2003
Festival Europa and Manchester Live Festivals (2003)
were commissions from Manchester City Council as aspects of their
spring and summer festivals. MIA programmed small scale street theatre
throughout both outdoor street art festivals and produced the opening night of festival
Europa and the closing weekend of Manchester Live – with Festa
Catalana, two days of traditional street entertainment by day and night
with 800 performers from across Catalonia.
Photos: Castellers de Villefranca (left) and Correfoc (right) in Manchester City Centre 2003 for Festa Catalana.
French Farmyard
Installation in Albert Square, with Le Phun (July 2003) Another area of
development for MIA – special installations lasting a number of days,
sited in Manchester City centre. This one involved a French peasant
smallholding taking up residence in front of Manchester Town Hall.
Complete with home, plants and livestock (not to mention a windmill,
privvies and a huge steam-filled greenhouse), the farming family tilled
their garden, fed their animals and broke bread with Manchester people
day and night throughout the working week.
Photos: Le Phun, French farmyard in Albert Square, Manchester, 2003.
Decibel@xtrax street
festival (2003) A day of African, Caribbean, Asian and Chinese music
and outdoor street art performance on the plaza of the Lowry Arts Centre. This
formed part of Arts Council England’s decibel showcase weekend of
culturally diverse performance, co-ordinated for them by x.trax.
Photos: Dancers at Decibel@xtrax street festival on the Lowry Plaza, Salford, 2003.