Common Frequency

Person dancing with raised hands in blue light, with others behind them. The adidas and Factory International logos are at the bottom.

Remember the first time you heard that song? The first time you stepped out as yourself and a shared frequency become a common language?

Curated and produced by the adidas OCN North cohort – a group of 20 young creatives from across the North West – Common Frequency traces the influential presence of music in our lives.

Bringing together multiple works created by the cohort, the exhibition invites visitors to experience music as a vessel for human connection – through which stories are shared, truths are celebrated and identities are found.

Explore each artwork below.

Supported by

Meet the cohort

Composite image of the headshots of the Adidas OCN North 2026 cohort
Meet the cohort of adidas OCN North 2026 here
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Sound of the Night

  • A group of people dancing in a club

    "Sound of the Night is an exploration of the club as a place where tension is released. Whilst the space is often situated as a site of healing or escape, we are interested in the lack of resolution that accompanies our modern life and how it transforms into raw energy. The film is a visual translation of an emotional state rather than a traditional narrative. It explores chaos, release, transformation and the physical experience of being part of a collective."

    Film. 2026.

Credits – Creative Team

Lara Ptolomey, Creative Director & Stylist

Anna Pugh, Production Designer

Daniel Amadi, Producer

Rayyanah Munye, Director

Erin Jones, Line Producer

Josh Hedley, 1st AC

Celia Bennett, 2nd AC

Laura Hilliard, Director of Photography

Conor Warwick, Spark

Pelumi Fatayo, Production Assistant

Toni McCoy-Hopwood, Score Producer

Abi Black, BTS Photography

Credits – Dancers

Brandan Power

Olalekan Olaoye 

Patrycja Wronowska 

Imara Meza 

Cassia Viola Moinuddin

Omar Colin Douglas 

Alexandra gkm

Elsa Asiah Binti Fauzi

Angel Dike 

Gabrielle Eva Boubebey

Kiana Williams

Miles Armitige 

Ruby Elliot

Madeline Ashley

Mia Galley-Tew

Finlay Abdullah

Joely Bell

Mia Gadsby

Edward Sheilds

Alexandsa Kalonji Mnambo

Deon Clarke-Lone

Sonata

  • A dancer wearing a bright red material skirt

    "Unstructured, unbound, unapologetic.

    This film explores the visceral act of solo resilience. Faced with the loss of her creative home, a ballerina steps out of the comfort of her studio and transforms the city into her new canvas.

    SONATA treats music not as a background score, but as a living vessel for transformation. By framing the ballerina as a conductor, creating new musical notes as she moves, it proves that while they can lock the doors, they cannot lock up the music inside of her. It reminds us that when our structural realities crumble, we remain the original creators of our melody and even when we are faced with sudden obstacles, we can always start again.

    The safety net is gone. The city becomes the instrument. This is her sonata."

    Film. 2026.

Credits – Creative Team

Albert Biney, Producer & Background Actor

Amber Calland, Movement Director

Anna Pugh, Art Director

Celia Bennett, 2nd AC

Conor Warwick, Spark

Daniel Oyegade, Director

Ee Yong Chung, Composer (in collaboration with Manchester Camerata)

Erin Jones, Line Producer

Farah Khalil, Director & Writer

Josh Hedley / 1st AC / @joshhedleyyy

Kyle Livingstone, Digital Image Technician

Laura Hilliard, Director of Photography

Letitia Colling, Art Assistant

Lisha Faye, Stylist Assistant

Manchester Camerata, Musicians 

Naomi Oghomwen, Editor & Colourist

Ned Maw, Spark

Pelumi Fatayo, Background Actor

Rachel Yan Ting Li, Lead Dancer & Performer

Ramiyah Kofi, Stylist

Reid Stasiak, Spark

Rosie Bruce, Line Producer & Background Actor

Steven Wyatt, Gaffer

Yaroslav Prytula, Photographer

With special thanks to Jahqira Henry.

Resonance

"Resonance is a soundscape that traces the stories and feelings that brought about this show, bringing audiences closer to the intentions and outlooks of the cohort and the personal stories that inspired their collective work. Applying the musical practice of sampling as a way to tell stories, the soundscape includes the voices of the adidas Originals Network North cohort, and other contributors, speaking about the importance of music to them.

Stories trace reflections on the friendship, freedom, healing, and empowerment that music has brought about in peoples’ lives, creating a collective sound that holds the show’s works within it and mirrors some of the stories they tell."

Credits – Creative Team

Liliana Muñoz Flannery, Creative Director

Toni McCoy-Hopwood, Sound Artist & Lead Producer

Produced by Toni McCoy-Hopwood with support from Liliana Muoz Flannery, the OCNN cohort members mentored by Space Afrika.

Say Less

  • A group of people smiling and crowding around a singer who is performing in the crowd

    "This work looks at music as a means of connection, expression and collective experience. The role of music within black culture and community, where shared sounds and moments create an immediate sense of recognition and belonging.

    Capturing scenes of energy, the images focus on the feeling that sits around it, and the atmosphere of a shared environment that allows one to express themselves. The image draws focus to gestures and passion that communicates without a need for explanation

    This is music as a shared understanding."

    Photography. 2026.

Credits – Creative Team

Anna Pugh, Prop Styling & Set Dresser

Emily Lindsay, Photo Assistant

Letitia Colling, Photographer, Creative Director & Producer

Ramiyah Kofi, Stylist

Credits – models

Assiah Rutty

Bill Howell Okereke

Hope Oseghale

Ike Iwuagwu

Israel Olujobi

Josiah Ogbu

Maceo Marriott

Samuel Kalo

Tobi Obulu

Somewhere in the Music

  • Headshot of a person waring red Adidas jacket and white headband

    "This collection explores the quieter, more personal relationship we have with sound. These are the moments when music becomes part of everyday life: listening alone, pausing in a doorway, looking out of a window or moving through the streets with a soundtrack of your own. The imagery captures reflection, memory and the way music can shift our mood, perspective or sense of place without needing a crowd around us. "

    Digital photography. 2026.

Credits – Creative Team

Yaroslav Prytula, Photographer, Creative Director & Producer 

Credits – models

Daniel Oyegade

Irene González

Toni McCoy-Hopwood

Common Frequency zine

  • Black and white image of people in a club wearing adidas trainers

    "Rather than telling one linear story, the zine brings together a collection of photographic and visual works that explore the different ways music can shape who we are, how we move, and the spaces and communities around us.

    The zine is experienced through the eyes of the cohort. Each contributor brings their own perspective, experience and visual language to the theme, creating a fragmented but connected portrait of music and its power.

    Across the pages, we move between moments of collective energy and more intimate observations: people dancing in the street, nights spent in clubs, the relationship between music and identity, the spaces where music brings people together, and quieter still-life moments that capture the traces and objects surrounding music culture."

    Print. 2026.

Credits – Creative Team

Ben Brumpton, Publication Design & Typographer

Letitia Colling, Creative Direction, Image Selection, Photographer, Project Management & Design Assistant

Yaroslav Prytula - Photographer, Creative Director, Image Selection, Project Management & Design Assistant 

Abi Black - Photographer & Design Assistant

Credits – models

Daniel Oyegade

Irene González

Toni Mccoy-Hopwood

Forsyths Musical Shop

Assiah Rutty

Bill Howell Okereke

Hope Oseghale

Ike Iwuagwu

Israel Olujobi

Josiah Ogbu

Maceo Marriott

Samuel Kalo

Tobi Obulu

North Warehouse Build: Amphitheatre & image installation

"Inspired by the history of music and performance as essential parts of public life, this spatial installation references the structure of an amphitheatre, a historic site of human connection and storytelling through artistic means. 

Reimagining it in a modern context, this structure is made of a lightweight poly-silk fabric that naturally moves with air changes in the space, creating an environment that rejects notions of rigidity and conformity and instead mirrors the fluidity of mood, experience, and identity that music inspires.

This installation stands as an immersive, welcoming, and reflective space for audiences, acting as a reactive backdrop to the performances, stories, and experiences that unfold within it.

On either side of the space hang six images displayed in three double-sided frames suspended in a three-stripe formation, a nod to adidas’ iconic branding."

Poly-silk blend and Ripstop. 2026.

Credits – Creative Team

Abby Clarke, Set consultant

Anna Pugh, Production Designer & Project Manager

Ben Brumpton, Spatial Designer & Interior Architect

Liliana Muñoz Flannery, Creative Director

Spencer Dent, Art Director

Meet the Cohort

"What can 20 voices create when they are asked to become one?

This documentary follows 20 young creatives from across the North West as they respond to one shared brief: the art of music.

Bringing together different disciplines, backgrounds and perspectives, the film offers an intimate look at the process of creating collectively. Through interviews and behind-the-scenes moments, it captures the evolution of ideas, decisions and relationships shaping an ambitious exhibition.

As individual ideas meet a shared vision, the process raises questions around collaboration, identity and what happens when creativity becomes something that must be negotiated and built together.

More than a record of the final exhibition, it is a portrait of young creatives finding their place within something bigger,  and discovering what can emerge when different voices are given the space to create."

Documentary. 2026.

Credits – Creative Team

Irene Gonzalez, Director, Producer, Editor

Abi Black, Photographer

Performer names

Abi Black

Albert Biney

Anna Pugh

Ben Brumpton

Daniel Amadi

Daniel Oyegade

Farah Khalil

Irene Gonzalez

Laz Ptolomey

Letitia Colling

Liliana Munoz

Pelumi Fatayo

Phoebe Bonser

Ramiyah Kofi

Rayyanah Munye

Spencer Dent

Toni McCoy-Hopwood

Yaroslav Prytula

Exhibition curation

Alongside the creation of their own artworks, the adidas OCNN cohort have taken an active curatorial role in shaping the wider exhibition. Working collectively, they have considered how audiences will experience and navigate the work, from the overall exhibition narrative and presentation through to marketing and communications, access and inclusion, and the development of workshops and wider engagement activity. This has given the cohort the opportunity to shape not only what audiences see, but how they encounter, engage with and experience the exhibition.

Abi Black

Showcase curator

Workshop Facilitator

Lead Image (Creative Director and Photographer)

Social Content Creation

Instagram

Irene Gonzalez

Documentary Director

Producer and Editor

Social Content Strategy

Workshop Facilitator

Instagram

Letitia Colling

Workshops (Photographer, Facilitator, Creative Assistant)

Marketing (Copywriting and Social Strategy)

Lead image (Creative Assistant and Art Assistant)

Instagram

Pelumi Fatayo

Creative Director, Exhibition and Programme Producer 

Event management and programming - Producer & Creator of Be The Original Workshop / Meet The Cohort Night / Exhibition Day programming

Copywriting and Branding 

Social Content Strategy / Project management and Content Creation lead

Vox Pox- Producer & Interviewer 

Instagram

Phoebe Bonser

Creative Director, Exhibition and Programme Producer 

Exhibition Strategy and Creative Direction

Copywriting and Branding 

Social Content Strategy and Content Creation

Vox Pox Interviewer 

Event management and programming - Producer & Creator of Be The Original Workshop / Meet The Cohort Night / Exhibition Day programming

Access and inclusion 

Audience Experience Design and Curation

Lighting designer 

Instagram