Photography students from The Manchester College will be showcasing their ‘Greater Mancunians’ project as part of a landmark exhibition at the iconic Central Library’s Main Exhibition Hall.
This ground-breaking photography project features images of some of Manchester’s famous and influential people – shot at numerous locations across the city – all of which will be exhibited from Friday 19 April until Sunday 30 June.
150 students from The Manchester College have participated in the project, and taken photographs of over 100 contributors, including musicians Noel Gallagher and Johnny Marr; athletes Diane Modahl and Ricky Hatton; local politicians Andy Burnham, Angela Rayner and Bev Craig; actors Maxine Peake and Bill Roache; artists Stan Chow and AKSE P19, and a plethora of local figures including Jonathan Warburton, Simon Martin and Professor Erinma Bell MBE.
Greater Mancunians was launched in 2017 when student Harry Yeates captured an image of national treasure, John Cooper Clarke as part of Harry’s final year project. Photography tutor at The Manchester College and project lead, Harry Potts, encouraged other students to think of more people who were born and bred in Greater Manchester or who have made it their home and, in some way, have shaped the region culturally.
From this initial idea the College started inviting a selection of musicians, actors, comedians, sportspeople, entertainers, politicians, artists, poets and community heroes to be photographed in a location of their choosing. Before long, it became obvious that an important body of work was being created.
“Greater Mancunians has been seven years in the making and we are delighted that it has culminated in the amazing work of our student photographers being showcased in one of the city’s most iconic exhibition spaces,” commented Harry Potts.
“What started out as a mission to enable a student to achieve their aspirations and photograph one of their inspirations has grown into a social history photography project that truly highlights the unique place Manchester is, shining a light on the exceptional people who have both put the city on the map internationally and helped to shape it into the world-leading city it is today.
Rachel Curry, Principal at The Manchester College, added, “At The Manchester College we pride ourselves on ensuring that our students are able to reach their aspirational goals, develop the skills they will need for a rewarding career and provide them with the opportunities to work on industry standard briefs and projects.
“Greater Mancunians perfectly encapsulates this and is a fantastic example of not only the enriching opportunities that our amazing staff provide for students who study with us but also the amazing talent that our students’ possess.
“The photographs in the exhibition are truly stunning and I am delighted that our students’ work will be on show for people from across the city and beyond to come and see for themselves. Everyone involved in the project can be incredibly proud of what they have achieved, and I would like to thank all of those people, from Harry Potts ~ who planted the seed of an idea for a project in 2017 and has nurtured and curated the ambition with care throughout the years it has run ~ to our wider talented photography teachers and technicians who made it possible. They have all given our students the skills and belief that they can achieve incredible things. And of course, the contributors who wanted to help us deliver the vision and it goes without saying the students, for making Greater Mancunians such a success.”
Noel Gallagher is one of the more recent Greater Mancunians, who posed outside India House, Whitworth Street where he used to live and where he wrote the first two Oasis albums, as he explained, “India House is literally ground zero in the story of my musical life. I moved into a flat there with my then girlfriend around 1989 ~ broke and bored! By the time I left in 1993 I’d joined my little brother’s band and had written Live Forever and Rock ‘n’ Roll Star!”
Another of the featured guests is writer, actor and voice of Gogglebox, Craig Cash, “We’re all shaped by this inspirational place in which we’ve lived, and by the people who inhabit it. Hopefully we’ll have made our own mark on it. Dare I say even changed it a little? So, the next generation of Greater Mancunians can pick up the baton, run with it and change in some more. I’m sure these excellent photography students will do just that. The cultural evolution of Greater Manchester is in safe hands.”
The contributors to the project can be found here: https://www.greatermancunians.blog/
The Greater Mancunians photography exhibition will be run from Friday 19 April to Sunday 30 June at Manchester’s Central Library ~ free entrance.
