to our tireless, enthusiastic, intelligent, sometimes overworked, always hard-working members of staff without whose contribution urbis wouldn’t have succeeded –

chief executive offices

Elizabeth UsherHoward RaynorTony DohertyVaughan Allen

pa to ceo

Carolyn GambleCleo FarmanFaye DavenportNicola Wilkinson

creative programmes

Andy BrydonCarmel KingCheryl GillCoralie Claeysen-GleyzonDaniel StaincliffeJanine McGinniesKate FarrellLouise HargreavesNick BowdenPaul LuckraftPollyanna Clayton-StammSarah AustinSarah TurnerScott BurnhamVanessa Howarth

creative programmes interns

Anna Barnett Caroline BamseyChloe HughsClaire RaffoCordelia MckayEllie MarechalEmily Tan Helen Bradbury Isobel McGowan Jenny CoreJenny LeonardLisa Mouncey Natasha ColeStephanie Murfin

domestic services

Christian MafoloFrancis DaffourGideon BalindaHazel MpofuJose Pereira DiasKennedy NjauziKusa TondoMelvan GjetaMichael GriffithsNkululeko Sibanda (Fred)Sadik PlepiTobi OlayemiVincent Mukini

events & social

Adam BattilanaAmy BurkeBen CarrBen HewittCheryl SeabrookCheryl WilliamsClaire BartonClare GilliganDalene Van BredaEd SyderEmily BurkeEmma LakeFernando FerrieraFiona AllenIan BallantyneJacob KiessiJameelah KeaneJames RedheadJess HeapJodi KerriganJoel McKay-Smith

Jonathan SmithJude MacaskillJulia HasselbergLaura CouparLaurance HalpernLiz VincentLuc FostinLucy HadfieldMartin ShawMatt LakeMatt O’BrienMatthew MillerMatthew PendergastMegan Moxon-HoltMichael McMullanMichelle PalaganoMillie NykvistMohammed DawoodNeil FosterNicole SchmeidefeildPatrick BallPaul SimmPetr SittekRadslav BublakRogerio FurlanRuth LilleySagi ShtrosbergSally GilfordSam WilliamsSarah BrierleySarah GuisteSarah McDonaldSarah RussellSarah WilliamsonStephen AllanSteve SmithSubramanian SundaramTom LyonsTony Holland-BarrettVictor SoneyeVictoria ClarkeWill ShawZacarias Matala

finance

Annie McGoffCraig TaylorDave CarterElenepha PotolaniGeoff FentonJane LloydJoan FleetJulie McintyreKatie HigginsLesley CharlsworthMartin O’MalleyNadeem A. RajaNeil StraceyShona BaxterValasker McSteel

human resources

Elaine OakesEmma PagentLinda LunnLouise SaundersRhian Cooke

learning

Abigail RobertsonAmy OwenAndy DandAyesha AnsariBen FaulksBeth HewittCaroline HeapCaptain MetropolisCharlotte MaudsleyClaire Eddlestone RoseClaire YuilleDebbie MeasorEd WattsEmma HorridgeFrances WalkerGeography TortoiseHeather WilliamsIvan McDouallKirstin SillitoeLaura PottingerLela KeighleyLeslie RichmondMelissa RaineyMimi FaulksRuth IbegbunaSally Fort

Sharon BogackiSheryl ClowesSteven Roper

maintenance

Earl GordonJohn MurphyMartin FawthropSimon RoeburnSteve Davenport

marketing

Andrew GlesterBen CowburnCaroline AshworthClaire TaylorDeborah SmithJo ForrestLiam PalmerLisa RisbecMaria Taboada SalvatierraPeggy ManningRosaleen Forde

operation management

Alex KingAmanda ThomasBeryl PhalaChris JessupDamian BartonEleanor OwenIan WareingJess HolbrookJon ChisnallMatthew DawsonNoel TeggScott FortuneStephen NuttallSteve Sloan

operations

Adam CadwellAdy HughesAmy HealyAndy CampbellAndy HainesAndy ToyAnna KaczmarekBecca GilbertBethen Lloyd WorthingtonBola OlayembiBrenden WalshBrian AllenBrian SimpsonCharlotte PooleCiara FinneyClaire Tellier Claudia SoaresDan McGowanDave BurtonDavid JeevaDebs PartingtonDes RoyleDiane RickerbyDitte SassDr Mark CurranDurga GoplanEd CrowcroftEd KluzElizabeth ChadwickElizabeth DrewettElizabeth ParkerGemma FieldGemma Lewis-McAlpineGemma ParkerGreg FosterHannah WithersHarriet CooperHelen AdamsHelen BradburyHelen BridgeHelen DringJac AshtonJanine CramerJayne ReedJenny CoreJenny LeonardJo BallJoanna WebsterJonathan MaceKaja ZawlewskaKate hardyKate RoyleKay CarsonKeith MoggachKevin EcclestonKim WhalenKirstin McKechnie

Lachlan FultonLaura BurrowLaura RamsdenLaura WilliamsLeyla HeraviLiam MeyerLiz BeriseLiz DruittLuke WalkerLyndsay WhiteMakola MayambikaMaria KroustalliMaria StracyMarion RothwellMark BuchananMarva AikenMary-Beth WhittingstallMaya Stratton BrookMel StoneMelanie BirtwhistleMichelle PlattMike SpencerMike StottNatalie BayNicole SchmeidefeldPauline MurrayRachael McConkeyRalph CorkeRashed AbuodehReuben CoultonRichard BannisterRob SlaterRory MacdonaldSallyann BrowningSam WilliamsSarah BriscoSarah ColllinsSarah-Jane MastersShiv GonsaiSiobhan McGroganStephen KellyStephen WalshSteve HansonSusan ElliotTamzin ForsterTheo TurnerThomas RobertsTim BarberTony MorelliVerity HollywoodVictoria SwinglehurstYasmin PembertonZane SquiresZoe James

shop

Benedict FarrGareth WoodIrene GarciaKelda SavageNina RudnickSecurity Alan MachinAllistar MooreAndrew JaneAshley SewellChris BalkoskiColin LambertDale BloorElizabeth RodgersJan JachymiakKevin SmithMark PageMatthew DawsonPete PearcePippa AndrewsRoss WildeTony HydeWaseem KhanWesley Fernandez

technical

Cara HayesChris McleanClaire LawlerDarren O’BrienDave BarstowDave SiddallDave WoodcockJim PowellJonathan PartingtonKieth AshtonMarcus Winstanley

Miriam StoneSue GreyTom GannonTony Burnes

the modern

Adam McCleanAdele HandAmanda WearingAnna MatthamsAnthony HesfordAshley HansonBarney KahnBruno TaveresCarine Onkong EniangChole NaylorChris Eason-BrookesClark HatchetClementine BeachEleanor RidleyFrantisek HalfarGenevieve Lavoie-MathieuHugo AbadioIgor RuzickaJan RacekJaraslav NovotkaJen BoydJonathan StephensonJurgita VaitkuteKay HillKelly RileyKirstin WrightLaura ThomLibby ScarlettLiz MittlerLucy McDonaldLucy MurfinLuz ValenciaMaria PetterssonMartin PolokMatt O’BrienMatus OttingerMaya De Paula HanikaNeil KallNicholas GarciaPaul FaulknerPavel FialaRichard HelliwellRoss ParkerSam LovejoySarah BrewerSarah JenkinsSiobhan McGoffSonia LeeseStefan HanzeliStephanie GriggsSuart ValentineTom SullivanTomaz SzpakowskiValdimir VlkVictoria Selisney

tours

Frances RidleyGemma FieldEva ElliottJoanna ChomeniukJohn FitzgeraldLisa BurkeLucy BiddleMark RaineyVanessa Wall

to the generous and collaborative individuals, collectives, organisations, businesses and institutions who supported our temporary exhibitions programme –

3sixty MediaAbi AndersonAdam ComstiveAdam Lurie, Adam Parker SmithAdam Pushkin, Adidas Y-3Aesthetica MagazineAgusta ThorarinsdottirAiden O’Rourke Al BakerAlan WardAlden & Mary Kimbrough

Alex CulshawAlex FaksoAlex FarquharsonAlex Knight and all at Handball CrewAlex SaintAlex WoodAlice BradshawAlice KettleAlison BeasleyAlison Surtees Alison WelshAmanda ColemanAmanda Wallace AMASAMODELS Andrea SchliekerAndrew at Art VinylAndrew BraceyAndrew DieyAndrew Melchior Andrew Oliver Andrew Palmer Andrew Paul BrooksAndrew Wilson Andy Haymes Andy Serraillier Andy SpinozaAng MatthewsAnita MorrisAnna MercedesAnne KirkbrideAnnie MerryAnthony CookAnthony Wilson Antony HallAnys WilliamsArison Gallery Arthur ParsonsArts Council of England North West AstrasignsAtariAwesome BadgesAxis Graphic DesignBaba IsraelBaby Cow Productions BabycakesBarney DoodlebugBarney FrancisBarry SkillinBBC Manchester Beacons for a Brighter Future BeezerBen Casey Ben KellyBen SearyBen WattsBenji Reid Big Dave and all at SIDS BigjobsBill TysonBilly X JenningsBizzare CreationsBlast Theory Blitz Game StudiosBlue Print Studios Bob Dickinson Bob LeveneBrian BlakeBridget SawyersBuff Diss Burnie Furey CarharrtCarl Royle Carlo McCormickCarol Wells Caroline EllerayCarolyn SalasCastlefield GalleryCatherine Braithwaite Catherine TwiteCentre for the Study of Political GraphicsCeri Hand Cerysmatic Factory Chanje Kunda Channel M Charles CecilCharlie DarkCharlotte AlexaCherry Red RecordsChinese Art Centre

‘Strange how potent cheap music is.’Noel Coward, Private Lives

Popular culture changes lives in a way that high culture never can. Yet it is something that is almost impossible to celebrate without losing the essence of what makes it important. There is little more exciting than dancing for 24 hours in a field. There is little more boring than a cultural studies tome analysing why people choose to dance for 24 hours in a field.

Popular culture fails in museums, because museums can’t do Pop. If it’s currently out there, currently happening, it can’t be captured, can’t be stuck in a dusty case. It’s a matter of emotion, of time, of fleeting experiences. The essence of popular music is not to be found by flicking through vast databases of family trees, or by looking at the ‘actual’ guitar that Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock; it’s about emotional connections. It’s about shared memories, shared communities and a guarding of secret knowledge.

Yet popular culture is important. Vital. It deserves to be treated with respect. It is a culture that’s created, constructed and influenced by everyone.

Over the course of six years, Urbis developed a new way of exhibiting popular culture. We took a step beyond simply exhibiting the tickets, the guitars and objects behind glass walls, frozen in their dusty world, surrounded by close-typed descriptions.

We found a way of connecting that left the museum behind. We shied away from attempting to find critical distance, instead trying to immerse people in the experience of popular culture; providing those moments of in-drawn breath that come from a remembered icon; creating moments of conversation that arise from a shared memory, a uniting experience. In Videogame Nation and HomeGrown, we provided exhibitions so dense in material that even the most uninterested visitor could experience what it meant to be a fan. And in Black Panther we showed how design, music and politics could mix to change the world – dramatically and forever.

It is fitting that we chose not to fade away. The best popular culture is about something that’s fleetingly experienced and then stops. No gig should last more than an hour, no sitcom more than two series, no band should be together after ten years. Live it, enjoy it and leave it for the next generation before it grows stale.

Our influence, how we reflected the excitement, the verve and the passion of popular culture, will live on. We were, and are, the only people to make it work in a gallery. We’re proud of what we did. And we’re proud of what will follow.

Vaughan Allen Chief Executive

Urb is Has L e ft tHe bU i Ld ingNobody said it would be easy. In fact, with a remit to cover the shifting, contentious and frequently disputed arena of popular culture, Urbis was always going to find it hard. Sometimes we got it right; other times we didn’t. But, seven years after opening, we have much to be proud of – and this exhibition charts our success in staging shows that began and ended with urban culture.

So what did we do? We put on international art and design exhibitions whose UK premieres took place in Manchester. We ran the internationally lauded RECLAIM, a project that changed the lives of kids from Gorton to Moss Side. We celebrated Manchester’s successful sons and daughters while supporting emerging artists, musicians, writers and designers. We looked back at some of the seismic changes in popular culture over the past few decades, and mapped out where music, design, fashion and more might be heading in the years to come. We examined the best advertising and design in the world; we got families grappling with climate change and sustainability; and we turned the gallery into a giant playground. We documented the things that no one had ever tried to do before – our UK Hip Hop exhibition was just one such show. Way before Banksy made it big, we were the first British gallery to put on a show of street art. We staged our own art, music and fashion awards. We explored everything from television to post-industrial decline, via the Hong Kong handover and civil rights. And we ran an exhibition that the editor of the Museums Journal declared one of the ‘best exhibitions of the decade’.

So here’s to Urbis, to all its ups and downs, to its many successes, to its public and private failures. Here’s to the effort and the energy we invested in making it work. And here’s to the people who put their all into recording the un-recordable, into pinning down Pop, into creating an exhibition centre of urban culture that was loved and occasionally loathed and, most of all, was undeniably Mancunian. We loved popular culture and, in the end, we lost ourselves to it. Now, close the door on your way out, won’t you?

Personally, I think Urbis has become a very very important part of Manchester’s life, as a showcase of our past and our future it is invaluable. They have a great team of people who really believe in this city. Doing the Haçienda exhibition proves that without you this city would be a much poorer place!Thanks to you all.Peter Hook

...Urbis is all about celebrating city life and those who live there; embracing all cultures.The American 2008

From Millennium Dome style embarrassment, to a great Manchester icon. May Urbis’ Manchester (or world) domination continue...MEN 2008

Urbis should be regarded as one of the cities major resources. Only Urbis could have mounted such a range of cutting edge exhibitions in Manchester. It provides the greatest platform to host local, national and international exhibitions making it one of Manchester’s most important hubs.Ben Kelly, Ben Kelly Design

Urbis’ exhibition programme is inspiring. We need exhibition venues like Urbis, which encourages people of all ages to look and think about the world around us from a new perspective, sparking ideas, creativity and imagination in the visitors who pass through its doors. As we enter this period of turbulent economic times, art culture and education are the way forward and Urbis and its visionary work force are definitely leading the way.Peter J Walsh, Photographer

Urbis isn’t quite an “art” center… it’s more of an exhibition space about creative production. I found it incredibly fun and interesting – the self awareness many art museums and galleries have about crossing the lines between art and science or politics or history were completely gone. Instead it presented a general display of culture and the way it affects all areas of life and makes people who they are.Melissa Matuscak, Director of the DeVos Art Museum at Northern, Michigan University

des ign D&AD Exhibitions // Little Black Dress // Manga // The Peter Saville Show // SuperCity // Matthew Williamson How did we do design at Urbis? We mixed it up a bit. We presented one of the world’s greatest art directors alongside a young design collective. We harked back to Factory before looking to new trends. We went from the SuperCity to the little black dress. And we charted some of the most significant design trends of the past 25 years along the way.

Many shows staged at Urbis had a connection to Manchester, from a Matthew Williamson retrospective to an exhibition about the Haçienda. But although the city continually inspired us, we weren’t afraid to bring the best international design here, too. When Manchester became the northern hub for D&AD, Urbis hosted The Best Advertising & Design in the World, while How Manga Took Over the World illustrated a Japanese art form that has infiltrated every aspect of global commercial culture. But rewind a little. Urbis actually launched its changing exhibitions programme with a design show – The Peter Saville Show, a retrospective of the communications designer who started out at Factory Records. Alongside it, Urbis commissioned At Home, eight new works displayed on billboards across the city, each underlining the influence of Manchester on Saville’s practice. At the time, the designer said, ‘Philosophically, it’s rewarding to be asked back to show work in the city where its spirit belongs – and after all these years I’m intrigued to know what Manchester makes of it.’ The answer came not long afterwards when Saville was appointed as Manchester’s Creative Director.

In 2005, Urbis staged SuperCity. It presented Will Alsop’s vision of the North as a place that fused every town and city along the M62 into a single, 80 mile-long corridor. Alsop argued that it would bring new cultural and economic cohesion. The Guardian dismissed it as ‘ludicrous’. But with architectural models, artists’ commissions and workshops, visitors were armed with enough information to make up their own minds – and to continue the argument about the future of our cities. Which, to us, was the point of this and so many of our exhibitions: to spark debate.

the peter saville show

I’ve never seen such fantastic work in all the galleries I’ve been to in my life put together! Very inspirational! Judith MMU

I’ve been waiting to see this for twenty years… I’m truly inspired – thank you. Suzanne Atkins

Big fan of factory scene. Not normally interested in exhibitions but I am now!

Inspiring stuff – but it’s great to see it on public display rather than scattered across my bedroom floor, which so many of his album covers have been over the years.

Who would have guessed what unknown pleasures lay inside Urbis? Fabulous and intriguing.

at home (2004) Ben Cowburn Captured film stills

At Home was a landmark project created by Peter Saville and commissioned by Urbis, which saw eight new images displayed on billboards across the city centre. Each image featured an object, chosen by Saville, which had inspired him when growing up, while the billboards themselves disrupted the commercial advertising-dominated visual culture of the city (for a while at least).

The dust jacket for this publication is created from a section cut from the limited edition billboard posters that were produced for the project.

little black dress

Coherent and well put together. Accessible to experts, students and shoppers alike! Well done. More exhibits like this at Urbis please.

Fascinating and so enjoyable. Lots of political and social history and oodles of glamour. Who could ask for more?

Brilliant to be able to view such a wonderful collection in Manchester.

manga

Absolutely brilliant exhibition, really like it. I’ve loved Manga for a long time – to see it displayed in such a phenomenal way really blows me away!

Love it! Best Manga showcase ever seen in the UK.

matthew willaimson

AMAZING, the work has totally inspired me.Maisie 14 from Chesterfield

Fascinating – thanks from a wrinkly with a grandson who hopes to be a fashion designer.Irene

Manchester breeds talent – must be something in the water!! Matthew Williamson rocks!

d&ad 06

The exhibition was fierce. I love everything about it.

I leave here inspired. Watch out world, here I come!

An antidote to a lack of inspiration. Thank you.

d&ad 07

D&AD was fabulous. That is creative, stimulating art!!!

supercity

I entered this exhibition with a degree of scepticism, at times throughout this past hour I have felt elation. Largely I leave feeling pessimistic, expecting ideas of this kind to leave a bad taste in the mouth should they ever see the light of day. But I hope I can feel cautiously optimistic, a lasting feeling of maybe… just maybe.

FANTASTIC!!! Just the kind of vision needed for regeneration and the North. Will be putting my name down for Manchester Chips!

It all seems to me to be a grand idea to start with, to stop the urban sprawl, the love affair with cars/motorways etc. The magic of northern cities are the cities themselves, which residents strongly identify with, and the marvellous recreational country in between. Will Alsop has started the ball rolling. Let’s pursue a dream!

K ids and faMi L i es Play // Urban Gardening // Videogame Nation How did we treat children and families at Urbis? With respect. We reinvented the humble computer game and took the idea of ‘hands on’ beyond the odd touch-screen interactive display. We ditched the face paints and balloons, ensuring that the culture we dished up for young ‘uns was as interesting as the rest of our creative programme. And we weren’t afraid to get our hands dirty.

Urban Gardening was the first ‘living’ exhibition ever staged in a gallery, and it literally brought the outside in. Trees dotted the gallery floor. A five-bed rotation allotment saw us harvest our own vegetables. Alongside practical horticultural advice, we examined climate change and biodiversity and how people from Seoul to Saigon have taken the scraps of land and transformed them into urban gardens. That balance of fun and information was one we struck again in Videogame Nation, an interactive show that charted four decades of British gaming – and included enough consoles and arcade games to keep everyone happy. The Guardian praised its attempt to ‘afford British videogaming proper cultural credibility’. Like all our shows, we stuffed it with detail, from film and audio footage to original artwork, magazines, design documents and Hollywood blockbusters – doing so because we didn’t just want people to play. We wanted them to leave with a better understanding of what was on show.

But perhaps we first realised our exhibitions could work for everyone back in 2007 at the launch of Play: Experience the Adventure of Our Cities. Based on the idea that the world’s cities are full of unusual places to play, we built a two-floor, interactive playground and filled it with commissioned film and artworks. The families who came along discovered how to use the city as a stage, a gallery, a garden or a playground and, we hope, developed a new understanding of the built environment in the process. With Play, we wanted the next generation to get to grips with the culture of their hometowns and other cities across the world. We hope we succeeded.

play

I love that this place is full of innovative ideas and has lots to do with the city I live in.

Wonderful, thanks. I’m coming back with my children.

As far as museums go, it’s far from the norm, with a series of interactive exhibits that bring out the child in you.

Quick word about the Urbis staff too, exemplary.Urban Life, Mark Burrow

If one exhibition has struck at the heart of what Urbis is about then this is it, play offers a massively refreshing look at our planet’s cities by presenting them as gigantic, growling amusement parks. Photography, installation, moving image and external events combine to convey play’s central philosophy with beautiful clarity.Metro, Mark Powell

urban gardening

Great exhibition – probably the best I’ve seen at Urbis.

We are urban planning students from the US and found your urban gardening exhibit to be very well executed and informative. It does an excellent job.

It was much more enjoyable than I had anticipated. It was eye opening to realise exactly what you can do with limited outdoor space, indeed in your own kitchen.

videogame nation

…I would also like to say that I attended the opening night at ‘VideoGame Nation’ and really enjoyed it. It was like visiting a museum, gallery and an arcade all rolled into one, congratulations on a great show. Martin Mir, Introversion

I would like to congratulate you on your videogames exhibition, which is truly fantastic. I am glad to finally see this important part of our culture exhibited in a reputable museum. Silvia Farrero

One for the tech-head kids. Manchester’s magnificent Urbis provides the perfect arena for this attempt to afford British videogaming some proper cultural credibility without spoiling its street-level urban spark.Robert Clark, The Guardian

Playful but intelligent, walled but inclusive, it completely encapsulates what makes games such fascinating things in the first place.

I haven’t seen an event bring people together this magically for a long time, that it would be a collection of videogames to do this is simply marvellous.Gamasutra Blog, Lewis Denby

i nternat ionaL art ists Arrivals and Departures // The China Show // DTroit // Emory Douglas // Futuresonic 04 // Ill Communication I & ll // State of the Art: New York Urbis liked to act local and think global. We went to New York and brought back work from contemporary visual artists working there. We marked the tenth anniversary of the Hong Kong handover by commissioning ten works by Hong Kong and British Chinese artists. We took art onto the streets and brought street art into the gallery. And we created a series of exhibitions that featured new and never-seen-before work from international artists, all of it presented with a Mancunian twist.

Urbis has always had an affinity with its global counterparts. One of the first international shows we staged, for example, was DTroit, which presented the work of ten Detroit artists and drew parallels between the culture of the Motor City and Manchester. We didn’t shy away from difficult subjects. In 2003, Ill Communication brought street art into the gallery for the UK’s biggest (and first) such exhibition. At a time before Banksy made it big, when local authorities were waging war on graffiti artists, we made people stop and think: is it street art or it is just a criminal offence? Difficult, too, was the subject matter of our most successful international show. Declared one of the ‘best exhibitions of the decade’ by the Museums Journal, Black Panther: Emory Douglas and the Art of Revolution presented Emory Douglas, a member of the American civil rights movement, to British audiences for the first time. Douglas was the Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party, a political group once dubbed ‘the greatest threat to the internal security’ of the US. Douglas played a key role in persuading African Americans to take a stand against repression by creating a new visual mythology: rather than portraying Black Americans as passive victims, his images depicted men, women and children as empowered individuals capable of bringing about lasting change. Black Panther underlined how art can function as a political tool. It illustrated that our visitors weren’t afraid of tackling complex, ‘challenging subjects. And it couldn’t have been better timed: a month after the exhibition opened, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States.

emory douglas

I learned more today about these issues that in any of my previous 54 years.

Is this the most explosive exhibition of recent years? Urbis deserves praise for doing it.

Urbis has delivered a stunning and information rich exhibition for Manchester and the UK, it feels almost revolutionary. I can’t think of another UK museum that would have taken a chance on an exhibition like this.Museums Journal, Felicity Haywood

No clever lines, just the truth!

I can’t express my appreciation for the thought and work put into this exhibition.

The outstanding Emory Douglas exhibition at the Urbis, in Manchester is much more than an art show, visitors can feel the atmosphere the black panthers developed in and the outrage that made the party grow. Socialist Worker

emory douglas

I, Emory Douglas, as the former Revolutionary Artist and Minister of Culture of The Black Panther Party, personally want to thank you for putting together such an informative and unique interactive retrospective of my work giving the visitors insight into the climate of the time from which the art itself evolved, and also insight into the social concerns from which I draw my inspiration. It is truly amazing. It was a wonderful journey meeting such nice people at

Urbis whom in some way played a part of making the exhibit truly a beautiful, educational experience... Truly a one of a kind exhibit of my work which has never been done before in this way. Thank you again for putting so much passion into this project. Much appreciation.Emory Douglas

The best exhibitions of the Autumn... Black Panther – the first time work by Emory Douglas, the official artist of the Black Panther civil rights movement, has been exhibited in this country.The Times

china

Precisely the kind of exhibition Urbis should be presenting – relevant, instructive and thought provoking on issues pertaining to the built environment!

Great exhibition, shows how China REALLY is.

Because of this exhibition I’m fascinated, someone take me there!

state of the art: new york

Excellent displays of very contemporary artwork. Urbis is doing a great job with some excellent exhibitions. Thanks again! I love how you are involving internationally influenced pieces to bring some culture to Manchester. Good job guys.

Working with Urbis has been one of the most constructive experiences in my public art career. Urbis has demonstrated a willingness and capacity to work outside of their traditional

parameters at Cathedral Gardens. For my project “True Yank”, Urbis took the necessary steps to manifest my concept for Manchester’s city centre. Through both simple and difficult aspects of the process, Urbis remained committed to my vision and made sure that it was realized correctly. My relationship with Urbis has now provided a standard by which to measure all collaborations with cultural institutions going forward.Leon Reid IV, Brooklyn, NY 2009

Assuming this isn’t an April Fool it has a serious point. I did not know the statue was there, or why it was there. This is art – it has succeeded in making people think about what the statue means and how it makes them feel.Comment from local_lass, Burnage on MEN website, 01.04.09

ill communication 2

This was way beyond ‘street’. This is art reflecting how it is from viewpoints I will never see.

Was ace – makes you realize that graffiti doesn’t always deserve the bad press that it gets.

Very inspirational. Loved it all. Now I know where to come if I‘m stuck for material at school!(year 11 art student)

Back bigger and better, the second coming of Ill Communication… whether you view street art as a valid form of art or not, there’s no denying the strength and variety of the images on display.City Life (Manchester), Richard Smirke

dtroit

Brilliant! Could have spent hours in here, had I known it would be so good I’d have allowed a whole day to explore.

Brilliant exhibition, especially the use of new media. A credit to Urbis.

Without this exhibition I would never have known there’s so much in Detroit’s experience we can share here in Manchester.

MUsic cULtUre Haçienda // Hip Hop // Mick Rock // Punk Manchester is synonymous with music. From Madchester and acid house to Hip Hop and electronica, this is a city that is as sonorous as it is urban. But the problem with music is that it’s complicated. And the problem with new music in particular is that it has no definitive history. So we did what few others had done: we took the unpredictable, unwritten, contentious riot that is popular music and turned it into a series of comprehensive, credible exhibitions.

We began with Punk. PUNK: Sex, Seditionaries & The Sex Pistols demonstrated the influence of punk on everyone from Tony Wilson and John Cooper Clarke to Linder Sterling – and how it paved the way for the Manchester music revival that was to follow. Which brings us to Factory Records and the Haçienda, without which, it sometimes seems, Manchester would be nothing. Haçienda 25: FAC491 set out the history of the club and its legacy, one that still sets the bar for culture here today. (If you don’t believe us, here are three examples: Manchester International Festival draws on the city’s musical past; Peter Saville remains a key cultural figure; and the late Tony Wilson’s In The City continues to define the music industry.)

It would have been easy for us to keep looking back, but we didn’t. ‘Ever been to a museum and felt like they don’t represent you or your heritage? This is the total opposite,’ said DJ Semtex of HomeGrown: The Story of UK Hip Hop. This was the first attempt to document the British Hip Hop scene, from its American roots to its recent entry into the mainstream. Like the Haçienda show before it, Urbis started from scratch with this exhibition, building up a network of contributors who gave us access to their personal collections of tapes, film, posters, letters, photographs and fanzines. It is the most comprehensive exhibition of its kind. It is the outcome of months of research, telephone calls, dead ends and lucky breaks. And, like all of our shows, it wasn’t so much hard graft as a labour of love.

haçienda

What a beautiful collection of fantastic memorabilia! Everyone I know had been to this amazing exhibition at least 3 times! Thank you.

It made me think of when I was young! Life was fun & I was thin!

Great exhibition that brought a tear to my eye!

Two words GO NOW. It’s a superb exhibition… we’ve just been and it is simply stunning.Juicy Design blog

As a Mancunian of a certain age who hazily remembers the stark but contemporary inners of the original Haçienda, the 25th year celebration could only have been held at Urbis. The recreation of the atmosphere and the appearance of some of the founders brought it all back. A fitting tribute to the old and new faces of Manchester.John Bentley MD ANSA

punk

Your punk show f*****g rocks!

What do I get? I get it all in one exhibition.

A rock n roll revolution not just art!

Brought back loads of happy memories.

The best f*****g bands in history shown in their true light, all in one exhibition – hell yeah!

mick rock

Truly inspiring work. We came out of the exhibition on a high.Steve and Tasneem

Absolutely stunning! The best exhibition I’ve ever seen.

A rock star with a camera. Felt like I was right there doing the shoots, amazing.

Incredible to see these photographs presented so well – and Bowie looks more beautiful than you could imagine!

Excellent exhibition. Oozes with cool.

hip hop

The best hip hop exhibition I have ever seen.

It’s brilliant, very coherent, informative, and captured some great moments of Hip-Hop history.

Ever been to a museum and felt like they don’t represent you or your heritage? This is the total opposite.DJ Semtex

MancHester creat ive coMMUnity0161 Manchester // Best of Manchester Awards //British Art Show 6 // Catapult 07 // Every Cloud //Hidden Manchester // Ink Tank // Manchester 24 // Ghosts of Winter Hill Urbis has long supported those at the coalface of the creative industries, the artists, musicians and designers working now, today, on new work. We set up our own annual art, music and fashion awards. We exhibited the cream of the graduate crop, and then the best of the British Art Show. And we created a platform for emerging artists, giving them the chance to showcase their work in new ways, often in an entirely new setting.Working with emerging artists often provided a fresh perspective on the city. Reality Hack: Hidden Manchester featured a series of large-scale works by photographer Andrew Paul Brooks. The resulting pictures, of concealed and forgotten towers, courtyards and arches, were eye opening not simply for their drama. They revealed a secret city and its unsung heroes, those men and women who are the stewards of the industrial buildings that give Manchester its architectural soul.

And then there were our showcases of fresh talent: the British Art Show, a citywide exhibition of the best contemporary visual art in the country, Celebration of Talent 06 and Catapult 07, which selected work from the city’s creative graduates. But our greatest success came from the people we supported – such as the Best of Manchester winners and nominees. Roger McKinley went on to launch the arts annual, Corridor8. Jayne Compton published her Arts Council-funded book, Strange Trees. Fashion winner Holly Russell saw her designs modelled by Lady Gaga. Nabil El Nayal, tipped by the national press as ‘the next face of British womenswear’, launched a collection at River Island. Owl Project won an Arts Council Cultural Olympiad commission. Naomi Kashiwagi won the Individual Artist Award at the Art Council’s art08 awards. Simon Buckley, who runs Rags to Bitches, was Highly Commended for Best Womenswear in the Drapers Awards. Daniel Clark, of the Northern Quarter-based Junk Shop, launched a collection at Topshop’s Oxford Street store. These success stories sum up what we did at Urbis: we supported creative professionals when they needed it most – when they were on the verge of making it to the next level of their careers.

boma

The real winner was the ‘Best of Manchester Awards’ exhibition… The dark David Lynch-esque illustration work by Rachel Goodyear was top notch. Also, the mash up of wood, sound waves and carpentry by the Owl project was intriguing. Overall, the quality of work was brilliant – which left me feeling satisfied with that post exhibition glow you still get occasionally.

Another fine initiative from a resurgent Urbis that should be applauded.Manchester Confidential

british art show

Fantastic to see Urbis bringing real art to Manchester.

An incredible space to see incredible work.

I’m not normally a fan of modern art but this was amazing.

hidden manchester

The space is perfect for the exhibition… Perhaps the biggest appeal of these pictures is that they portray places that are undisturbed and underexplored. Looking at them acknowledges childlike fantasies of escaping the crammed city for somewhere where we are free to be ourselves and explore unconstrained. Somewhere to get lost.Manchester Confidential

Supporting a local artist, producing beautiful work and opening my eyes to places I never knew existed in my own city. This is why Manchester needs Urbis.

A truly beautiful collection. Sue Steward – BBC Radio 2, Claudia Winkelman’s Arts Show

0161 manchester

Fantastic exhibition made me proud of being a Mancunian.

Best exhibition ever. Never been to Manchester before and this is the perfect way to get to know it for real. Brings the city to life.

Manchester’s surpassed my expectations. I reckon I’ll come back.

ghosts of winter hill

A brilliant exhibition about Manchester and its influence on T.V. Will come again soon.

I am bowled over by this exhibition which trawls through lost images – still and moving – from the history of television in Manchester.

I can’t recommend it too highly.Aidan O’Rourke

tHanK yoU

To our tireless, enthusiastic, intelligent, sometimes overworked, always hard-working members of staff without whose contribution Urbis couldn’t have succeeded –

To the generous and collaborative individuals, collectives, organisations, businesses and institutions who supported our temporary exhibitions programme –

To our visitors, the people who watched and learned, who took part and made their voices heard, and who animated the building day and night for seven years –

Thank you, and good night.

collaborative individuals, collectives, organisations, businesses and institutions cont’d –

Chris DessentChristophe G. ‘Boom Boom’ Le ShawkChris Nelson Chris NieldChris SullivanChristian PayneChristine Wilcox-BakerCity Inn Claire LomaxClare CeprynskiCodemastersCol Dunkerly,Col EmersonColin Fallows Colin Torr Comme Ça ArtCommunity Museum Project Company Pictures Computer ArtsConsole Passion Contents May Vary Cookie Pryce Cornerhouse Coutts & Co. CP LeeCreative MatchCreativefixCrowne Plaza Cuba Organic Support GroupCUBE Dan ParrottDan SteeleDanny John Jules Danny MayDanwei TVDave ‘Skwerm’ EllisDave Barlow Dave HaslamDave KinseyDave SmithDave Walley Dave WoodwardDavid BerezanDavid ChattertonDavid Crookes David CrowDavid HayleyDavid Lawrence David Lubich David Martin David Nolan Davis MallonDawn HintonDebrah KingDelta Airlines Digital UKDixon Bate FramingDJ SemtexDJ WoodyDmitri LugnovDonna LovedayDr. Miles LambertDr. Philip Oliver Drew Hemment Duncan SimeDusty GedgeEamon Mooney Eden Creative SpacesEidosElectronic ArtsElena BorodenkoElliot Eastwick Emily DennisonEmily DeynEmma Dibb, Emma Mahony Emma ReadingEmma Wyre Emory DouglaseteamEyebeamFallacyFelicity Luard,FergusFerrious Figfilm First BusFlic EverettFlux Magazine

ForaysFrank LaneFrankland Tree ServicesFree Play NetworkFrenchMottershead Frontier DevelopmentsGalerie Nordine ZidounGAME Gandalf GavanGary Aspden, Gary McClarnanGary WebbGemma HarrisonGemma MiltonGeoff SeniorGMPTEGoldblade Gordon Cheung Gorgeous Couture Goshka Macuga Graeme ParkGraham @ Forbidden PlanetGraham AndersonGraham Brooker Graham Jones Graham MasseyGrant AssociatesGreg KeeffeGreg WilsonGretton Family Groundwork North West Gulbenkian FoundationHannah Longhlin Harvey NicholsHasan HejaziHayward Gallery Helen EckersleyHelen MurgatroydHelen Palmer Helen ThomasHelle NebelongHenrietta Smith-Rolla Hilary PowellHillegonda Rietveld, Holly RussellHors De PrixHong Kong Arts Development Council Hong Kong Economic & Trade OfficeHoward ChanHoward Devoto HSBCIan Banks Ian ForresterIan RawlinsonIan Williams Ian Wilson ICP Framing Igloo Design Ilka HartmannImagine PublishingImperial War Museum, North Influenza Ink Tank IrfanIsabel TurnerITS LeisureITV GranadaJacqueline NaraynsinghJai RedmanJake GreenJames Hulme James McNally James PendleburyJan HargreavesJane ParsonsJasper WilkinsonJayne ComptonJehstJennie C. JonesJeremy DellerJessica LoweJo AniJo FranksJoe Stocks-BrookJoe WinterJoel Chester FildesJoel Rogers John Cooper ClarkeJohn Drape John McGrathJohn RobbJohn Walsh Johnnie HampJohnstones paint Ltd

Jon BurgermanJon DasilvaJon Follows Jon HareJon Paul Waddington Jon SavageJonathan CauldwellJonathan RobinsonJonathan Sadler Jonathan Thompson Joseph VelosaJulian BrosterJulie LawrenceJustin CrawfordJutta MasonKamal AckarieKami Karen GabayKaren NicolKate DayKate DempsterKate FeldKatie Moffat Katie WebbKayleigh HannahKeith AinsworthKeith FrenchKeith Stickland. Keith WarrenderKelzoKenneth Tin-Kin HungKerenza McClarnan Kermit Kevin O’ RourkeKid AcneKiesha Thompson Klaus von Nichtssagend GalleryKudos Film & Television Kwong LeeLaing O’Rourke Larissa Goldston GalleryLaura EmpsallLaurie PeakeLee DonnellyLen GrantLeo FitzmauriceLeon Reid IVLeonie ParisLesa Dryburgh Lesley Gilbert LEUNG Mee Ping Liam SpencerLibby Sellers Lincoln CushingLinnie BlakeLinton Kwesi JohnsonLiz EdwardsLiz MolyneuxLiz MurphyLiz Mutch Liz NaylorLoomitLorraine ShawLottie Child Louise Brookes LoVidLucie Bridge Luke BainbridgeLuz ValenciaMaeve O’SullivanMagneticNorth Manchester Art Gallery Manchester City Council’s Play ServicesManchester District Music Archive Manchester Metropolitan University Margaret & Don Groarke Marianne StroyevaMarine Hugonnier Marion HewittMark BeaumontMark Brennan Mark JonesMark PiersonMark TitchnerMark TweedaleMarketing Manchester MarokMartin Fawthrop Martin MoscropMartin Oldham Martin Stockley Mary Culhane

Matt JohnsonMatthew Bamber Matthew Capper Matthew HouldingMatthew Lutz-KinoyMatthew Norman Matthew SmithMatthew WilliamsonMax Moran MCC Environmental Strategy and CampaignsMCL LtdMe and YuMel KirbyMendo, Michael Antoniou Michael Bracewell Michael Brennand Wood Michael EastwoodMichael EnglandMichael Paul BrittoMichael SchallMichael Trainor Michael Wray Mick Marsden Mick Middles Mick Rock Mike BlairMike EmmerickMike LewisMike PickeringMikey Don Mimi LaneMiranda SawyerMishaal MansoorMissy Finger Misty Keasler Moseley meets WilcoxNabil El-NayalNaomi KashiwagiNatalie CutisNathan ColeyNathan CoxNational Media Museum Neequaye DsaneNeil Cummings and Marysia LewandowskaNeil Scott New Deal NewmindspaceNick CroweNick Johnson Nick LawrensonNicola ButlerNicola ShindlerNigel HoweNils NormanNintendoNormski North West Film Archive North West Urban ExplorersNoyek LtdOffice of Subversive Architects oi polloiOlivier Stak Onek NMOptimistic ProductionsOs GemeosPachel VallancePak Sheung-chuenPark Studios Pat OldhamPat WellerPaul ConsPaul DruryPaul GravettPaul GriffithsPaul HampartsoumianPaul HarfleetPaul Haywood Paul KennedyPaul Morley Paul Stolper Paul ToveePaul WalkerPaula McNamaraPaula TarasPeter and PaulPeter HookPeter JonesPeter Masters Peter Reed Peter SalmonPeter Saville Peter SealPeter ShelleyPeter WrightPeter York Phil Dewhurst

Phil Griffin Phil Lunt Phil RispinPierogi Gallery Pirkle JonesPlaystation Postmasters GalleryPremiere Inn Proludic PSL Tool HirePublic WorksQGardens Rachel AdamsRachel GoodyearRachel NelsonRachel Richardson-Jones Rags to Bitches RaphRareRebecca GoodwinRed Production Company RetroGamer Revolution SoftwareRia HawthornRichard CheethamRichard FranklandRichard ReyesRichard Reynolds Richard ScottRichard ShieldsRichard The Rob CarneyRob Sanderson Robert BaileyRobert DeasRobert DunneRobert Harwood-MatthewsRockstar GamesRoger McKinleyRoz PayneRSPBRussell HumphriesRuth Tyson-Jones Sally Lai Sally Mclintock Sally Williams Sam DurantSamantha Withers Samuel Booker-RobertsSapphire Sarah Griffiths Sarah KershawSarah WuSasuSayaka Hirose Scan Seaming ToSean StewartSecret Project RobotSeverine CochardSharon CameronShelly McNulty Shelter SerraSherry DixonShoichi Aoki SID Ltd Simon ArmstrongSimon Blackmore Simon BuckleySimon PearsonSiu King-chungSlinkachuSmack Mellon Gallery and Studios Snug Media SO, Man YeeSonia Leong Sony Computer Entertainment (U.K.) Sonya NolanSoup CollectiveSpark and all of the North West UrbEx communitySpeakeasy SpearfishSpoken Image Stefan Strittmatter, Stella SoStephen Nuttall Stephen Page Stephen PowersStephen ShamesStephen Threlfall

Steve Connor, airbox Steve Connor, Creative Concern Steve DoubleSteve Foster Steve HawleySteve Pope and all at Trafford SignsSteve SymonsSteven BattySteven HansonSteven Kasher GallerySteven RandStirling City Council’s Play ServicesStrategy Stuart LawlerStudio Glibli Su Andi Subodh Dhanda Sue FletcherSue GutteridgeSue RobertsSumners Susie StubbsSwoonSystem 3TADO Takao Anzawa Tam Wai PingTamsin Drury Tamsin Valentino Tamy Ben-TorTayburn Branding and Design Technical Models Teddy Nygh Terratag The Barsky BrothersThe Bruce High Quality FoundationThe Calouste The Danish Playground AssociationThe Lowry The Museum of Science and IndustryThe Owl project The Royal Exchange WorkshopsThe Space HijackersThe Voice TheGreenEyl+SengewaldTiffany FosterTim ‘Bones’ Ford Tim MarlowTim Thomas Tim Wilcox Tina MullenToby PatersonTom Bloxham Tom Dyckhoff Tony BrydonTony Milroy Tony Wilson Tosh Ryan Toyko RoyaleToykopop Tracey HughesTravis PerkinsTrevor JohnsonTrevor Jones and all at CPSTrevor SchoonmakerTTGamesUHCUnicorn GroceryUniversity of Salford Upper Space Gallery Urban Splash Vanessa Champion Vicky Martin Vikram Kalshal Warren BardsleyWayne HemmingwayWhaley’sWhitworth Art Gallery Will Alsop Will Robson ScottWilliam TitleyXBOX360 xfmXing DanwenYang Sing Yuen Fong Ling Zach Feuer Gallery Zoe Higgins

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