You’ve probably already heard about the new trend for immersive art, as seen in the Van Gogh exhibitions of recent years, which featured in Netflix sitcom Emily in Paris. The simple premise is that, rather than stare at dry and dusty canvases in small frames; you walk through a room surrounded by huge projections of the art. It’s super fun, attracts new audiences you wouldn’t normally see in an art gallery, and is a great way to get a new perspective (literally) on famous paintings.
Since last year, David Hockney has also been getting the immersive art treatment. At 87, he’s considered one of Britain’s most influential living artists. He played a key role in the Pop Art movement of the 1960s and has constantly innovated ever since, even creating art on iPads in recent years.
Last year, his blockbuster immersive retrospective Bigger & Closer (Not Smaller & Further Away) launched in London’s King’s Cross to widespread acclaim. And now a new version is coming to Manchester from 10 December-25 January.
And that’s just one of the highlights in the Autumn/Winter Season at the city’s Aviva Studios, also known as Factory International; a brand new cultural hub which opened in June last year. Visitors can also enjoy:
- The world premiere of Laurie Anderson’s ARK: United States Part 5 (14-24 Nov).
- Ivan Michael Blackstock’s Olivier award-winning TRAPLORD (26-29 Sept).
- Jenn Nkiru’s new film reflecting on Manchester’s industrial history (4 October)
- Talks by Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei and Palestinian author Adania Shibli as part of ‘Artists in a Time of Upheaval’ (Sept to Dec).
Anderson on the Apocalypse
Laurie Anderson is an American avant-garde artist who works across different mediums, including performance art, music and filmmaking. Those of a certain age will remember her 1981 song O Superman, topping the charts and confusing everybody. (If you don’t, check it out: it’s honestly the most unusual number one you’ve ever heard). She’s also known for directing and starred in films like the 1986 concert film Home of the Brave. Basically, all you need to know is that everything she does is unexpected, brilliantly inventive and definitely worth checking out.
Laurie Anderson. Photography by Stephanie Diani
Now, fuelled by the artist’s fascination with the future of humanity, ARK: United States Part V (14-24 Nov) brings together new music, cinematic imagery, stories and songs. Weaving together multiple threads from her five-decade-long career, ARK is an imaginative and personal interrogation of where we are now, asking: what has brought us here and how much time do we have left?
Laurie was born in Chicago in June 1947, the same time and place that atomic scientists began the Doomsday clock’s countdown to the midnight of nuclear destruction. Fast-forward to the present day, and the multiple countdowns that now engulf us (climate collapse, environmental disaster, and the rise of AI) have all added to a sense of isolation and powerlessness as we retreat further online.