Salford City Council has announced Swinton Ark, a spectacular free-to-attend animated projection onto Salford Civic Centre (formerly Swinton & Pendlebury Town Hall) celebrating Swinton through memories and stories from local people, that will be taking place on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 January 2025 from 5pm to 8pm.
Created by projection artists Illuminos, this unique sound and light show is inspired by Swinton and its residents.Featuring personal stories gathered by local artist Lowri Evans, who asked a wide range of people around Swinton ‘if you could save one object, what would it be?’, the entirety of the former town hall building’s 70 metre facade will come alive with 3d mapped animation, music and sound.
The whole of the building’s Chorley Road frontage will be transformed into the Ark; a vast and gleaming vessel of wood and glass. In the dark winter nights, Swinton’s Ark will set sail. Waves crash and rain falls, but the Ark is strong and the story begins. Contained within it like an enormous cabinet of curiosities are the objects, moments and memories of Swinton residents – things that they would save from the flood, precious markers of events, times, and places.
One by one these elements will take centre stage as their stories are told, tumbling out of the Ark to form magical memories on a grand scale. A bike for a wedding ring, boxes of letters, a little straw chair, and feet dangled in a fountain; these and many more weave together in a dance of Swinton’s past, present and future, bound up and kept safe from the waves below.
The family friendly 12-minute projection will run every fifteen minutes for just over three hours, with the building in constant animated motion, so you can drop in and enjoy it for free whenever you like.
Projection artists Illuninos say:
“We are very excited to be creating this bespoke, one-of-a-kind projection artwork in Swinton. Using ideas around those precious things we might save in a flood, we were able to dive into the lives of Swinton’s residents, weaving a tapestry of moments drawn from their lives, entirely specific to the town and on a grand scale. The town hall will become Swinton Ark, and we can’t wait for you to join us on its voyage.”
Artist, Lowri Evans, says:
“Finding out what belongings were precious to people I bumped into was a great way to find out about them and their lives, and what they value. Most things people cherished weren’t their most expensive things, but objects with meaning or memories attached.
I took a cart around different sites in Swinton with some objects of my own to get people talking. Over fifty people stopped by and took time to contribute to the project, and many of their stories are featured within Swinton Ark.”
Councillor Hannah Robinson-Smith, Lead Member for Culture, Heritage, Equalities, Sports and Leisure says:
“It’s really exciting to see a project like Swinton Ark that tells the stories of local people in such a unique way, creating something special right in the heart of Swinton town centre – and transforming a building that has been at the centre of the community for so many years into a beacon of light over two evenings.”
“Swinton has plenty to celebrate and has the potential to be one of the best places to live in Greater Manchester. Local people have told us they want to see a more vibrant Swinton, with more going on – and Swinton Ark is part of a programme of events developed in response to that community ambition. It’s a great opportunity for people to come together and experience something new, a burst of light and colour during the dark January nights.”
