Artists in Times of Upheaval: UK Now
- Date
- 26 Oct 2024
- Venue
- The Social, Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester M3 4JQ
- Tickets
- Free Tickets
4–5pm
We have free personal assistant tickets available for wheelchair users and disabled visitors. We do not require proof to book a personal assistant ticket with your access ticket.
To book access tickets please call 0161 817 4531 (Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm) or email access@factoryinternational.org.
Running time: 1 hour
Accessibility features available for this event: Wheelchair Access
Four artists from across the North reflect on their experiences of the recent riots in the UK – featuring Keisha Thompson, Keith Saha, Jardel Rodriques and Mahboobeh Rajabi
In this special edition of our talk series featuring artists who make work in the context of global conflict and change, four Northern artists discuss their experience of the recent riots in the UK. Join chair Keisha Thompson and artists Keith Saha, Jardel Rodriques and Mahboobeh Rajabi as they reflect on how the events that unfolded in summer 2024 impacted on their work, wellbeing and their future plans.
Keisha Thompson is a Manchester-based writer, performance artist and producer as well as the programme manager for The Guardian's Legacies of Enslavement project. Keith Saha is a writer and co-CEO/Artistic Director of the award-winning 20 Stories High theatre company in Liverpool.
Jardel Rodrigues is a South Manchester based writer, BBC Words First winner (2020), UNESCO Slam-O-Vision winner (2021) and Young Identity poet and Facilitator. Mahboobeh Rajabi an Iranian, Manchester based digital artist, theatre maker, filmmaker, writer and creative producer, focusing on giving platforms to untold stories.
Photo by Elmi Ali.
Resources
For anyone affected by the recent riots in the UK, we'd like to signpost to The Race Equality Foundation.
Artists in Times of Upheaval
This panel discussion is part of our free series of talks taking place in the Social across 2024.
Focusing on artists in and from some of the areas most exposed to current global forces, Artists in Times of Upheaval asks what space is there for artists when life ‘as normal’ no longer seems possible? Why do they continue to create art? And how?
Tickets
Our Artist Talks are now bookable – please book a free ticket.
Forgot to buy a ticket? Just drop by the Social before the talk and our Front of House team will find you a space.
Please note that there will be both seating and standing space at this event – please arrive early if you would like a seat! If you require a seat for access reasons, please call 0161 817 4531 (Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm) or email access@factoryinternational.org.
Access information
Our full address is Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester M3 4JQ and the what3words is chop.feeds.chase.
You can approach Aviva Studios along Water Street (coming from Quay Street) or along Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield). Both entrances to the building have double sets of glass doors.
Once inside Aviva Studios, there is step-free access to all areas of the venue. The flooring throughout the building is smooth concrete.
The entrance to the Hall is by lift, escalator or stairs from one side of the Social beside the brick arches. There is only one escalator, and this will take you up to the Hall before the show, and will be reversed so that you can travel down at the end of the performance.
The Social has a range of seating, including those with arms and backs.
The bars in the Social and Hall Foyer have lowered accessible service points.
Our building is large. We have portable stools available to borrow if you would benefit from resting along the way during your visit.
We have wheelchair spaces and seats at standing events for all events.
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, towards the back of the space, as well as ambulant accessible cubicles with grab rails, as well as a Changing Places facility.
The toilets in the brick arches of the Social are split into male, female and gender neutral – all of which contain accessible cubicles. There are shared handwashing facilities in each arch – they have soap dispensers under the mirrors to your left and dryers to the right. There are separate handwashing facilities inside the accessible cubicles.
There are additional single-room accessible toilets located in both Hall Foyers, at stalls and circle level.
There are additional single-room accessible toilets located in the Warehouse Foyer.
You do not need a key to use the accessible toilets at Aviva Studios.
Assistance dogs are welcome in our building, 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 do not want to take your dog into the performance space. Please also refer to our assistance dogs policy.
If you are bringing an assistance dog to a ticketed event, please let us know in advance by contacting access@factoryinternational.org or calling our access phone number: 0161 817 4531 (phone lines are open 10am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday).
We are sorry that assistive listening is not available for this event. To explore events that do have this access provision available, check out our access performance information page.
For anyone affected by the recent riots in the UK, we'd like to signpost to The Race Equality Foundation.
Travel information
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.
By Bike
There are 40 bike parking spaces at Aviva Studios including space for two accessible bikes.
National Cycling Route 6 passes close to the venue and this TfGM webpage can help with route planning.
You can also hire bikes from on-street docking stations across the city centre. The closest docking stations to our venue are currently on Deansgate by Liverpool Road and (400m from the building) and by King Street (500m from the building). Take a look at Transport for Greater Manchester’s webpage for advice on cycle hire.
By Walking and Other Active Means
Aviva Studios can be approached along Water Street via Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield).
If you're coming from Quay Street, the safest route to avoid construction works is via the cut-through opposite Gartside Street and past Booking.com.
All footways in the surrounding area are well lit and there are appropriate crossings across all main roads.
Pedestrians with visual impairment are recommended to approach the building via Water Street, from Liverpool Road. This route has traditional carriageway and footway design with fixed street furniture which should help with navigation to the entrance.
A footbridge at Left Bank in Spinningfields provides an accessible link across the River Irwell to Salford Central station, and a further footbridge also links Aviva Studios with the Salford area of Middlewood Locks.
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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