The Welcome - Factory Assembly
I first experienced participating in a Manchester International Festival programme in 2015 in Douglas Gordon’s stage production of Neck of the Woods. It’s a bit of a tale, full of exciting twists, turns and revelations, that wasn’t just the play but was how I also felt about my involvement. What I learned was being involved in a project with the now named Factory International really means you get involved.
In 2019 I became a member of Factory International’s - People’s Forum which is a group of Manchester residents that act as a critical friend to the Manchester International Festival’s programme of work. This gave me the opportunity to find out more about Manchester International Festival. I was able to attend shows at MIF 2019 and participated in feedback sessions and meetings. By 2022 the forum were asked to take over Festival Square and this opportunity saw my first large scale public presentation experience and involvement in projects such as Portrait of Black Britain by Cephas Williams and Big Ben Lying Down with Political Books by Marta Minujín.
The idea for The Welcome and Factory Assembly came from Factory International’s co-curational expertise and their creative engagement team who worked closely with community programmes such as People’s Forum, Young People’s Forum, and Neighbourhood Organisers. The Welcome was a huge undertaking, over 2 years in the making, 22 residents from all corners of Manchester co-curating a 9-day programme in celebration of the opening of Aviva Studios, the new home of Factory International. Over the 9 days of the Welcome programme with acts from Leeroy New: Balete Spacecraft, a public programme, Kalabante Afrique En Cirque to the Street Culture Take Over, to name but a few, it was a packed 9 days.
The Factory Assembly members are a rich diverse group of individuals from different areas of Manchester. The bringing together of members of the public with varied experience of the arts with a passion for community and diversity. Factory International have done an amazing job, working tirelessly to meet the demands from the members of Factory Assembly. I hope to do some justice reflecting on my experience as a Factory Assembly member in this post.
Why did I join Factory Assembly?
I joined Factory Assembly whilst going through a transformative time in my life, career, finances, health all played a role in my drive for personal development. I’m committed to exploring creativity as a means of wellbeing, as a counsellor in private practice my self-development needs meet with my passion for creativity and the arts.
Factory Assembly was an opportunity to further explore and learn from differing perspectives and to meet and work with people with a shared interest in the arts. It went hand in hand with my job field of widening participation project management and my personal interest in working creatively with communities. Having seen and been involved in Factory Internationals projects in the past I knew I was in safe hands and would experience ingenuity in the making.
Key Highlights
We’ve had the pleasure as a group to attend training, performances and shows to ensure we were informed on our choices for The Welcome’s artistic programme, we also had meetings to give feedback and share those experiences. There were monthly meetings, opportunities to participate in panels and interviews and then more regular subgroup meetings as ideas developed. We were able to access opportunities for group bonding, social meetings. Notably, we began our initial meetings via Zoom for a while whilst in the grips of the pandemic, finally meeting in person as the lockdown eased. We had regular meetings with Factory International staff which was a great opportunity to understand what’s behind the running of such an innovative new building and how their roles work within the bigger scheme of things.
A testament to the intricacies Factory Assembly and the Welcome programme, is the skills and commitment of Factory international staff in developing and considering all ideas put forward with and by Factory Assembly. One of the earlier ideas developed and carried forward was the mass movement idea based on tai chi, qigong, the aim was to create an accessible body movement piece, that would address wellbeing on a mass scale representing a sense of togetherness as we emerged out of the pandemic. Company Chameleon was commissioned to deliver the piece and it became known as Deep Flow. Co-founder of Company Chameleon, Kevin Edward Turner couldn’t have been a better choice for leading this project and is a known advocate for the positive impact dance and movement can have on overall health and wellbeing.
Deep Flow was programmed to end the 9 days of the Welcome. On November 19th, 2023, the performance of Deep Flow took place at Aviva Studio’s. What Company Chameleon was able to achieve encompassed the original idea and accomplished so much more. The participants were invited to weekly workshops in the run up to the Welcome with another invitation to perform at the Welcome. The workshops took place in 5 different areas around Manchester and each area had a unique element of practice from qigong. If you attended the last day of the Welcome, you were also invited to workshops where you could learn a shorter routine that you would be able to perform with the participants.
The performance was in the Warehouse, a huge performance space where the second half of Free Your Mind by Danny Boyle, choreographed by Boy Blue, Aviva Studio’s opening performance took place a week earlier. Deep Flow fit the Warehouse space perfectly. By the end of the Welcome, I had no choice but to go with the flow. I’d had surgery 6 weeks previously so couldn’t do too much of a physical contribution and was asked along with another member of the Factory Assembly to introduce the Welcome’s final act. Another amazing experience in an amazing space.
Video by Breb Lynch - Factory Assembly member
What a way to end what had been one of the most challenging, inspiring, infuriating and rewarding periods of my life! The end of a successful 9-day arts programme, co-curated by Factory Assembly and Factory International staff. It was emotional, beautiful, awe aspiring, and captivating. The lighting, the participants energy the music, the atmosphere! The audience ebbed and swayed from element to element and then the performers invite the audience to become one in movement. This performance was very moving for me, I feel like I experienced a moment of togetherness. I’m so proud of contributing to the making of the Welcome alongside all the other co-curators. Thank you for the opportunity, Factory International and Factory Assembly.