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Multi-skilled team of art students bring beauty to Manchester’s newest cultural neighbourhood

By Emily Oldfield

Circle Square is one of Manchester’s newest city centre developments, based on the former BBC site on Oxford Road. The team behind the development has recently collaborated with Manchester School of Art (MSA), inviting groups of students to create a huge artwork to be displayed on boards around the site. The winning design went on display last week and now surrounds the 2.4 million sq ft plot at the heart of Corridor Manchester.

The initiative tasked ten groups of first-year students with creating a ‘large scale creative hoarding’, allowing them to experience first-hand how real media and design teams operate.

Chosen after the teams pitched their final ideas to clients, the winning group were Jack Ramsay (BA(Hons) Graphic Design), Aine Curley (BA(Hons) Graphic Design), and Amy Needham (BA(Hons) Illustration with Animation). The opposing themes of deconstruction and growth made their work stand out.

All the students invited were being assessed as part of Unit X on their course, an assessed initiative which encourages creative collaboration across subjects. For example, the winning group brought together students from a range of disciplines within the school including Graphic Design, Illustration and Animation.

Senior Lecturer on the MSA BA(Hons) Illustration with Animation course Ian Whadcock said, “This open, experimental brief has encouraged the students to work together with the other artistic disciplines at the faculty, as well as teaching them how to conduct research, work with budgets and pitch to clients. Merging the academic and professional world in this way will help prepare the students for a life outside of university, and we’re proud to be offering them such an exciting opportunity.”

He added, “A microsite featuring the work presented by each group will launch early next year and will display a selection of our past collaborations, including our work with Manchester Literature Festival 2016 and Hubbub, along with future partnerships.”

The project is part of Manchester Metropolitan University’s focus on employability and has given aspiring artists and designers the chance to work on a real client project.

Marketing Manager at Circle Square Ana Vieitez reflected on the success of the collaboration: “Our vision, as the city centre’s new neighbourhood, is to bring communities of forward-thinking people, creatives, businesses and students together. Our fantastic location at the heart of Corridor Manchester presents us with the opportunity to collaborate with a huge range of people and launch exciting projects that would not otherwise be possible.

“We were thrilled when Manchester School of Art approached us about this partnership, and we were overwhelmed by the quality of the work presented to us by the students.”

An ongoing project evolving over time, Circle Square is set to be two thirds completed by the end of 2019 and will be an inclusive place for industry, education and arts. It will be a creative hub for ‘The Corridor’; Manchester’s flourishing innovation district which stretches from St Peter’s Square all the way down Oxford Road. Adding colour and richness to the area, Circle Square will incorporate rare and valuable green space, including pocket gardens and reflective areas, alongside bustling public realms, with open fronts and modern technologies.

A special section is being created for the public and businesses to submit any collaborative ideas. For more information, visit the Circle Square website.