Manchester International Festival

The Manchester International Festival opens this Thursday (June 28) bringing original work and big name artists like Gorillaz, Lou Reed and William Orbit.

Watch out too for MMU and other local universities who are also on the bill!

The Festival has involved our staff and students so that they are doing much more than simply enjoying the likes of pop opera Monkey: Journey to the West or Unknown Pleasures, which celebrates Manchester as a musical Mecca.

Festival organisers have spent the last 18 months forging links with MMU, Manchester and Salford universities to ensure the Festival is not simply a pay-to-go-in affair but an expression of the city’s strengths.

Cultural standing

"There was a real feeling that the Festival was an opportunity to add to Manchester’s cultural standing," explains the Festival’s higher education manager Jennifer Cleary. And that means tapping into the artistic and creative knowledge base of the universities.

For example, public art is being created via The Rusholme Project by Pakistani artist Rashid Rana, who is temporarily based at MMU's Institute for Research and Innovation in Art and Design (Miriad). The Project will create a number of spectacular site-specific works that engage with the urban architectural vernacular of Rusholme and aim to transform the neighbourhood (June 29-July 8).

Rana and arts group Shisha have been working with Miriad director Professor John Hyatt who has plans for the city to host an Asian Art Triennial. www.miriad.mmu.ac.uk

In another venue, textiles lecturer Lynne Setterington and her students stage a recycling workshop The Garden (July 7-8) creating beautiful trees, shrubs and creatures from things you would normally throw away. Part of The Great Indoors, at Manchester Central.

Super-debates

The Guardian Debates, one of the most awaited parts of the festival, are four ‘super-debates’ on hot topics including Do Art and Politics Mix? The former features MMU art graduate Heather Ackroyd alongside controversial broadcaster David Aaronovitch.

Researchers also get their chance: members of MMU’s Research Institute for Health and Social Change www.rihsc.mmu.ac.uk will evaluate the impact on schools of performances by Oily Cart which are inspired by a two-week interactive residency in two schools for young people with autism.

Added Jennifer Cleary: "We hope to have all of Manchester’s 88,000 students talking about and enjoying the festival. It could be the fillip that universities need to develop other partnerships with creative industries."

Offcut

Offcut, which includes the Manchester International Student Theatre Festival (MIST), the Manchester Monologues, a Carol Ann Duffy poetry event and visual art, will run as a Fringe Festival to Manchester International Festival.www.mmu.ac.uk/development/offcut

For the full Festival programme go to manchesterinternationalfestival.com