It offered a platform to highlight the collective reach of Manchester’s humanitarian sector, which has supported more than 6.5 million people in the past year alone through landmine clearance, emergency medical aid, disaster preparedness, peacebuilding, and more.

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Opening the evening, MAG CEO Darren Cormack reflected on Manchester’s unique role in global humanitarianism: 

The evening included powerful speeches from the University’s President and Vice Chancellor, the CEO of Action for Humanity, and MAG’s Nika Kokareva, demining team leader in Ukraine. Nika delivered a first-hand account of the situation on the ground and the scale of humanitarian need caused by the ongoing war, particularly the threat posed by landmines and unexploded ordnance to families and farmers.

The event served as a timely reminder of Manchester’s deep-rooted legacy of social justice and global solidarity. While MAG and its partners operate in diverse contexts and specialise in different areas, the values driving their missions – dignity, justice, and hope – are shaped by the spirit of this city.

In a world facing increasing humanitarian challenges, the need for sustained partnership, collaboration, and funding has never been greater.

The Global Manchester event demonstrated what is possible when organisations, institutions, and communities come together in common cause – and why continued, united action is vital to creating a safer, fairer world.

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, co-authored by academics from the University of Manchester and the University of Groningen, adds nuance to the idea that journalists have hyped AI technologies.  Examining AI coverage in (USA), (The Netherlands), and (Brazil) between June 2020 and September 2023. The analysis, published in the journal Digital Journalism, found that, although fascination with systems like ChatGPT was evident, the reporting often reflected deeper tensions and uncertainties about AI’s future.

Instead of merely amplifying hype, the study highlights a recurring discourse of “open-ended technological inevitability”, according to which AI’s impact is unavoidable, though its course remains uncertain. Across all three newspapers, research revealed that ongoing power struggles among governments, corporations, experts, and citizens indicate that AI is not just a technological issue, but a political and social one.

The researchers argue that this complex media landscape may influence how AI is regulated and understood by the public, providing caution against oversimplifying journalistic coverage as mere hype.

The study introduces the concept of “mediated technological drama” as an alternative framework, explaining how media shapes public understanding of emerging technologies. Using theatrical metaphors, it suggests that journalists not only report on AI but also become engaged actors in the stories they tell.

For instance, a common theme across all three newspapers was comparing AI to nuclear weapons or climate impacts. These examples demonstrate the drama in action and how existential fears about AI are depicted. This multi-actor perspective is crucial for critically examining the politics behind the portrayal of emerging technologies.

The findings offer fresh insight for policymakers and media professionals seeking to navigate the evolving discourse around AI. As global conversations about regulation and ethics intensify, the role of journalism in shaping public understanding has never been more poignant.

Speaking of the findings, , Senior Lecturer in AI Trust and Security, shared: 

The peer-reviewed article  ‘’ was co-authored by , University of Manchester and , from the .

The daytime programme formed part of the conference Neither Factory Records Nor Madchester: Rethinking Manchester’s Musical and Subcultural Histories, hosted in collaboration with the at Manchester Metropolitan University. After a morning of sessions in Manchester, attendees travelled to UNESCO World Heritage site, Jodrell Bank, for an afternoon of thought-provoking discussions on Manchester’s rich musical legacy, led by University of Manchester experts. 

A panel, chaired by Creative Manchester’s Simon Industrial Fellow Karen Gabay, featured Alison Surtees, Basil Clarke, Debra Burns and Yvonne Ellis, and discussed the subcultural side of Stockport’s well-known Strawberry Studios. Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics Associate Director Prof Tim O’Brien delivered a keynote on ‘moonbouncing’, exploring when Kraftwerk’s performance was transmitted to the moon, bounced off the surface and transmitted back to Jodrell Bank at .  

The research conference concluded with a panel discussion on the science and politics of togetherness in music cultures. The panel was led by Dr Roddy Hawkins () with Dr Kamila Rymajdo (Creative Manchester/ENO Research Associate), Dr Christabel Sterling (RCM London), Dr Michelle Phillips (RNCM) and Dr Paul Martin (New Buckinghamshire University). 

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

The Solstice event began with a fascinating and important conversation between Soul II Soul founder Jazzie B OBE and acclaimed historian, broadcaster and Professor of Public History David Olusoga OBE, chaired by Dr Sophie Everest, Lecturer in Film Practice at ����Vlog�ٷ�. Set against the backdrop of the Grade I listed Lovell Telescope, the discussion explored the intersections of music, cultural heritage, and identity, and how the enduring influence of British Black music and subculture has shaped today’s cultural landscape. 

Jazzie B, a pioneering figure in UK music and founder of the legendary Soul II Soul collective, shared reflections on his journey from pirate radio to Grammy-winning global success. The Solstice event also featured the film premiere of , which documented his involvement in a University of Manchester research project and was produced in association with the British Pop Archive and Creative Manchester.

In the film, Jazzie B takes viewers on an immersive journey through his personal archive. Rifling through papers and artefacts, Jazzie uncovers his family’s Caribbean heritage and move to the UK, school days, sound system culture, employment history, business ventures and the story of Soul II Soul - from their ideological foundations to warehouse parties and global critical and commercial success. In doing so, Jazzie traces a vital and under-told history of post war Black British music, creativity, enterprise and collectivity.

This film was made by Dr Sophie Everest (Lecturer in Film Practice) and music documentarian Matt O’Casey in collaboration with Jazzie B and aims to trial new models of shared collecting and storytelling in association with the British Pop Archive (BPA). The BPA is a University of Manchester national collection dedicated to the preservation and research of popular culture, counter-culture, and youth culture. The film output is shared with Jazzie B and the footage from the shoot will enter the collection of the British Pop Archive for future research and public engagement with the collections. 

The evening concluded with an exclusive DJ set by Jazzie B with his signature sound in the First Light Pavilion, spinning classic tracks and contemporary hits that embody the spirit of Soul II Soul. 

The trail will feature artworks, exhibitions and installations that celebrate the people, places, moments and instruments of Manchester’s music scene. It runs from Monday 7 July – Sunday 31 August.

We’ll be celebrating two of ����Vlog�ٷ�’s most famous alumni – Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands, also known as The Chemical Brothers. The dance music duo met while studying history in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and went on to achieve massive chart success with six No. 1 albums and two No.1 singles in the UK.

Why not pay us a visit when you’re out and about in Manchester exploring the trail? For more info, visit the , where you can also .

Hamad Butt: Apprehensions at the Whitechapel Gallery, London, is the first major survey of Hamad Butt (b. 1962, Lahore, Pakistan; d. 1994, London, UK). Butt was one of the most innovative artists of his generation. His work spanned intermedia art, science, and alchemy, whilst also referencing his Queer and diasporic experiences. He offered a nuanced artistic response to the AIDS crisis in the UK, taking a conceptual rather than activist approach.

Alice Correia contributed an essay titled “Problem Spaces: Hamad Butt, South Asian Identities, and British Art” to the catalogue published to accompany the exhibition.  

Alice Correia’s talk will be held on Thursday 24 July, 6.30-8pm, at the Whitechapel Gallery, London. Tickets can be booked via the.

In praise of Hamad Butt: Apprehensions at the Whitechapel Gallery:

★★★★★&�Բ�����;‘Beauty and violence from a lost and dangerous YBA’
&�Բ�����;–&�Բ�����;

★★★★★&�Բ�����;‘This late genius puts you a breath away from death’
&�Բ�����;–&�Բ�����;

★★★★★‘cool, calm and potentially lethal’
&�Բ�����;–&�Բ�����;

The Festival, which takes place in spaces and partner venues throughout the city, including Factory International’s home Aviva Studios, is for the first time venturing further with events in locations across Greater Manchester, including Rochdale and Wigan. Festival attendees are invited to ‘experience art that pushes boundaries, addresses the big questions of our time and creates hope for the future’ with a varied programme of free, low-cost and ticketed events. 

����Vlog�ٷ� is proud to be a long-standing Senior Supporter of the Festival and its organiser Factory International, who are continuing to build on the MIF legacy with a varied programme of groundbreaking world premieres and local events, co-created with local communities, students and partners. The Festival celebrates Manchester as a global hub of creative innovation and features homegrown artists returning to the region with many of the artists programmed originally coming from the North West. 

The Whitworth, one of The University’s four cultural institutions, is also part of the MIF25 programme. From 4 July 2025 to 4 January 2026, Santiago Yahuarcani’s ‘The Beginning of Knowledge’ will be on show at the gallery and is the result of a project by the artist, Indigenous activist, and leader of the Aimeni (White Heron) clan of the Uitoto people. In his first international solo exhibition Yahuarcani showcases large-scale, narrative-rich paintings exploring the relationship between the Uitoto people and the natural world. 

Throughout July MIF25 is looking to inspire fresh perspectives, challenge conventional thought and invite audiences to ‘dream differently’ - envisioning new possibilities, brighter futures and utopian spaces. Presenting some of the most exciting creative minds of our generation, the programme champions indigenous artists and creators from the Global South, expanding the Festival’s renowned international impact as well as fostering deep connections with local artists and communities in the North West of England.  

Creative Director at Factory International and member of the Research Platform Advisory Board, Low Kee Hong says:

On the opening weekend hundreds of participants, including students and staff from ����Vlog�ٷ�, joined puppeteers in for a public artwork on an unprecedented scale. This monumental migration of life-sized puppets, some of which have been made in Manchester, took over the streets of Greater Manchester to open the Festival and raise awareness of the climate crisis and the collective effort needed to fight it. 

Across Greater Manchester’s boroughs residents will also be able to enjoy local community showcases featuring cabaret, performance and comedy on each Festival weekend, or join the free programme of events at MIF’s outside Aviva Studios. 

Across Greater Manchester’s boroughs residents will also be able to enjoy local community showcases featuring cabaret, performance and comedy on each Festival weekend, or join the free programme of events at MIF’s outside Aviva Studios. 

I am Beisi Wang, now studying at the university of Manchester, majoring in Digital Media, Culture, and Society. Over the past few months, I have had the pleasure of completing a placement with Creative Manchester, a research platform based at the University of Manchester that supports interdisciplinary collaboration between the arts, culture, and academia. 

As a postgraduate student in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, I have always been interested in health communication and the power of creative practices in raising public awareness. This placement gave me the valuable opportunity to explore how cultural events can promote meaningful community engagement as well as improving my own communication and organisational skills in a UK working environment.

Throughout my placement, I undertook diverse responsibilities that related to cultural events and digital communication. I participated in the full delivery of events, from internal meetings and external partner coordination to on-site logistics, such as setting up venues, preparing materials, and supporting guest registration. I also had chances to engage in digital communication planning, including managing and scheduling social media content across a variety of platforms (e.g. Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky), creating digital visual material (eg. posters and promotional videos) and monthly analysing social media performance. These experiences enhanced my understanding of how to tailor content to specific platforms and different audiences, while strengthening my skills in English writing, and professional workplace communication.

One of the most memorable and significant events throughout my placement is Silent Skies exhibition. It is an engaging temporary exhibition hosted at Manchester Museum, looking at both the historic and modern contexts of air quality in the city of Manchester. It brought together researchers, local campaigners, and members of the public to reflect on environmental injustice and collective action. 

The event was structured in three parts: an immersive exhibition, a drinks reception, and a lecture with interactive elements. During the drinks reception, some students moved through the crowd wearing gas masks and carrying trays of jelly with toy cars embedded inside, a striking metaphor for how exhaust fumes may affect the human lungs. The lecture also began with a powerful artistic moment: several performers held umbrellas adorned with recycled bottle caps, turning everyday objects into a symbol of environmental awareness. Throughout the talk, interactive activities encouraged attendees to reflect and participate in the discussion.

I was involved from the early planning stages to final promotions. I drafted and scheduled promotional content tailored to each stage of the campaign - writing teaser posts, designing digital assets, and managing cross-platform posting using Hootsuite. I also prepared targeted email updates for attendees and edited a video reviewing the whole event for our Instagram and Facebook account. Silent Skies showed me how storytelling, design, and creativity can come together to convey complex environmental issues in engaging and memorable ways.

Beyond practical digital communication skills, such as design and copywriting, this placement helped to grow as a communicator and team member. I became more confident to deliver a speech in team meetings, and coordinate audiences in events. I also improved my written English and became more familiar with the tone and branding of public-facing communication. More broadly, this placement allows me to realize how creative practices can bridge the gap between social issues and the public.

I’m incredibly grateful to the Creative Manchester team for their support and encouragement throughout the placement - especially my supervisor Kate, whose guidance helped me grow in confidence and independence. This has been a valuable and inspiring experience that has shaped both my academic journey and professional goals.

To any students considering a placement in Creative Manchester: go for it! It’s a great chance to apply your skills in a real-world context, meet inspiring people, and explore how creativity can drive change.

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 “exotic” 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’s painting Crucifixion (1961) in the Tate Collection. 

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

You can view the artwork on the Tate website.

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

A team of researchers at the University of Manchester have secured a major €2.5 million (£2.1 million) grant from the to uncover lost medical writings that could transform our understanding of ancient medicine and the exchange of knowledge between cultures.

More than a thousand years ago, Alexandria was one of the world’s great centres of medical learning. Among its most influential figures was Gesius, a renowned professor whose teachings helped shape health practices across the Islamic world and medieval Europe. His writings were thought to be lost, erased and overwritten on parchment, buried beneath layers of later texts.

Now, thanks to the discovery of five newly identified palimpsests - manuscripts that were scraped and reused centuries ago - those lost texts may soon be readable again. Hidden beneath newer writings are on the works of , one of the most important physicians in history.

Professors () and () are leading the project. Using advanced multispectral imaging and machine learning, their team will recover and transcribe the hidden texts, making them accessible for the first time in over a millennium. Once revealed, the writings will be edited, translated, and analysed to reassess Gesius’ contributions to medical theory and education.

“These texts will shed new light on how ancient Greek medical knowledge was preserved, adapted, and passed down into Syriac and Arabic traditions, shaping the foundations of both Islamic and Western medicine,” said Professor Pormann, Principal Investigator.

“This award will allow us to see the invisible and make a hidden source for the history of medicine readable and accessible for the very first time.”

The project builds on Professor Pormann’s former work as Founding Director of the , established in 2013 to explore the University’s rich collections of rare manuscripts and books. The Institute fosters collaboration between scientists, historians, conservators, and imaging specialists, using cutting-edge technology to unlock the secrets of the past.

This new grant continues this tradition of innovation, fueled by the Arts Lab approach that Pormann pioneered together with his long-term collaborator Professor William Sellers, whose work has spanned medicine and science. Their partnership is a testament to the power of crossing boundaries between disciplines, traditions, and centuries to uncover hidden knowledge.

After winning the race in Liverpool last year, the Manchester team didn’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.

The book, written by Anthropologist, , has also been awarded the and received an

Drawing on extensive fieldwork in the portion of Kashmir under Pakistan’s control and its surrounding mountainscapes, Atmospheric Violence explores how communities continue to live, relate, and imagine otherwise in landscapes shaped by both environmental disasters and militarised conflict. Through the intimate stories of five protagonists in remote mountain valleys, the book illustrates how people forge lives among violence that is everywhere—or ‘atmospheric’.

Departing from conventional trauma-centric approaches, the monograph frames disaster through the lens of repair. Engaging with Black and Indigenous studies, affect theory, and decolonial thought, the book blurs the boundaries of theory, storytelling, and activism to offer a transformative vision for understanding resilience and care in the world’s conflict zones.

Speaking of the awards, Dr Omer Aijazi, Lecturer in Disaster Management and Climate Crisis, shared:
“These awards testify that scholars are storytellers. We must take risks, experiment with our craft, and work from the heart. Other worlds, other futures, are indeed possible.”

These prestigious awards affirm Atmospheric Violence as a significant and timely contribution to global conversations on justice, survival, and the politics of humanitarian response.

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 event, hosted in partnership with , brought together experts, students, and members of the public for an evening of exploration into one of psychology’s most controversial experiments. The new docuseries, which is set to air in the UK on Sunday 15 June on National Geographic, re-examines the famous with new footage, reenactments, and powerful interviews with those who took part, many speaking on camera for the first time.

Attendees were offered thought-provoking perspectives from the docuseries’ expert commentators, from the , and from the .

The discussion covered social identity and how people act in groups. Professor Stephen Reicher shared findings from his own research, dating back to the 1980 St Paul’s riots in Bristol, showing that people often act with purpose and awareness in crowd settings. He also stressed the complexity of social psychology as a scientific field because its findings can alter the very thing being studied.

“People knew exactly what they were doing. Psychology changes who we are, and Zimbardo changed who we are,” said Professor Stephen Reicher.

The panel also looked at the idea of role-playing and how it can shape behaviour. Unlike in reality TV, where everyone knows it’s a game, in the Stanford Prison Experiment, those in charge thought they were “just playing,” but those on the receiving end didn’t feel the same. This difference in perspective led to confusion and real harm.

Two drama students from the University of Manchester, Arista Abbabatula and Minna White, who participated in reenactments for the National Geographic docuseries, also joined the discussion and shared how the experience made them reflect on the emotional and ethical challenges of portraying real events.

During the Q&A, audience members asked questions about the role of undercover police and how race and gender may have shaped the experiences of people in the experiment. The questions showed just how relevant the topic still is today.

The event was a great success, sparking deep discussion and showing the value of bringing together ideas from theatre, psychology, and real-world events. It also celebrated ����Vlog�ٷ�’s role in supporting this important new docuseries.

The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth will be shown in the UK on .

The day concludes with Creative Manchester’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 ����Vlog�ٷ�

The event is part of an ongoing collaboration between Jazzie B and researchers at ����Vlog�ٷ�, 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—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 ����Vlog�ٷ�'s four Cultural Institutions. Each of our unique cultural institutions – the Whitworth, the John Rylands Research Institute and Library, Manchester Museum and Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre – 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’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’s Grand Tour has seen it renewed for a second series, where the duo will travel to India and retrace the steps of Rob’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 “Slawit” 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’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’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’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’ 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 “raking out” 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’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’s political climate. 

In a wide-ranging dialogue, Professors Lamont and Younge explored the politics of recognition and multiculturalism in the context of Trump’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’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’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’s emerging leadership in the evolving discourse around responsible AI in Information Governance and Compliance but also showcases our university’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’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’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’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 “understand what is going on in the world” 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’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’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’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’ 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 ‘Joint Enterprise’ 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’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’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’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’s development and inviting attendees to participate in one of the activities firsthand.

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

‘Blackout the Jargon’ 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’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’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 – 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 – 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 – for a pop music nerd what could be better?

Taking place from Sunday 25 – 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’ Nyong’o of Yale University.

The Sexuality Summer School is organised by the Centre for the Study of Sexuality and Culture (CSSC) and funded by ����Vlog�ٷ� 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’s multi-award-winning BBC podcast, . The podcast series sheds light on one of the darkest chapters in Britain’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 ����Vlog�ٷ�. 

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’s March of the Woman and Errolyn Wallen’s What is a Girl, commissioned for the school’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’t just a ‘nice thing to do’ or a way of adding ornament to more ‘serious’ research methods; they’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.

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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‘s poetry. 

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

The programme is funded by the British Council’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’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’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 “Life Before the Line” (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’ 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’s International Collaboration Grants, which are designed to support UK and overseas organisations to collaborate on international arts projects. It’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’ 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’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’ 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’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’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 – - 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 – – A talk by the 's Dr Alex Baratta on accentism within British teacher training, held at Manchester Museum at 12pm.
• 21 February 2025 – - 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’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’s visit to Manchester follows the launch of a major new partnership between the English National Opera (ENO) and Greater Manchester. The organisation’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’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 .

����Vlog�ٷ� 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.

����Vlog�ٷ�’s 2023 event offerings included a workshop looking at dictionaries and word meanings, delivered by the Linguistic Diversity Collective,‘Writing for Wellbeing’ workshops led by poets and authors from the Centre for New Writing, and a family-friendly session exploring food in children’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 ����Vlog�ٷ�. 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’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 ����Vlog�ٷ�. 

As part of Creative Manchester's presence at the conference the “Our Heritage, Our Stories” 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.