Manchester dawn photographer hosts weekend of events
Local artist Simon Buckley is staging an exhibition and a series of talks and tours over the weekend of 1-3 April, based around his photography project Not Quite Light, to explore the heritage of the city and its buildings.
Not Quite Light blog chronicles Buckley’s photographs around the north and eastern edge of Manchester city centre at dawn throughout the course of a year, and explores themes of regeneration and heritage.
A highlight of the weekend’s programme of events is a panel discussion on Sunday afternoon entitled ‘Manchester Renaissance?’ which looks at the impact of regeneration on artists and creative industries in Manchester.
Other events include:
- From Old Mill To The End Of Empire: An exhibition of Buckley’s Not Quite Light images at The Hive on Lever Street
- A low-light photography course, led by Buckley, in conjunction with the Apple Store, Manchester, including a dawn photo session
- Periscope broadcast by Buckley at dawn during an NQL session
- NQL Show And Tell: A guided tour with Buckley’s photos being linked to the social history of the area by Manchester tour guide Emma Fox
- A fundraising evening for homeless charity Lifeshare, with live music, DJs, visuals and food by Mary-Ellen McTague
- Breakfast With The Dead: A live Periscope broadcast from the Angel Meadows graveyard, alongside the Friends Of Angel Meadows, historian Simon Ward and with live music
- Manchester Renaissance?: A panel discussion exploring how regeneration has affected the city’s artists and creative industries
- Dusk Over Ancoats: A live Periscope broadcast discussing the changes in Ancoats with local residents and artist Len Grant
Buckley said: “The phrase ‘change is inevitable, but progress isn’t’ kept coming back to me. Manchester is going through a huge transition. Heritage is more than just bricks and mortar, it’s a state of mind. I wanted to ask the question, what are we as Manchester? If you’re knocking something down, what are you going to put in its place? You’ve got to be careful you don’t demolish the soul of a city whilst you’re running rampant, hoping to make it better.
“I’d like this to start a debate and the way to do that was to collaborate with others, using the photographs as a catalyst for people to think about the change around us.”
For details on how to book places and join in with the Not Quite Light weekend of events, go to http://notquitelight.com/weekend/
