The sky over Manchester will be lit up this New Year as part of a new installation celebrating new life. Light beams will be cast into the clouds above the new Factory International ahead of its opening in June 2023.
The interactive light display is part of artist Luke Jerram's new public artwork entitled First Breath, which involves lights gently pulsing into the sky to represent the first breaths of babies born that day in Greater Manchester. The interactive display will take place every evening from 1-29 January between 4-10pm.
Visitors wanting to see the light beams and artwork up close will be able to walk in and around the lights, as well as witnessing it from vantage points across the city. Jerram is perhaps best know for his work Museum of the Moon, which has been experienced by more than 20 million people worldwide and his giant 10m Floating Earth was seen by thousands in Media City in Salford and in Pennington Flash near Wigan in 2021.
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Commenting on the light installation, Luke Jerram says: "I want to reveal, celebrate and connect the hidden community of people giving birth each day in Greater Manchester. Disconnected and yet going through the life-changing experience at the same time, there are on average over 70 babies born each day in the city.
"This new artwork is designed to celebrate the moment a child is born – the extraordinary moment when they take their first breath and a new life arrives in the world."
The new installation will take place against the backdrop of Factory International - the £186m arts centre, which is set to become a "landmark cultural space" for the city when it opens later next year. The riverside destination, programmed and operated by the team behind Manchester International Festival represents the largest investment in a national cultural project since the opening of Tate Modern.
The venue will be officially opened with Free Your Mind - an immersive performance based on The Matrix, which is being directed by Radcliffe's Danny Boyle. First Breath meanwhile, will set in motion a new programme of family activities and early learning opportunities for babies and parents at Factory International - connecting a new generation through culture and exploring how art can be woven into daily family life from birth.
Hundreds of babies born in January 2023 will also receive lifetime membership to Factory International – providing priority booking, discounted tickets and exclusive invitations to everything from exhibitions and concerts, to family performances and workshops.
John McGrath, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Factory International and Manchester International Festival adds: “At the turn of 2023 we’ll celebrating new beginnings with a beautiful public artwork projected from the site of our future home into the night sky. As we welcome hundreds of new-borns into the world through Luke’s light sculpture, we will also be breathing life into our new building and, we hope, setting in motion a fruitful life-long relationship with a new generation."
Expectant parents due in January 2023 from all backgrounds and pregnancy journeys can sign-up to First Breath via the Factory International website. The artwork is free and will run from 1-29 January 2023 from 4-10pm. The artwork will be accessed on Water Street, at the bottom of Liverpool Road.
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