, in support of his passionately argued new book, The Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism (& How It Came to Control Your Life). 

Prolific designer Thomas Heatherwick joined Ella P. Wakatama at Contact to talk about his book Humanise: A Maker�����Ƶ�s Guide to Building Our World and putting the human emotion at the heart of building design. At John Rylands Research Institute and Library, former National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke ran a highly anticipated poetry workshop, then went on to deliver the annual Rylands Poetry Reading to a sold-out crowd. 

Festival attendees at the Royal Northern College of Music enjoyed an audience with bestselling global sensation and Yellowface author Rebecca F. Kuang, hosted by broadcaster, producer and Chair of Manchester City of Literature Katie Popperwell. 

For more information about the festival, visit the .

The University of Manchester is delighted to announce a new collaboration with English National Opera, as they announce the first wave of plans for a major new partnership between the company and the city-region of Greater Manchester for the next three years, enabling ENO to be firmly established within Greater Manchester by 2029.  

The ENO Greater Manchester partnership, which includes projects across the city-region, covers every aspect of opera production and celebrates new possibilities for the artform. This announcement represents the beginning of longer-term strategic partnerships with venues and organisations across Greater Manchester. 

It will include major contemporary works, new work development in opera, presenting ENO signature classics, interdisciplinary experimentations, creating operatic experiences by, with and for communities, and developing the opera makers of today and tomorrow.

The first wave of projects and partnerships announced, include collaborative projects with The University of Manchester, Factory International, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, The Lowry, The Bridgewater Hall, Walk the Plank, Royal Northern College of Music, and The Hallé.

The University of Manchester and ENO will work together on Tuning Into Opera. This invites the people of Greater Manchester to explore the opportunities for the artform, engage with new communities and discuss what it means to have an opera company based in the city-region. 

We will bring a range of perspectives together, including artists, local communities, researchers and the wider sector to discuss how the artform can and must continue to grow. The first of these events will take place at Manchester International Festival at Aviva Studios in July 2025.  

Professor John McAuliffe, Director of Creative Manchester at The University of Manchester said: �����Ƶ�The University of Manchester is delighted to be working in partnership with colleagues at ENO, as part of their move to the city-region. Together, we are planning a shared programme of work, that will look at opera as part of Greater Manchester's cultural landscape, listening for the sound of new collaboration and creating more opportunities for our students, staff, artists and research in creative health across the music sector.�����Ƶ�

Jenny Mollica, Chief Executive of English National Opera, said: �����Ƶ�The projects we are announcing today mark the first wave of our developing partnership with Greater Manchester, which will be fully implemented by 2029. Working together over the last year, we could not be more clear that Greater Manchester is the right place to put down roots, a place where we can develop, expand and innovate. Where, building on the region�����Ƶ�s legendary reputation as the heart of music making in this country, we can make a difference to audiences and communities, help invest in the next generation of talent and break new ground in the future of the artform �����Ƶ� locally, nationally and internationally.�����Ƶ�

ENO�����Ƶ�s Greater Manchester partnerships and programme will continue to develop alongside the continuation of annual seasons at the London Coliseum, and ENO�����Ƶ�s nationwide education and health programmes.

Further information:

• Visit the .

This November, Bob Dylan performed the final concerts of his at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The tour picked up where Dylan left off just before the COVID pandemic �����Ƶ� . But now at the age of 83, the concerts might well be Dylan�����Ƶ�s last. 

The Rough and Rowdy Ways tour was billed as running from 2021 to 2024, but at the time of publication, there seem to be no future tour dates on the horizon. As Dylan himself wondered on his most recent album:  

Dylan has diced with death more than once �����Ƶ� think of his infamous , or his serious �����Ƶ� and death has preoccupied his songs increasingly in recent years. Throughout this tour, Dylan�����Ƶ�s thoughts have been heavily focused on his own mortality and his own legacy. 

If the Albert Hall concerts this year are to be his last on the road, then it�����Ƶ�s a fitting venue at which to bow out, having first played it nearly 60 years ago. Back then, Dylan was a restless, hungry artist, reinventing his sound, his image, his voice with every album �����Ƶ� sometimes, within months of release.

Between 1962 and 1966, Dylan went from being a Midwest folk singer to the , via , rewriting the popular music songbook as he went. 

With each successive regeneration, he seemed determined not only to redefine rock and popular music, but to alienate his audience . He was an artist in search of answers, who didn�����Ƶ�t give those in his wake time to catch their breath. Sixty years on, and now well into his ninth decade, things haven�����Ƶ�t changed.

His own version 

Dylan�����Ƶ�s final night at the Albert Hall was a summation of how he remains a defiant artist still forging new ideas. The performance contained highlights from his entire career. Eight of the 17 songs were written and released before the 1990s, while everything else was from the 2020 album after which the tour is named. But each song was radically reinvented, reworked to Dylan�����Ƶ�s ever-changing vision, with some of the songs even being rearranged during his three-day residency at the Albert Hall.

Take (2020), Dylan�����Ƶ�s late masterpiece about the process of creation. In the song, the narrator �����Ƶ� a modern-day Prometheus, maybe even Dylan himself �����Ƶ� tells of his efforts to construct his vision from �����Ƶ�limbs and livers and brains and hearts�����Ƶ�.

The song�����Ƶ�s arrangement at the start of the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour was as a brooding, Tex-Mex noir. But by the tour�����Ƶ�s end, Dylan had stripped his ode to Mary Shelley�����Ƶ�s Frankenstein to its essentials, until all that was left by the final Royal Albert Hall concert was Dylan�����Ƶ�s voice. 

He rapped the lyrics, accompanied by his own sparse piano backing and the occasional guitar flourish. It was a performance that evoked similarities to Dylan�����Ƶ�s rapid-style solo delivery of songs like (1965) on the same stage in the 1960s. 

My Own Version of You is a song in which Dylan reflects on his own artistic and creative processes. And in its radical and stark new arrangement in this final concert, Dylan was returning to how he started: as an artist whose main tools have always been . It�����Ƶ�s the reason he was awarded the in 2016, after all.

It�����Ƶ�s perhaps unsurprising then that the entire concert was a reflection on the process of creation. Dylan�����Ƶ�s process is to reshape, disassemble, reassemble and strip back. While the process is undoubtedly frustrating for some in the audience, as they struggle to guess what song Dylan is performing, it is also exhilarating to watch an artist reinventing himself and his songs in real time. 

They become assemblages of the old and the new, the found and the borrowed. (1971) is no longer an elegiac sing-along song, but instead a reggae-influenced tune via Dylan�����Ƶ�s own down-and-dirty blues of the Time Out of Mind album (1997), with a bit of his born-again gospel thrown in for good measure.

(1968) is no longer Dylan�����Ƶ�s homage to Jimi Hendrix�����Ƶ�s career-defining cover version, but a fable of hell trapped on a loop from which the narrator seeks escape, with echoes of (1990). And (1981) becomes a melancholic requiem by an old man with no regrets, determined to rage against time. It conjures memories of Dylan�����Ƶ�s version of , performed at the Royal Albert Hall in 2013. 

If this was to be Dylan�����Ƶ�s last ever live performance, then what does it say about him and his place in music history? Well, that he remains as vital an artist as he was in the 1960s, one who continues to reinvent himself, who continues to chase that restless, hungry feeling and who doesn�����Ƶ�t look back, but constantly forward. 

Dylan would leave behind an expansive body of work �����Ƶ� both studio albums and live recordings �����Ƶ� for scholars, critics and audiences alike to . And in that rediscovery, they will learn much about what it means to be an artist.

, Senior Lecturer in Creative and Cultural Industries, University of Manchester

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. .

The welcomes a world premiere on Friday,13 December as De Profundis, a newly crafted musical piece from , takes centre stage. 

A story of despair, tragedy and protest, De Profundis is Latin for �����Ƶ�From the Depths�����Ƶ�. The piece reflects on the impact of tyranny, particularly for those who stand up to tyrannical regimes - as such, the piece is dedicated to Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny who died in prison in February.

Switching between time periods, the piece uses multiple languages - Latin, German, Russian and English. It will be performed by the Quatuor Danel string quartet, with Opera North�����Ƶ�s Simon Grange �����Ƶ� Philips�����Ƶ�s son - as bass voice, who is cast as an unnamed journalist.

�����Ƶ�Tyranny through the ages�����Ƶ� is a focus, with the piece featuring quotes from Russian poet Anna Akhmatova, who suffered under Stalin�����Ƶ�s regime. 

It then moves back to 523AD, to the Roman Empire and the story of Boethius who fell foul of the Roman Court, being imprisoned and eventually executed the following year. De Profundis quotes from his The Consolation of Philosophy, which he wrote in prison. The piece also uses quotes from Todesfuge by poet and Holocaust survivor Paul Celan.

A conversation then took place between Philip and the quartet�����Ƶ�s first violinist, Marc Danel, who enthusiastically embraced the idea of a work for bass voice and quartet. This ignited a creative journey lasting nearly three years.

For the text, Philip turned to writer Kim Ballard, who he has worked with previously. It was Kim who created the main premise for the piece following numerous conversations with Philip. By October 2023 the text was ready, and over the following year Philip wrote the music.

Friday, 13 December 2024 will be the first performance of the piece. Tickets are available .

These African objects, generally seized within a colonial context and often with violence, are usually held in stores concealed from public view. Herein lies the challenge - how to engage with and exhibit African history, yet in ways that are honest, respectful and true to the knowledge and meanings of people�����Ƶ�s lived experiences. 

The event was designed to support Manchester Museum�����Ƶ�s aims to change its approach to narrating the past, and to reinforce how important local communities are to these developing understandings and approaches to decolonisation.

It was particularly fitting this workshop was held in Manchester, next door to the site of the 1945 Pan African Congress, widely celebrated as a turning point in the journey of African nations to freedom from colonial powers. This poignant connection was pointed out by one attendee while discussing the considerable challenge ahead for a museum committed to decolonising their exhibitions.

With input from people from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, the objects literally came to life as people shared feelings, ritual practices and stories.

For many objects, their meanings emerge through experiences or knowledge about their use, hence the terminology of �����Ƶ�living cultures�����Ƶ�. Sometimes recounting these stories and uses drew excitement and laughter but other reflections warranted a serious tone and quiet contemplation.

An object described simply as �����Ƶ�a wooden cup�����Ƶ� by its label was so much more. We learnt of the vessel�����Ƶ�s potential use for divination purposes, in meaningful rituals for special blessings and protective reasons. What looked at first glance like a decorative pattern etched onto its surface likely symbolised a particular community, and in this case the gift of such an object could symbolise friendship or support between communities. 

The �����Ƶ�wooden cup�����Ƶ� represents so many things but reduced to this simple label �����Ƶ�the knowledge is dead�����Ƶ� as one participant so eloquently remarked.

Unsettling memories and historical facts were recounted. One example being the instruction to stop using particular objects - threats by Christian missionaries that heaven wouldn�����Ƶ�t be an option if populations continued with African practices and customs: �����Ƶ�now we are reclaiming them�����Ƶ� said one woman. 

And that�����Ƶ�s what this workshop was all about. Using an innovative and interdisciplinary approach to help the Museum discover the values and meanings these objects have for African diaspora. This essentially is at the heart of the Museum�����Ƶ�s decolonisation methodology, hence the importance of this collaboration to . Centring those histories and narratives that are often omitted or ignored allows the return of the �����Ƶ�living�����Ƶ� to these objects encouraging those who know to reclaim and narrate their stories.

What�����Ƶ�s next? 

We hope to continue with this collaboration between methods@manchester, The University of Manchester, Manchester Museum and the African diaspora community groups who very generously shared their stories during the workshop.

Filmmaker, Dr Sophie Everest is currently leading with the development of a co-produced film featuring the workshop, the stories and the museum�����Ƶ�s attempts to decolonise its exhibits, and we hope to release a digital mini-exhibition and Dr Njabulo Chipangura will appear on an episode of , the methods@manchester podcast.

To keep up-to-date with methods@manchester activities and events please or connect with us via our . 

This year was themed around tackling the extremes of our world, with approximately 30,000 visitors having the opportunity to get hands-on with some of science's most cutting-edge developments through multi-sensory experiences, immersive events and hands-on family fun.

A series of interactive events were held throughout the 10 days of the festival. It was in the fun-filled at the Museum of Science and industry where visitors were able to look at the extremes of human performance and our planet.

Colleagues from the NOVARS Research Centre at The University of Manchester showcased a series of hand-on video game activities that emphasise the positive impact we can all have on the planet.

Professor Ricardo Climent, NOVARS Researcher, said:

The Manchester Science Festival is a highlight of the city's cultural calendar and the team are proud to be part of one of the most popular science festivals in the UK.

Discover more about the research on the .

John McAuliffe, Professor of Poetry and Director of , said:

Karen Wang, Deputy Director, , said:

As part of the exchange, artists from Manchester will visit Nanjing in March 2025. Outputs will include a bilingual illustrated poetry collection and a play, ensuring representation from under-represented groups, including female artists.

The creative collaborations will explore the ecological theme of Real Contentment, inspired by �����Ƶ�s poetry. Additionally, a schools engagement programme will involve 300 young people, fostering inter-cultural understanding and addressing the climate emergency through creative expression. The work created by the artist exchange and schools programme will be shared at the Festival of Libraries in June 2025 when Manchester hosts the artists from Nanjing.

Partners in the programme also include and . 

The British Council�����Ƶ�s International Collaboration Grants are designed to support UK and overseas organisations to collaborate on international arts projects. 

The is based on research from the Placeholders project, which emerged out of a collaboration between Bruntwood Group Ltd. and The University of Manchester.

Conducted from April to November 2022, the project engaged over 100 young people in the Stretford area, and partnered with more than 50 community organisations. 

The initiative aimed to amplify the voices of under-represented groups, particularly young women, in the town centre's development planning.

During the project the team focussed on designing an inclusive process for engaging young people in place-making in Stretford and produced this report co-written by Carl Fraser, Professor Abigail Gilmore, Dr Elena Brearley and Dr Ailbhe Treacy.

The report offers recommendations for future participatory processes in urban development, and highlights the need to carry out participatory engagement with young people earlier in the process of regeneration projects. 

Finally, the report recommends a continuous point of contact within the stakeholder organisation to ensure continuous engagement with young people in Stretford, both during the time of participation to maintain ongoing dialogue.

For more information, contact Creative Manchester.

The report is also available to .

Being Here is the first major solo exhibition from artist Barbara Walker. Charting the engagement with figuration and portraiture since the 1990s, the exhibition opened at the Whitworth Art Gallery in October 2024. 

Alice Correia, our Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Art History, has contributed an essay to the catalogue accompanying the exhibition, in which she positions Walker�����Ƶ�s work with narratives of British art in the 1990s. 

Alice addresses the ways in which Walker and other artists of colour were often overlooked and excluded from the hype of 1990s BritArt. Correia discusses how Walker�����Ƶ�s work is driven by extensive research, during which the artist excavates and engages with the histories of Black representation in art history and the contemporary news media.

Alice took a group of First Year Art History students to the Whitworth to consider Walker�����Ƶ�s use of drawing as a method for contesting racist stereotyping, and the group was fortunate to have a special introduction to Walker�����Ƶ�s work by the exhibition�����Ƶ�s curator Hannah Vollum, in the Whitworth�����Ƶ�s Study Centre.

Edward Wouk, Head of Art History and Cultural Practices (AHCP) said:

Further information

Barbara Walker was born in Birmingham, England, in 1964. She studied at the University of Central England, Birmingham, and completed post-graduate studies at Wolverhampton University. Her work is informed by the social, political and cultural realities that affect her life and the lives of those around her. 

Growing up in Birmingham, her experiences have directly shaped a practice concerned with issues of class and power, gender, race, representation and belonging. Her figurative drawings and paintings tell contemporary stories hinged on historical circumstances, making them universally understood and reflecting a human perspective on the state of affairs in her native Britain and elsewhere. 

In 2023 Walker was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts and shortlisted for the Turner Prize.

Walker's show at the Whitworth is her first major retrospective exhibition in the UK. 

As part of the Faculty of Humanities�����Ƶ� Outstanding Staff Awards for Teaching, Learning, and Student Experience, this recognition highlights programmes that have not only met but exceeded students' expectations, thanks to inspiring, motivating, and innovative teaching teams. 

Launched in September 2023, the MA Library and Archive Studies has already made a significant impact by offering a curriculum that blends academic excellence with practical insights into the evolving field of library and archive management. 

Student feedback played a crucial role in this recognition, with nominations highlighting the programme's commitment to fostering a supportive learning environment, encouraging students to push their boundaries, and promoting critical thinking. 

Speaking ahead of the award, Programme Director Benjamin Wiggins expressed his gratitude, saying:

Kenneth Atuma, another academic actively contributing to the programme�����Ƶ�s development, also said:

The Faculty awards panel reviewed numerous student nominations across various categories, and the programme�����Ƶ�s recognition stands as a testament to the dedication and hard work of the teaching staff, who have consistently delivered a high-quality educational experience.

The official awards event will take place on Wednesday, 6 November 2024, at Christie�����Ƶ�s Bistro, where this outstanding achievement will be formally celebrated.

, a volume created between colleagues at the University of Manchester and the University of Liverpool, has been unveiled as a contender for the Association of Dress Historians Book of the Year Award. 

The volume is a decentred study of how textiles shaped, disrupted, and transformed identities in the age of the first globalisation.

The research and work in the shortlisted book have been undertaken by (Professor of Early Modern History and Deputy Director and Scientific Lead of the John Rylands Research Institute, University of Manchester) and (Derby Fellow in Historical Legacies of Empire) from the University of Liverpool�����Ƶ�s archaeology and history departments, who brought together researchers from a plethora of disciplines. 

Professor Hanß said: �����Ƶ�The diversity of topics, disciplines, geographies, and contributors in these 16 chapters is so exciting! We bring together world-leading anthropologists, archaeologists, art historians, conservators, curators, historians, scientists, and weavers, establishing cutting-edge conversations across disciplines to examine how textiles created and challenged experiences of subjectivity, relatedness, and dis/location that transformed social fabrics around the early modern globe. 

�����Ƶ�We�����Ƶ�re really proud to be named on the shortlist for this year�����Ƶ�s Book of the Year award, particularly because we are the only pre-modern study and the only edited volume to feature in the shortlisted works. It�����Ƶ�s a real honour!�����Ƶ� 

The project has received funding from various streams and Professor Hanß added: �����Ƶ�All of our funding contributors and supporters are integral to the work we have been able to conduct. From the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures at The University of Manchester, we were awarded funds from the Research Development and Support Fund. We were also able to secure funding from The Leverhulme Trust, Churchill College Cambridge and St. John�����Ƶ�s College Cambridge.�����Ƶ� 

The volume has received stellar praise, among others, by Indian literary critic Homi K. Bhabha (Harvard University): �����Ƶ�This outstanding volume provides us with the warp and woof of historical exchange and cultural co-existence. These enthralling essays engage with material practices of weaving across genres and geographies, displaying the travelling world of textiles as they record the shifting global communities of a �����Ƶ�woven imaginary.�����Ƶ� Reading In-Between Textiles, brought to life the migratory memory of my mother�����Ƶ�s Parsi garas: a traditional sari, commissioned in Bombay from Chinese sailors who offered her a range of silks and motifs, and brought her the sari, months later, when they docked again in Bombay harbour. Set out on this wondrous voyage of the woven world.�����Ƶ�

The erhu (Chinese fiddle)

The first talk will focus on the historical development of the erhu. We will explore how the instrument is made and learn about its diverse repertoire since the early 20th century.

Guest: Xinjie Yang (MA Conducting, RNCM)

Date & time: 6-7pm on 30 October
Venue: Manchester Central Library

The violin

The second talk is on the violin. It examines the transmission of violin culture from Europe to China. We will discuss how the violin influenced Chinese musical development and explore various compositions written over the last century.

Guest: Ziluo Huang (PhD Musicology student, University of Manchester)

Date & time: 6-7pm on 20 November
Venue: Manchester Central Library

The guzheng

The last instrument in the series is the guzheng. The talk will introduce composing for the guzheng. It will discuss how our guest reimagined the instrument�����Ƶ�s musical tradition by integrating Chinese philosophies found in painting and ancient literature.

Guest: Li Yang (MA Performance Studies student, University of Manchester)

Date & time: 6-7pm on 11 December
Venue: Manchester Central Library

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This role allowed me to apply my academic knowledge in a practical setting, enhancing my skills and preparing me for a dynamic career in the arts and cultural sector. I am enthusiastic about leveraging my experience and skills to foster innovation and inclusivity in the creative field.

The primary project I worked on was the , an event funded by Arts Council England (ACE) celebrating Manchester's rich literary heritage and extensive local library network. My responsibilities included event planning and coordination, audience development, and communication strategy, and I participated in Zoom meetings with key stakeholders to finalize event details.

Implementing audience development strategies was crucial, involving tailored communication plans and outreach efforts to engage specific demographics. Crafting engaging news stories and social media posts using platforms like Hootsuite and Canva was also a key part of my role, ensuring content resonated with the target audience.

As part of the event, I helped to establish detailed communication planning and implementing audience growth strategies for four key seminars in the Festival of Libraries schedule. Each session was carefully crafted to appeal to a wide variety of age groups and interests, providing participants with a rich and immersive experience suited to their preferences and expectations. I hoped that by implementing these ideas, we would not only broaden the festival's reach, but also deepen engagement and foster long-term relationships with our audience.

To illustrate, take the "Tasting Children�����Ƶ�s Literature �����Ƶ� An Edible Readathon" workshop, for instance, which was designed to captivate young children up to the age of 8, along with their parents, caregivers, and educators. Employing audience development strategies, we orchestrated targeted social media plans and community outreach endeavors to ensure broad participation and robust engagement.

This is also one of the highlights of my placement. This event was a resounding success and a truly delightful experience. The workshop's innovative approach combined the joys of reading with sensory play, allowing children to explore literature through interactive and edible elements. 

Promotional materials emphasized the educational benefits and fun nature of the event, which helped in drawing a significant number of participants. The event featured a variety of activities where children could taste food items inspired by their favourite storybooks, making the experience both memorable and educational. 

The atmosphere was filled with excitement and laughter as children immersed themselves in the stories, transforming the act of reading into a multi-sensory adventure.

The success of the "Tasting Children�����Ƶ�s Literature �����Ƶ� An Edible Readathon" workshop not only demonstrated the power of creative engagement in fostering a love for reading among children but also highlighted the importance of community involvement in cultural events. It was incredibly rewarding to see the positive impact of our efforts on the participants, reinforcing the value of inclusive and accessible cultural programming.

Final-year History and American Studies student Anya Carr was named winner of the British Association for American Studies undergraduate essay award, and Xavi Goodall, a third-year student currently studying at Rutgers University in New Jersey, received an honourable mention in the same competition. Both students were honoured as part of the BAAS award ceremony, which took place in June this year.

Anya�����Ƶ�s essay offered a sparkling account of the African American actor, singer, and activist Paul Robeson�����Ƶ�s 1949 visit to Manchester. The project used Robeson�����Ƶ�s brief trip to lens the local and global agendas that came together in this moment, as civil rights, decolonization, and the Cold War intermingled, and as various groups competed around Moss Side, Chorlton-on-Medlock, and Belle Vue to win Robeson�����Ƶ�s support. The project argued that we should think of the city of Manchester as akin to �����Ƶ�the global activist hubs of London, Paris, and Harlem�����Ƶ� that other scholars have written about, and it made an innovative attempt to �����Ƶ�ground the global in the local, and to offer a new perspective on the complex interplay between the Red, white, and Black Atlantics.�����Ƶ� A short blog post that Anya wrote describing the research .

The BAAS judges �����Ƶ�were incredibly impressed by this well-argued essay�����Ƶ� which �����Ƶ�situated Robeson within intersecting contexts�����Ƶ� and which �����Ƶ�highlighted the complexities of post-war organising and solidarity.�����Ƶ� Anya�����Ƶ�s work drew extensively on the University�����Ƶ�s US newspaper holdings, as well as materials at the , the People�����Ƶ�s History Museum archive, and the Working Class Movement Library and Archive, in Salford.

Xavi Goodall�����Ƶ�s essay looked at references to American writer Harriet Beecher Stowe�����Ƶ�s novel Uncle Tom�����Ƶ�s Cabin (1851-52) in The Century Magazine, America�����Ƶ�s most popular periodical in the late nineteenth century. Xavi uncovered a handful of references to Stowe�����Ƶ�s novel between the 1880s and late 1890s, and used these to show that, while Stowe�����Ƶ�s novel exerted a lasting influence on American opinions about slavery, The Century Magazine seldom discussed the literary merits of Stowe�����Ƶ�s work or offered a neutral account of her politics. As Xavi argued, �����Ƶ�Uncle Tom�����Ƶ�s Cabin�����Ƶ�s appearances in The Century were defined more by the magazine�����Ƶ�s context than the book�����Ƶ�s contents.�����Ƶ� The judges described the piece as �����Ƶ�a beautifully written and accomplished essay,�����Ƶ� and thought Xavi�����Ƶ�s �����Ƶ�careful and detailed analysis of The Century magazine�����Ƶ�s complex engagement with Stowe was very strong.�����Ƶ�

Both students�����Ƶ� essays were developed and written within second-year American Studies modules. Xavi�����Ƶ�s work on Stowe began in Dr. Gordon Fraser�����Ƶ�s AMER22662 Uncle Tom�����Ƶ�s Cabin as Global Media Event, while Anya�����Ƶ�s study on Robeson was written in Dr. Andrew Fearnley�����Ƶ�s AMER20022 US History Long Essay module. Each project made use of the printed and electronic resources held by the University, and the physical archives available around the city of Manchester.

The day commenced with a panel discussion on �����Ƶ�Archaeotecture�����Ƶ� chaired by Professor Teresa Anderson, with Professor Clive Ruggles and Professor Bob Cwyinski, to explore the intersection of ancient cosmologies and modern scientific discoveries. The panel discussed how Garner's fiction has bridged dialogues between disciplines such as archaeology and physics, offering imaginative continuities that enrich our understanding of the universe. The discussions were a testament to Garner�����Ƶ�s ability to weave complex, interdisciplinary ideas into his narratives, making his work a subject of academic interest and admiration.

One of the highlights of the day was "A Walk in Time" with archaeologist Melanie Giles. Participants were taken on a journey through the Jodrell Bank site, where Giles reflected on the objects and ideas that have inspired Garner�����Ƶ�s writing. The walk included hands-on experiences with archaeological artefacts and replicas, bringing to life themes of landscape lore, craft skills, and protective charms that are prevalent in Garner's novels.

Following the walk attendees were invited to a film screening of To The Round Meadow: Alan Garner & Jodrell Bank by Al Kenny. The film featured an intimate conversation between Alan Garner and his daughter, Elizabeth Garner, discussing his connection to the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank. This conversation delved into Garner's personal memories and reflections on the site, highlighting how it has influenced his writing and enriched his imaginative landscapes.

The day continued with the panel discussion "Archaeology & the Imagination of Place" chaired by Melanie Giles. The panel, Tim Campbell-Green, Richard Morris, and Rose Ferraby, explored how Garner�����Ƶ�s work, deeply rooted in the past, has woven archaeological knowledge, discoveries, and folklore into his narratives. Melanie Giles and Rose Ferraby discussed how their professional practices have been influenced and enriched by Garner�����Ƶ�s storytelling and explorations of histories in the Cheshire landscape.

The final panel, "A Place Across Time" chaired by , featured Elizabeth Garner and medieval scholar David Matthews. This discussion centred on the intersections of historical and mythological time within imaginative fictions, poetry, and actual landscapes, drawing on Alan Garner�����Ƶ�s vivid depictions of place across time in his works.

In the evening our Solstice celebrations culminated with a reading and discussion of Sarah Perry�����Ƶ�s latest novel, Enlightenment. Set in a small town in Essex, the novel intricately weaves a narrative of entangled relationships and emotional turmoil, exploring the conflict between faith and fact. Perry, renowned for her award-winning works such as The Essex Serpent, explored the novel's themes with Chair Teresa Anderson, and wowed guests with her seamless integration of astronomical principles into the storytelling.

�����Ƶ� the University�����Ƶ�s creativity-championing research platform �����Ƶ� hosted five workshop sessions in partnership with the , , and .

�����Ƶ�Writing for Wellbeing�����Ƶ� took place at Tameside, Rochdale and Bury Libraries on 13 - 15 June. Facilitators Rebecca Hurst, Tessa Harris and John McAuliffe worked with participants to explore the benefits of creative writing on personal wellbeing. 

One attendee commented:

�����Ƶ�Tasting Children�����Ƶ�s Literature �����Ƶ� An Edible Readathon�����Ƶ� returned on Friday, 14 June with two sessions: a private workshop for Reception children at St. Andrew�����Ƶ�s C of E Primary School Levenshulme, held at Arcadia Library, and a public session at Manchester Central Library. Children enjoyed a storytime session with play food, colouring activities, and fruits to eat.

The Linguistic Diversity Collective held two well-attended workshops at The Portico Library on 12 and 14 June. The first, �����Ƶ�What�����Ƶ�s in a word and what�����Ƶ�s in a dictionary?�����Ƶ� saw attendees take part in activities looking at how dictionaries define words and phrases. 

�����Ƶ�Blackout the jargon�����Ƶ� then invited participants to engage with scientific literature in a unique way through blackout poetry. 

Supported by , the Festival of Libraries 2024 was a testament to Manchester�����Ƶ�s enduring commitment to literacy, learning, and inclusivity. 

Find out more about the Festival of Libraries .