The FLUX Atelier are interested in temporality, developing creative spatial practices that are peripatetic and inscriptive. Working with the developers, U+I, live on-site as they develop the area of Mayfield, a post-industrial wasteland of Manchester City Centre. I have explored methods of investigation that took me to site, iteratively testing with choreographic objects, collecting field notes, and engaging with the community.
This thesis project explores how a short-term event can establish a state of change within an area, reconnecting Mayfield back into the bustling city around it. Developing a matter of care surrounding the history in the industrial production of fabrics and the tradition of parades within the annual Whit Walks, the project questions: how can a festival contribute to establishing a state of change within Mayfield?
Festivals and events offer the opportunity for people to socialise, celebrate achievements and create markers of time, offering a break in normal routines and a space for experiences. With intent to meaningfully integrate the narratives of Mayfield’s past, festival structures are purple in colour and incorporate fabric, influenced by the pivotal industry of Hoyle & Sons Print Works in the dyeing and printing of calico for the mass market. A steel scaffolding system will provide host to events expressing the temporary nature of a festival. Comprising of three sites in year one, the annual repetition of a Mayfield Festival can provide a focus for the redevelopment of place. The Mayfield Festival will contribute to a state of change in Mayfield which is buildable, affordable, sustainable and contributes to the transformation of the area through a temporary series of structures encouraging the collective movement of people through place within a theatrical nature.
