Manchester International Festival 2017

Summary

Thank you for joining us this last 18 days and for making the festival a success. Scroll back to remember some of the higlights of MIF 2017 and see you in 2019!
Manchester International Festival ran from 29 June and 16 July 2017
Talk to us @mifestival on twitter & mcrintfestival on Facebook

Live Reporting

the Manchester International Festival team

'Showing up, showing off and doing things our way'published at 17:57 BST 10 July 2017
#Creative50

Utterly distinctive and universally fabulous local artist Cheddar Gorgeous has created work for us in response to our opening What Is The City But The People. His point of view is especially relevant as he was one of the lucky people to walk the runway itself.
In collaboration with other members of the #FamilyGorgeous, Cheddar dressed as part of Manchester's Coat of Arms, and created the brilliant college below:
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This piece of digital art, that uses photography taken by members of the crowd, celebrates how Manchester's enthusiasm for showing up, showing off and doing things our way has made the city famous across the world!
Cheddar Gorgeous
Find out more about Cheddar's amazing work on Twitter (@cheddargawjus, external) and Instagram (@cheddargorgeous, external)
Cotton Panic star Jane Horrocks talks to Jonathan Rosspublished at 17:15 BST 10 July 2017
Music, mixtapes and love

Listen to Cotton Panic star Jane Horrocks recount her early passion for music, the walkman days and using music as a tool for seduction...
Media caption,
Jane & Stephen talk about mixtapes and whether they've been an aid to love.
Welcome to Manchesterpublished at 16:51 BST 10 July 2017
The Welcoming Party

Our family show, The Welcoming Party, external, has struck a real chord with audiences, with many talking about what a profoundly moving experience they have had. The show invites you to think about what it means to feel different – and why we should all be proud of who we are. With migration and movement still incredibly pressing issues in the UK and around the world, the show couldn't feel more timely.
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The music of Festival Squarepublished at 15:52 BST 10 July 2017
Festival Square

Image source, MIF
Image caption,
Portico Quartet
We've rounded up tracks from some of the amazing bands you can hear in Festival Square , externalacross the festival, so if you're not in Manchester you can dance around your bedroom instead!
Celebrating 200 years of Manchester musicpublished at 15:13 BST 10 July 2017
MIF17

Manchester poet Tony Walsh performed on Guy Garvey's show, broadcast live from our very own Festival Square.
Media caption,
Performing an excerpt of his poem, And The Dreamers.
Tony touched the nation’s hearts earlier this year with his moving rendition of his poem ‘This is the Place’ during a vigil for the victims of the Manchester Arena attack.
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Couldn't be at ToGather? Take a look at what happenedpublished at 13:21 BST 10 July 2017
ToGather

Yesterday the beautiful Whitworth Park was taken over by a performance by local residents, who had originated from countries all over the world. It was part of ToGather, external, a piece by artist Susan Hefuna with dancers from Studio Wayne McGregor, a new score by Robin Rimbaud (Scanner) and a digital experience by International Magic.
This celebration of togetherness, of travel, of leaving home and carving out a new place was witnessed by lucky Mancunians as they sat on the grass, enjoyed the sunshine and came together in welcome.
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Hear the stories of the residents involved, external, learn more about the strength, hope and marvel at their relentless spirit.
Watch poet Karl Hyde create art - live onlinepublished at 12:52 BST 10 July 2017
Manchester Street Poem

Image source, MIF
Quote Message
It's a performed installation, serving both as a shop window and a receptacle for stories from people with lived experience who are too often reduced to a generic 'the homeless'.
Karl Hyde, Creator, Manchester Street Poem
Daubing the stories of those who have experienced homelessness onto the walls of the UNFEAR gallery, Karl Hyde is live from now until 6pm tonight, external (and indeed, every day until the 15th of July), giving a voice to those who are often ignored.
Listen to Mary Anne Hobbs' favourite unsigned artistpublished at 12:27 BST 10 July 2017
Kojey Radical

This Thursday we welcome passionate, political and utterly fierce Kojey Radical to our Dark Matter gig series. Known as a poet, a film-maker and visual artist, he blends the personal and the political in an amazingly passionate live show. Watch below in our exclusive video to find out more.
Quote Message
He has such a wealth of young, ferocious talent"
Mary Anne Hobbs, Curator, Dark Matter
Media caption,
#mif17 trailer for Kojey Radical (part of the Dark Matter Series)
Listen to Jane Horrocks sing, right nowpublished at 12:07 BST 10 July 2017
Cotton Panic!

Oh, Jane Horrocks. It's easy to forget what a brilliant singer you are, when your legacy is built on being amazingly funny.
And yet, we recommend you plug in, and spend a minute listening to the haunting beauty of the Cotton Panic! , externalsoundtrack - a brand new musical exploring the North West's industrial roots, and what happened when American Civil War left Manchester in the midst of famine.
Media caption,
#mif17 trailer for Cotton Panic!
One week left! What's still to come?published at 11:43 BST 10 July 2017
Groundbreaking new dance, VICE comes to Manchester & our closing ceremony, that's what...

We're entering the final week, and there's still a lot more to come.
So ease into Monday and allow us to be your guided tour - from now until Sunday, there's plenty to see.
Image source, MIF
Cotton Panic!, external
Created and performed by the always sensational Jane Horrocks, Cotton Panic! describes itself as an 'industrial musical', drawing parallels between the cotton famine of the North West in the 1860s and the American Civil War that began it all.
Image source, MIF
10,000 Gestures, external
Opening this Thursday, 10,000 Gestures is a hugely anticipated new dance piece that attempts the near impossible: 10,000 unique movements from a troupe of dancers, with not a single one repeated.
Image source, MIF
Manchester Street Poem, external
Taking the stories of those who are or who have experienced homelessness, and painting them for all to see across an entire room.
You can watch Karl Hyde create his tribute to the homeless voice of Manchester by visiting UNFEAR Gallery, or by visiting our live-stream, external right here, every day from 10am-6pm.
Image source, MIF
VICE: Census Live, external
A unique live show created and hosted by VICE, external: a living, breathing UK census that counts young people, their politics, subcultures and ideals.
The show features discussions, comedy and documentary screenings, with live contributions from Joel Golby, Alfie Brown and Fern Brady, stars of VICELAND’S new stand-up show Brexit Stage Left; Zing Tsjeng, the Editor of Broadly, external, a regular contributor to Women’s Hour and a nominee for the Pride Power List talking to activist Saffiyah Khan.
Image source, MIF
Ceremony, external
Our free closing event will see the installation of a brand new statue - local boy and co-writer of the Communist Manifesto Friedrich Engles.
You can expect local music, projection, food, drink and a fantastic atmosphere, as we welcome a crucial part of political history back to the city centre.
Want to play a game?published at 19:18 BST 9 July 2017
Lost Memories Dot Net

You're sunburnt, tired and your legs hurt. Sunday evening, we totally understand.
In which case, it's the perfect time to dive into our game commission, external Lost Memories Dot Net - perfect early 2000s nostalgia and a narrative that slowly unravels as you play. Smack on the aftersun, and get exploring:
Media caption,
Lostmemories.net: a new game commission for #mif17 from Nina Freeman
Who are Amnesia Scanner?published at 18:50 BST 9 July 2017
Live At The Pavilion

Sitting somewhere between the lines of theatre, cinema and the technological innovation, Amnesia Scanner present the stage as a living organism with their live show.
They call it Xperienz – a totally-enveloping spectacle. The group collaborated with fellow MIF17 artist Holly Herndon, external on her excellent 2015 album Platform, then followed their first intense mixtape with debut EP AS (Young Turks) in March 2016: full of complex structures, supernatural landscapes and dense sounds, yet at the same time very much dancefloor-friendly.
They're at the Pavilion theatre tonight, and you can get a taste of what you're in for right here:
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10,000 Sonic Gestures - deconstructing musicpublished at 18:43 BST 9 July 2017
#creative50
Michael John Mizra
MIF17 Creative 50

Local sound artist Michael-Jon Mizra has been inspired by the premise of dance piece 10,000 Gestures, external - an unbroken sequence of utterly unique movements, and has translated that idea into a hypnotising soundscape:
Quote Message
10,000 Gestures concerns itself with a deconstruction of dance, and a composition of form to represent our stream of consciousness, where each moment is inherently unique. This response piece also serves as a stream of conscious, with a form based on disruption and transience.
Michael Jon Mizra
Listen to more from Michael Jon Mizra, external
MIF GIF a day: ToGatherpublished at 17:33 BST 9 July 2017
#creative50
Tara Collette
MIF17 Creative 50

Today's brilliant Tara Collette GIF celebrates ToGather, which is just finishing up in Whitworth Park:
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See every GIF she's made so far,, external and look back at the festival magic.
It's Sunday – so here's the Sunday Boys!published at 17:01 BST 9 July 2017
Festival Square

It's a beautiful sunny day in Manchester, and from 5.30pm in Festival Square, The Sunday Boys, Manchester’s male voice sensations, will perform a free show in the Pavilion Theatre.
The Sunday Boys was started by Michael Bettteridge in January 2016 to give Manchester an inclusive choir for men in the city to socialise and learn to sing. It's is open to any one who wants to sing in an inclusive and friendly environment.
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Watching ToGather: the audience perspectivepublished at 16:37 BST 9 July 2017
ToGather

Lucky Mancunians are currently gathered at Whitworth Park watching the second of our outdoor shows, ToGather, external (the first being our opening - What Is The City But The People?).
Sunny skies, glorious food, beautiful performances from residents who originate from all over the world. What more can you ask for?
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You can learn a lot more about the show and hear the personal stories of the amazing performers on the official website, external. Go forth, and immerse yourself in stories of leaving home to find another.
Take a closer look around...published at 16:25 BST 9 July 2017
Returning to Reims

Home, external, which hosts Thomas Ostermeier's adaptation of Didier Eribon’s bestselling memoir Returning to Reims, has sent us this sneak peek at the set... minus Nina Hoss, at the moment, but she's in the show! Find out more here, external.
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Check in on Karl Hyde's poetry process live, right nowpublished at 16:04 BST 9 July 2017
Manchester Street Poem

Image source, MIF
Ever seen a piece of art being made live, right in front of you? You can take a look at Karl Hyde writing all over the walls of UNFEAR gallery right here, right now. , externalAnd indeed every day: 10am-6pm.
Giving a voice to the homeless of Manchester, its a beautiful piece and a unique online experience.
Laurie Anderson on breaking the rulespublished at 15:25 BST 9 July 2017
Interdependence

Quote Message
Rule breaking is much more interesting to me than trying to give people messages encoded in music or painting. It’s just like… Why don’t you just to tell me what to do? Why do you have to put it in this thing here for me to decode? I often don’t really feel that those kinds of works are that successful, for me. Maybe for other people they are. I don’t think anybody really enjoys being told what to do, even in code.
Laurie Anderson
Laurie Anderson was part of our Interdependence talk on technology – watch again in the carousel above.
Watch the unforgettable stories behind ToGatherpublished at 15:08 BST 9 July 2017
ToGather

If you can't get down to the Whitworth today to see the live performance of ToGather, external, (and frankly, even if you can) you absolutely must take a look at the official website, where you can hear the first hand accounts of the local residents involved., external
Originally from fifteen different countries including Iran, Sierra Leone, Trinidad, Pakistan, Albania and Kuwait - they are unforgettable stories; full of heartbreaking insight and mesmerising power.