Back to the drawing board: Manchester and Salford Illustrated
Illustrators from Greater Manchester have come together to respond to the brief ‘What does Manchester mean to you?’ as part of the Manchester and Salford Illustrated exhibition which looks to raise awareness and funds for family support charity Wood Street Mission. Here, The Drum takes a look at some of the work.
Following an open call for entries, 30 professional illustrators’ takes on Manchester and Salford have been selected for MASI’s exhibition and online gallery, which aim to attract design professionals, creatives and the general public. Each successful entry will be accompanied by a written rationale by its creator and reproduced as a limited edition £25 print, to be sold online and at the exhibition’s launch, with all proceeds going to Wood Street Mission. Works chosen for the exhibition include Stanley Chow’s pop art take on Affleck’s and Barney Ibbotson’s stylised representation of his city’s heritage. Ibbotson said: “Manchester’s story is deeply intertwined with industry and scientific innovation, and this is evident in the buildings, bridges, railways and canals that permeate the city. As an illustrator I’m interested in shapes, patterns and textures so I decided to focus on those that portray the city’s innovations and architecture, combining cotton, warehouse windows, cogs and wheels, railway tracks, early chemical symbols and a new version of Lancashire’s red rose to create what could be called a modern Manchester coat of arms.” A parallel student competition – the MASI Student Award – has invited trainee illustrators to respond to the same brief, to be judged by a panel of leading local designers and illustrators. The results will be revealed at the exhibition’s launch when the winner will be awarded a two week placement at design agency Creative Lynx, as well as having their prize-winning work exhibited and reproduced as a print. One of the organisers, Stephen Hey of Wood Street’s Creative Friends, said: “We’re staging this exhibition to increase awareness of the immense commercial illustration talent we have here in Manchester and Salford, and share new perspectives on both cities. It’s been very hard to select just 30 works to exhibit but, with prints for sale for just £25, our visitors will be able to buy a unique piece of art without spending a fortune - and every penny raised will directly help local children living in poverty.” The exhibition takes place 27 October to 10 November at Creative Lynx, 52 Princess Street, Manchester, with the online gallery and shop at www.manchesterandsalfordillustrated.co.uk