Factory International

Factory+

From video series and podcasts to editorial takeovers, artist experiments and virtual worlds - it’s all here at Factory+.

Featured

AI in Performance | Art of Technology

What it is like working with AI as an artist? Head behind the scenes of Laurie Anderson’s ARK: United States V with AI research hub BMO lab.

We sat down with the University of Toronto AI research lab where Laurie Anderson is the 2024 Radium Artist-in-Residence to find out more about the practice.

Read and watch more: AI in Performance | Art of Technology

The Architecture of Aviva Studios

What was the intention behind the design of Aviva Studios?

In celebration of our first anniversary, we spoke with Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) architect Ellen van Loon on her vision for this extraordinary building.

An ultra-flexible performance space. A place for the next generation of creatives in Manchester to make their own.

Discover highlights from our opening year →

Series

In the Studio

Artists and collectives show us the space where their ideas come to life.

Dream Space

What does art have the power or potential to do, when we allow ourselves to dream? We explore this in our new podcast, hosted by Gemma Cairney.

Factory Talks

A series of talks where the brightest minds in art, culture, and innovation come together to share their insights and creative journeys.

Factory Sessions

Discover live performances from the best in the business and Manchester’s next gen of musicians.

Editor in Residence

Read

New Writers

New Writers brings you flash fiction, poetry and prose from emerging writers based in the North of England.

An Introduction to...

Get to know our diverse alumni of artists and their work.

Games

I CAN'T FOLLOW YOU ANYMORE

I CAN'T FOLLOW YOU ANYMORE
This new browser-based video game from artist and world builder Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley explores Black trans identity, spirituality and resistance through vampires – all wrapped up in a 90s horror aesthetic.
Discover more and play →

  • We Dwell in Possibility

    The latest digital work in our Virtual Factory series is a queer gardening simulation by Robert Yang and Eleanor Davis.

  • Your Progress Will Be Saved

    LaTurbo Avedon journeys inside Fortnite Creative for the first work in our Virtual Factory series

  • Songs of the Lost

    Paloma Dawkins' magic-realist game odyssey through a surreal and absurd digital landscape.

  • Lost Memories Dot Net

    MIF’s first ever game commission, courtesy of one of the most innovative and individual video game designers working today - Nina Freeman.

Art

  • Factory Works

    A new audio artwork and accompanying film by Neville Gabie – created with Nabihah Iqbal, Mark Thomas and the construction workers who built Aviva Studios.

  • Postcards From Now

    Postcards from Now presents five distinct films from leading international artists that responded to the Global Pandemic.

  • To the Moon

    In this interactive essay, Laurie Anderson shares how she drew inspiration from constellations to create a new work in VR for MIF19, To the Moon.

  • Big Ben Lying Down With Political Books

    Explore Argentinian art pioneer Marta Minujín’s participatory artwork alongside comprehensive archives of her work.

  • Portrait Of Black Britain Online

    This online gallery profiles a range of Black people living in the UK today, the contributions they make and the roles they play in society

  • The Story of Aviva Studios

    Explore the journey from ambitious idea to landmark cultural venue through four commissioned projects.

Experiments

Immersive Tech In Performance

In 2019, we began a major piece of research and development exploring how audiences of the future will experience live performance. Fifteen specialist organisations, including MIF brought together their expertise in theatre and performance, the music industry, video production, gaming and the research sector to explore what it means to perform live using technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality.

To celebrate the completion of this research many of the findings have been published at Findings In The Future, a collection of panel discussions and technical documents that share insights into the making of DYSTOPIA987, Dream and more.

‏‏‎ ‎

Adapting Story, Character & Performance for XR

00:58:10

Performance, Puppetry and XR Stages

01:05:37

Cross Sector R&D

00:44:10

Physical and Virtual Counterparts: Blending Real and Virtual Worlds

00:52:49

Behind the Scenes

Building Worlds

Building Worlds takes you behind the scenes of our productions to meet the teams and people that create a show.

  • Dancer wearing a red dress surrounded by dancers in black clothing in Free Your Mind

    Free Your Mind, the official opening production for Aviva Studios, the home of Factory International © Tristram Kenton, October 2023

    Invent a better tomorrow together

    A huge thank you to our extraordinary supporters and partners who support our mission to invent a better tomorrow together.

    As a registered charity, we work to grow our community of individual donors, corporate partners, and grant makers. Their support helps us make art accessible to everyone, transform lives through creative engagement, develop the next generation of diverse talent and power the future of the arts sector.

    Find out how you can support our work to use art as a catalyst for social change, creativity and innovation – both in Manchester and beyond.

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