Manchester Part Three - More Art & A Fantastic Concert

 I walked a different way back to the city centre and back to hotel each day, just to see what different things I could see. The night before I came across this beautiful row of terraced houses.

While this morning I went along Tib Street and noticed these ceramic parrots sat along the window ledge. I suppose it keeps the pigeons away!

Today was super exciting, I had a concert booked this evening, but first I had a very interesting exhibition to visit. Yayoi Kusama is one of the worlds most notable and celebrated artists. I had seen some of her artwork on TikTok, and when I saw she had an exhibition on in Manchester, I knew I had to go and see it! Entitled "You, me and the balloons" the exhibition features high brightly coloured and detailed balloons, in a range of designs and styles.

Hosted at Aviva Studios by Factory International, the whole exhibit was designed to be a feast for the senses. You started by coming in through this room with the yellow, almost tentacle like balloons, before coming into the main hall.

The main hall was stuffed full of the designs, varying from pumpkins, to people, animals to mushrooms. It was amazing just how many different designs there were on show. The creativity and inspiration that went into the designs was just incredible.

I didn't actually know much about Yayoi Kusama, other than that she had been an artist since the 60's and had a very varied and successful career. She was born in Japan, and after studying traditional art moved to the United States in the 1950's where she began her career on the international art stage. I found it interesting how she expressed that making art helped with her mental health, and that she had been living in a mental health facility in Japan since the 1970's. 

I find her use of colour extraordinary, the use of the yellow in particular, it was such a specific shade, to the point I couldn't put a name to it, it's not sunshine or ochre,  and it's not banana or gold, nor is it custard, canary or lemon. It almost seemed to be a new colour, and I found it mesmerising. Maybe we should call it Kusama yellow?

I'd always wanted to know what it was like inside my intestines, I guess I now know! I loved this bit though, the colours, the way the lines of the balloons and the dots drew your eyes in different directions and encouraged you to explore deeper. This part you could actually walk around and through, and I rather enjoyed peeing through the gaps in the balloons and seeing the other shapes & designs.

It was funny, the exhibition seemed to provoke very different responses to people. I was stood on the balcony looking over the artwork, and the older woman next me was saying how it looked like a child had designed it, to another person saying how uncomfortable the dots made them. That made me chuckle! I sent pictures to a friend,, who seemed equally bemused. But that's the great thing about art, it's so subjective. I saw this and loved it, other people didn't. I've seen plenty of artwork that I've loved and James didn't, and vice versa. Art that creates an emotional connection is the best. I've seen several pieces that have connected with me in a way that's made me share the emotion of the art itself. Paintings like The Scream, by Edvard Munch, Les Voix du Tocsin by Albert Maignan, or Saturn by Goya, have created an emotional response, and that's the sign of an intense artwork. But like I say, it's all subjective. I've seen many pieces of art that I just didn't get a feeling or connection to.

Anyway, Aviva Studios host's Factory International, and while the "You, me and the balloons" exhibit has now ended (apologies for how late this blog still is, but I'm slowly catching up!) there are frequent exhibitions there, so it's worth checking out their website for more information about upcoming events. You can find their website here @factoryinternational.org

I came out of the exhibition craving more art, and almost as if the universe knew this would happen, there was a free performance art & music festival happening outside Aviva Studios. What luck! 

There was a reggae group on, not my cup of tea but was still fun to watch. There was also poetry, speeches about mental health, poverty and political issues in the UK. But what I thought was really good, was there was sign language interpreters every part of the show, which was fantastic at making the festival more inclusive.

A cheeky cider in between sets!

One of the speakers, who gave a really important and thought provoking speech about Muslim women and mental health issues, and how culturally it's still incredibly taboo and prevents women from speaking out. She also spoke about her experiences in the NHS as a Muslim women, and how many doctors/nurses/healthcare professionals did not know how to treat her respectfully. It was rather eye opening, and I applaud her bravery in standing up and speaking about her experiences. (I didn't catch her name, apologies). I always think that if you're able to talk about something and it just even slightly educates someone, or changes a view, or makes someone feel less alone, then you should do it. Even the slightest change can really make a difference to someone.

As Miriam Margolyes (who I adore) said in a video I was watching recently about transgender people, slightly changing your language has no effect to you, but can mean the world to someone who then feels valued, heard & seen. And that's a mantra I try to live by. Of course it's impossible not to make mistakes and forget something, but I always try to make a conscious effort. One small thing can really make an impact.

I was also getting hungry (I'd somehow been so engrossed that I had forgotten it was past lunchtime), so I went to the food stalls (once it had started raining, so there was no queue) and treated myself to this delicious, although rather chewy curry. Back on stage, we then got a disco for while, before I headed out to my next visit. Unsurprisingly, I was running out of time. Like I always do when I am visiting somewhere! I had to make a choice, return to the Art Gallery and finish the last couple of rooms, or head to the Manchester Jewish Museum. I decided to go to the latter, as I'd never been to a Synagogue before. 

It was a little awkward to get to, I couldn't find the right bus stop to catch the bus there, so I ended up catching the MetroLink (glorified tram) to Queens Road, then sort of doubling back on myself somewhat. It was a little bit of a walk, past a retail park which I popped into for a quick look in TK Maxx and to have a wee before popping into the Jewish Museum, which is housed in a restored synagogue.

The team were all very welcoming when I arrived, and explained the history of the museum before directing me around. You first enter into a little exhibition room which gives you some of the history of the Jewish community in Manchester, as well as letters, photographs and personal objects that tells the story of the people who lives and worshipped in the local community.

Imagine things still costing a penny! What a bargain that would be! The synagogue is a restored Spanish/Portuguese one, having been built in 1874. It was used less and less as the Jewish community moved to other areas of Manchester, and in 1984 it had a full restoration before opening as a museum. Further conservation work and the construction of the café & exhibition room in 2021 further added to this charming little museum.

Inside the synagogue, I was surprised at the lightness and decoration. If I'm honest, I didn't really know what to expect. It was open, beautifully detailed, and the colour windows added the feeling of openness & light inside. The guide there was very helping, pointing out the stories in the stained glass, and talking about his experiences growing up as a young Jewish boy in Manchester after the war. I was really impressed with the museum, and found it very interesting to visit. Tickets cost £12 (including a donation, although you can just do the ticket for £10 if you prefer). Tickets last for a year and you can visit as many times as you like for the following 12 months. To find out more about the museum, as well to pre book tickets, check out their website @manchesterjewishmuseum.com

I had a little while before the concert, so I had a walk back into the centre of Manchester and went to slim chickens to try it out. Friends had been raving about it, and it was nice, but nothing too special.

Then, it was time to head towards Club Academy for the concert, wandering past this statue of Mahatma Ghandi & this interesting looking church. I was very excited, the show was of two acts, both from Eurovision 2023. Ireland Wild Youth, and Slovenia's Joker Out. Wild Youth I wasn't to fussed on, but Joker Out were my favourites for the contest, scoring the 12 from me. I joined the very long queue, and treated myself to a nice cider once inside.

Wild Youth were nice, they did a few songs on stage, then came into the audience to do a surprisingly good acapella couple of songs, before heading back to the stage. They were better than I thought, and I actually quite enjoyed the acapella and second part of the set. And then, it was time for Joker Out.

They burst onstage, Bojan, Nace, Jan, Kris & Jure in a fireball of energy. And the crowd was wild for it! I loved the fact that so many of the audience were waving both Slovene flags & singing along in Slovenian. It was so good to see, especially how non-English language music is treated here in the UK. They put on a fantastic show, and even I was swept up in the energy of it all! Obviously "Carpe Diem" got the most attention, but another of their hits "Plastika" also got everyone going. It was a fantastic concert, despite the fact I was dripping and sodden with sweat. Why are these places always so hot?

I think with the UK hosting Eurovision this year, it's helped raise awareness of non-English language music within the country. You would think that by having large communities of Polish and Indian people here, you would hear more of the music. We already have integrated our cuisines (to the point where Indian food is almost seen as British food here) so why not our music? It always reminds me of when I was a child, and "Dragostea Din Tei" by O-zone came out, and I think that's what sparked my love of music in other languages. It's hard to know when this happened, culturally, French, Italian & German was always used for opera, and that is acceptable, but pop music in French, Italian & German is not? It's an interesting topic. But seeing the likes of Käärijä having a top 10 song in the UK charts with the Finnish "Cha Cha Cha" has given me hope that maybe we will see this shift to acceptance of non-English music continue. I really hope so, because acts like Joker Out who perform in their native languages deserve more success and exposure. But if you ever get the chance to see them perform, I urge you to. The chemistry of the band is fantastic, you can see how well they all get on, and how dynamic a group they are. There's such a good musicality to them, and lead singer Bojan's voice is just beautiful to hear, they also have this fun vintage style to them as well, particularly how they dress. Think modern retro! You can keep up to date with them on their website here @jokeroutband.com and on their social media.

It was a half an hour walk back to the hotel, and the adrenaline was still pumping through my veins! I treated myself to a snack from the 24 hour convenience shop on the way (I know those rollover hot dogs are probably really bad for you, but they are so tasty I can't ever resist if I see one), before heading into bed. I had to be up in a few hours to visit Blackpool!