THING OF THE WEEK
JIGSAW…Brace yourselves, people of Liverpool. Cold War Steve, Twitter’s premier satirical art genius, is on his way to you as part of the ‘Cold War Steve Meets the Outside World’ tour. The man behind Cold War Steve, Christopher Spencer, is travelling around England recreating his hilarious dystopian artwork, which depicts politicians and celebrities in a variety of grim scenarios on a grand scale. So far he has been to Bournemouth and Coventry but is currently in Liverpool putting together a 1,500 sq ft jigsaw of Donald Trump next to the Liver building. Not to be missed.
5PLUS5…Manchester-based firm 5plus Architects is celebrated its 10th birthday this week. The team was supposed to be heading to Copenhagen to celebrate by immersing itself in beautiful architecture and Stegt flæsk, Denmark’s national dish, but then 2020 happened. 5plus director Phil Doyle told THING: “After the recession, what we previously thought was normal was no longer normal. Ten years on…how times have changed.” Indeed.
COMMUNITY HEROES...Lockdown has a new hero. Sixty-six-year-old Glynis from Chorlton has put her considerable energy to good use over the last six months. She created Chorlton Bike Deliveries, a volunteer-run organisation that has hopped on its bike to help transport goods around the area in an eco-friendly manner. And it seems Glynis’s kind-hearteded venture is catching on, if the subsequent formation of Urmston Bicycle Deliveries is anything to go by. Be more like Glynis.
ENERGY SAVERS…On a similar theme, the team at Manchester design practice CallisonRTKL has been doing its bit – on two wheels. Despite the majority of staff working from home throughout September, three of the team collectively managed to amass 317 miles during the month by using their bikes when travelling to site. Their efforts saved the planet 76lbs of carbon dioxide, the company said.
LAKE LIFE…The North West is packed with beauty spots, which, due to work commitments, most of us only find time to enjoy on the weekend. Mark Graham, director at LDA Design, was lucky enough to find himself working in the Lake District this week and, in doing so, struck that often elusive balance between those two pillars of existence, work and life. Although surely if there’s one place in the region a landscape architect might struggle to find work, you would have thought it would be in the Lake District, where few further beautifying endeavours are needed.
BIRDS…Sales of binoculars and bird feed are set to rise across Greater Manchester due the apparent abundance of an exotic species of bird. Bright green Parakeets, ubiquitous in many parts of mainland Europe, have been spotted in Burnage and Salford this week as the squawking creatures flock North for no apparent reason. Jonathan Seddon, chief executive of Seddon Construction, and Peter O’Hare, regeneration lead for Salford Quays at Salford City Council, were both eagle-eyed enough (sorry) to snap the birds looking quite confused at the lack of sun up North.
