It may not be the most salubrious of canals in Manchester but its contents are starring in a new exhibition taking place at the City Centre’s Piccadilly Place this weekend.
Art Dredge features installations, sculptures, paintings and video using dumped items pulled out of the section of the Rochdale Canal in Newton Heath.
The items were recovered back in March when the Canal and River Trust facilitated the draining and dredging of the section between locks 71-72 and a team of volunteers pulled out thousands of objects including two mopeds, five shopping trolleys, six bikes, two safes and flat screen TV.
Three artists, Jason Heppenstall, Donna Bramhall and Matt Sewell then turned selected pieces into Art.
Project leader Ben Reed selected the artists because they were all sensitive to environmental issues with one of the main objectives of the Arts Council funded project to raise awareness of the damage that fly tipping into waterways does to the environment.
The artists have also delivered workshops with local resident groups and emerging artists giving them the chance to include some of the their work in the exhibition.
The exhibition runs until the 5th June in a empty unit at Piccadilly Place M13BN
For more information visit www.facebook.com/theartdredge
