Image by @Holmesblogs
By Rosa Methol
It doesn’t seem like a whole year since the Cornerhouse merged with the Library Theatre Company to create Manchester’s brand new artistic hub, but it is now only a few days until HOME celebrates its first birthday.
With over 1 million visitors crossing its threshold since it opened and more than 211,000 tickets sold, HOME’s first year has been a brilliant success and people from all over Manchester have enjoyed the eclectic creative experiences it has brought.
From sensory stimulating ‘walking symphony’ performance art such as No Boundaries: A Folded Path to the multi-media stage masterpiece Golem, to an inventive exploration of sickness melodrama in the SAFE exhibition, there have been plenty of highlights to enjoy in the past twelve months.
If you would like to join in with HOME’s first birthday celebrations, here is your guide to some of the affordable and inspired events that are taking place this weekend:
For under 18s, Saturday 21st May, HOME will be showing a preview screening of When Marnie Was There. This new Studio Ghibli animation, based on the children’s book of the same name by Joan G. Robinson, has been described by The Telegraph as “a swirling, gently gothic mystery about a girl’s coming of age.” With a reputation like Studio Ghibli’s, this film can be enjoyed by young and old alike, but you may want to take some tissues for the more melancholic moments.
Also for the whole family, check out At The End of Everything Else on Sunday at 12 and 2pm and the Family Puppet Workshop with Joseph Richardson on Sunday from 12.30 – 4.30pm
If a party is more your scene, on Friday night from 8.30pm, Saturday from 10.30pm and Sunday from 8pm there will be DJs in the HOME’s downstairs bar until late. The Rooftop Festival takes place on Saturday 21st May from 12.30pm and welcomes guests to enjoy DJs, spoken word, food, acoustic music and views of Manchester’s most newly developed area on the second floor festival space of the building – all for free!
If that’s not enough, there will also be events and activities for the more creative minds among us. For example, make sure to pop into the on-going exhibition Imitation of Life: Melodrama and Race in the 21st Century if you want to have your thoughts provoked. Available to explore for free every day of the festival from 12, the exhibition’s name comes from Fanny Hurst’s book and its subsequent film adaptations throughout the decades. This exhibition uses photography, video and performance to ask the question ‘How do we perform race in the 21st century?’
HOME will also be launching its new publication Fear Eats the Soul at its book launch on Friday at 7pm, which examines racial politics in a ‘post-digital’ 21st century.
To find out more about HOME’s first birthday celebrations and for a full timetable of birthday events and workshops visit homemcr.org.
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