An Atlas of Es Devlin

25 Oct - 3 Nov 2023

Free to attend. No booking required.
Spectators sit on a bench watching a long horizontal screen suspended over a white catwalk
Date
25 Oct - 3 Nov 2023
Tickets
Free

Tuesday 24 October, Open Preview from midday - 1pm

Wednesday 25 October, 10am – 4pm

Thursday 26 October 10am – 4pm

Friday 27 October 10am – 4pm

Thursday 2 November 10am – 4pm

Friday 3 November 10am – 4pm

A 34-minute film by Es Devlin plays on a loop as part of the installation – you are invited to watch it all or come and go as you please.

Please note that there is flashing imagery and fast-moving screens as part of the installation.

Free to attend. No booking required.

Accessibility features available for this event: Wheelchair Access

Step inside a monumental immersive installation from artist and stage designer Es Devlin – one of the co-creators of Free Your Mind

Following on from the success of the Yayoi Kusama exhibition in Summer 2023, An Atlas of Es Devlin takes over our vast Warehouse space on weekdays from October 25 until November 3 2023.*

The installation invites everyone to come and experience the monumental space that the artist has created for Free Your Mind. Find yourself surrounded by coloured light, sound and music, while contemplating a series of meditative texts read by Devlin herself.

Made in collaboration with contemporary composers, Polyphonia, and video designer, Luke Halls, An Atlas of Es Devlin brings together poetry and prose that's inspired Devlin’s personal art practice since 2016 – and presents them as an illuminated ‘collective reading’ experience.

The exhibition's been made in parallel with Devlin's first monographic book as well as her first record – presented as a limited-edition vinyl LP by The Vinyl Factory.

Opening up the mesmerising set of Free Your Mind for exploration, the installation is free to attend and open to all.

Please note that there is flashing imagery and fast-moving screens as part of the installation.

*The exhibition is closed to the public on Tuesday 31 October and Wednesday 1 November.

Lead image courtesy Es Devlin.

  • Headshot of Es Devlin

    About Es Devlin

    Artist and stage designer Es Devlin’s work explores biodiversity, linguistic diversity and collective AI-generated poetry. She views the audience as a temporary society and encourages profound cognitive shifts by inviting public participation in communal choral works.

    Her canvas ranges from public sculptures and installations at Tate Modern, V&A, Serpentine, Imperial War Museum and United Nations General Assembly, to kinetic stage designs at the Royal Opera House, the National Theatre and the Metropolitan Opera, as well as Olympic Ceremonies, Super-Bowl half-time shows, and monumental illuminated stage sculptures for Beyoncé, The Weeknd, Dr Dre, Kendrick Lamar and U2.

    She is the subject of a major new monographic book, An Atlas of Es Devlin, described by Thames & Hudson as their most intricate and sculptural publication to date, and a retrospective exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Museum of Design in New York. She was the first female designer of the UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 and her practice was the subject of the Netflix documentary series Abstract: The Art Of Design. She has been awarded The London Design Medal, three Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, an Ivor Novello Award, doctorates from the Universities of Bristol, Kent and the University of the Arts London as well as Royal Designer for Industry by the Royal Society of Arts and CBE. 

Access information

Our full address is Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester M3 4JQand the what3words is chop.feeds.chase.

We're a new purpose-built cultural space in the heart of Manchester. The approach to Aviva Studios is flat, with smooth concrete flooring.

The entrance to our building is through double glass doors. There are automatic doors at both entrances and these are also staffed when the building is open to the public.

Once inside, there is step-free access to all areas of the venue. Lifts to the Warehouse are located through the glass doors beside the city entrance. Lift and escalator access to the Hall is located next to the river entrance, just beyond the brick arches.

You will first arrive into the Social, a large public space where there are a range of seats (including those with arms), a bar and toilets (including accessible toilets and a Changing Places facility).

The bars in the Social and Hall Foyer have lowered accessible service points, and induction loops for hearing-aid users.

There are accessible toilets on all public levels of our building.

Accessible toilets are located inside the main toilets space in the brick arches of the Social.

Here you’ll find a mixture of accessible cubicles with left- or right-hand transfer, as well as ambulant accessible cubicles with grab rails. This is also where you can find our Changing Places facility. The toilets in the brick arches of the Social are gender neutral, so you can use facilities in any of the three arches.

There are additional accessible toilets in located in both Hall Foyers, at stalls and circle level.

You do not need a key to use the accessible toilets at Aviva Studios.

Assistance dogs are welcome at Aviva Studios, and we can provide mats and water bowls on request, just ask a host when you arrive. We can also take care of your assistance dog if you are attending a ticketed event and do not want to take your dog into the performance space. If you’re bringing an assistance dog to this event and would like us to make arrangements to care for them, you’re welcome to let us know by contacting access@factoryinternational.org or calling our access phone number: 0161 817 4531 (phone lines are open 10am to 5pm, Monday to Friday)

Please note that there is flashing imagery and fast-moving screens as part of the installation.

Travel information

Aviva Studios can be approached along Water Street (coming from Quay Street) or along Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield).

Our closest stations are:

Salford Central station: 0.4 miles

Deansgate station and Deansgate-Castlefield tram: 0.6 miles

St Peter’s Square tram: 0.6 miles

Manchester Victoria station is approximately one mile from Aviva Studios

Manchester Piccadilly station is approximately 1.3 miles from Aviva Studios

Click on the links above to find detailed access information for each station.

Free bus services stop at all city-centre stations, and near to Aviva Studios along Deansgate, Bridge St and Quay St. Buses on these free routes are wheelchair accessible. For full details of the free bus routes, please visit the TfGM website.

There is a car park approximately 0.6 miles from Aviva Studios at Water Street Car Park, New Elm Rd, Manchester, M3 4JH.

There is also a NCP car park (Manchester Spinningfields) approximately 0.5 miles away from Aviva Studios at Spinningfields, New Quay Street, Manchester, M3 3BE. It has 35 accessible bays.

There are a small number of Blue Badge spaces along Water St and Quay St. Otherwise head towards Liverpool Road, Great John St and Lower Byrom St – close to our neighbours, the Science and Industry Museum where there are a small number of additional Blue Badge spaces.

For a list of other parking bays available in the area, visit Manchester City Council website.

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