Bury Art Museum is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Irwell Sculpture Trail by hosting two new exhibitions.
The trail features 28 sculptures along a 30-mile route following the River Irwell from Salford Quays to north of Bacup in the Rossendale valley.
The two shows are IST25 and As If I Were A River, and can be viewed at the Moss Street gallery.
IST25 comprises work made by A-Level art students at Holy Cross College in Bury. Each student constructed a series of maquettes, in response to a brief to propose a new large scale sculpture for the trail, and selected one for the exhibition.
They explored themes surrounding the Industrial Revolution and the history of manufacturing around Bury and along the Irwell. The work uses simple materials – wire, paper straws, wooden matchsticks, lollypop sticks and cotton thread – reflecting products made in the mills around the North West.
This show runs until 1 December.
As If I Were A River revisits a photographic series commissioned from Dinu Li in 2003. This dreamlike sequence charts a voyage from rural to urban on a journey which always returns to the river, the unifying feature of the Irwell Sculpture Trail.
This exhibition opens on 1 December and runs until 9 February.
