news & happenings

hello fellow modernists, urbanists & citylovers,

thought we'd pass on news just in on a couple of imminent events in our fair city to tempt you...

first up is a lovely sounding walk through the city, perfect for the sunny weather (fingers crossed!) with an emphasis on its trees:

tues 23 June 2009
Starts: 14:00
Ends: 15:30

Stroll through Manchester’s streets and hear the stories the city trees have to tell. Hear about the Catalpas near Lincoln Square from the American 'Indian' homelands, the oaks that made our great ships, the barely-noticed hawthorn that has been here for ten thousand years, longer than any warring peoples. And Manchester’s own poplars, sci-fi male clones, the rarest trees in Britain, with a story all of their own. Trees are part of our living city and they are all permanent artworks, if you know how to look.

Meet at the Tourist Information Centre, Lloyd Street, Manchester. check their website for details.

or, if the glamour of manchester's circle club and an evening salon event sounds more your thing, the next in their Circuit Series might be just the ticket..

Wednesday 24th June - Media City, The land of opportunity?

6:30pm at the Circle Club, Manchester. details to follow apparently, so keep an eye here for more:

enjoy the city this week, whatever you get up to...!

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Hi modernists,

those of you who are unable to join in our Yorkshire adventure today might want to take a peek at this interesting looking event tonight at the Circle Club. Maybe you could report back at our next get together!

p.s details of our next get together soon...

The Future of Architecture

10TH JUNE 2009 - THE CIRCLE CLUB MANCHESTER- 6:30PM

There are so many pressures put upon architects in today’s society. Longevity, aesthetics and function are all obvious needs in a design but adding to this is global warming, anti social behavior, the recession, access legislation, fair trade and sustainability…the list goes on and is forever expanding. Does this make designing a building an impossible task? How are these pressures going to change the landscape of our urban sprawl? Join us over supper as we discuss this with our expert panel.

THE PANEL:

Chaired by JONATHAN SCHOFIELD, Editor of Manchester Confidential

IAN BUTLER head of the NW office of Sheppard Robson

GAVIN ELLIOTT chairman of BDP, the UK’s biggest architect firm

JANE LEACH is a newly self-employed architect and coordinator of the Manchester Women´s Design Group

PHIL GRIFFIN is a writer and broadcaster with special interest in architecture and urban issues. He worked for Piccadilly Radio from 1974 to 1978 and Granada Television throughout the 1980s.

p.s. this event is part of the Circuit Series - take a look here for this and forthcoming events.

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Exciting Group Outing to Leeds,

The New Monumentality exhibition & Talk,

Wed June 10, meet 2.30 in the Art Gallery Cafe,

Hello friends and modernists,

So like us you love Manchester’s built environment and the knobbly, grubby beauty of its sometimes neglected iconic buildings. We are itching to meet you in the flesh and have a good old natter about this peculiar old city. So until our first proper Manchester get together what better way to say hello than by organising an intrepid expedition!

We therefore cordially invite you to join us on an informal trip across the Pennines to the fair city of Leeds on Wed 10 June to see the New Monumentality Exhibition and then attend the talk ‘The Failure of Modernism: Who’s to Blame?’ by Melissa Gronlund (Managing editor, Afterall) in the Henry Moore Institute.

The Exhibition and talk are both free and there’s no need to book. We don’t have a club van (yet – sponsors anyone!?) so your mission should you choose to accept it is to get yourself over to Leeds and meet us in the lovely café in the City Art Gallery next door at 2.30pm. There you will find us enjoying tea and cake before popping next door at 3.30 for a mooch round the exhibition, prior to the talk at 6pm. It promises to be a great show, a fascinating and pertinent talk, plus an perfect way of meeting up and getting to know each other. Hope some of you will make it!!

RSVP or simply turn up look out for our grey logo at one of the tables...

For more details about the exhibition and their programme of events visit the henry moore institute here.