MIF25

Blackhaine: And Now I Know What Love Is

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A man in a black hooded jacket leans his head against a woman’s shoulder, his eyes closed, while she looks downward with a solemn expression. The background shows an overcast sky and cityscape.
Date
9 - 19 Jul 2025
Venue
Diecast - 51 Ducie St, Manchester M1 2JQ

Blackhaine presents an immersive performance work blending choreography and sound – asking both the cast and audience to question their sense of belonging and love in a world of despair

In And Now I Know What Love Is, internationally acclaimed artist, choreographer and musician Blackhaine explores the similarities between birth and death through a collage of music, text and choreography.

Taking over an industrial space in Manchester, the piece draws inspiration from the rich urban landscapes of North West England where the artist grew up – liminal and seemingly desolate spaces.

Searching for hope among desolation, And Now I Know What Love Is takes audiences on a cathartic journey. Choreographed by Blackhaine and performed live by a company of dancers, audience members are invited to move around the edge of the performance space, encountering one and other against a post-industrial backdrop of psychedelic noise and movement.

Blackhaine is a British contemporary artist whose multimedia work brings together a mix of voice, movement and scenography, characterised by a radical approach to drill and noise music. His work extends to choreography, immersive audiovisual installation and creative direction for globally renowned musicians.

Oscillating between life and death, hope and desperation, And Now I Know What Love Is is an invitation to step outside of reality and into a numb world.

Please note Blackhaine is not performing in And Know I Know What Love Is. The piece is performed live by a cast of musicians and performers.

Black and white still from In the Studio with Blackhaine, showing a person lying on the floor

In the studio with Blackhaine

Manchester International Festival 2025

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FAQS

Diecast is a former metal foundry.  It is a large, post-industrial space with uneven floors. Temperatures may be cooler within the venue than outside.

We’ve taken every effort to make the event as accessible for as many as possible, but those with access requirements should review our access section for more information.

The full address of Diecast is 51 Ducie St, Manchester M1 2JQ.
The show entrance for And Now I Know What Love Is is separate from the main entrance to Diecast. It is further along the street, to the left of the main entrance to Diecast. This entrance is accessed by 13 steps, and has no step-free access. The what3words is lasted.wider.slices.
The step-free entrance to And Now I Know What Love Is is through the main Diecast entrance, down a wide sloped entrance, with a steep gradient. The what3words are icons.composers.cards.
The venue can be approached from Great Ancoats Street, or from Piccadilly, turning onto Ducie Street.

There is no interval. You are welcome to leave the performance space during the performance to visit the bar or toilets.

There is a bar at the venue where you can purchase drinks. Drinks are permitted in the performance space.

You cannot bring your own alcoholic drinks with you into the venue.

Latecomers will be admitted up to ten minutes into the performance. No latecomers will be admitted after this point.

The event features loud sound levels throughout. Whether you choose to wear earplugs or not is a personal choice. There are earplugs available for audiences to use at the venue, these will be available from our Front of House team. You are welcome to bring your own if preferred.

For this event, you are encouraged to move around the space, and stand, sit or perch as needed. There will be a range of types of seating available. There will be some reserved seating for those with access requirements, available on request. Please call 0161 817 4531 (Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm) or email access@factoryinternational.org to request accessible seating.

Please consider the event description, advice on content, venue information and age guidance before making a choice on whether this event is for you.

Tickets

Factory International members on sale: Tuesday 11 March, 12.30pm

General tickets on sale: Wednesday 19 March, 10am

We have a range of affordable tickets, including options from £10 for those who may need them. You can find out more about our Affordable Ticketing Policy here.

For ticketing and box office related enquiries, please contact tickets@factoryinternational.org or call 0333 322 8679 (phone lines are open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm).

For more information please visit Ticketing and Sale of Goods Terms & Conditions – Factory International

Credits

Creative Team

Director & Choreographer Blackhaine

Music Directors Blackhaine and Croww

Assistant Choreographer Bruxism

Lighting and Visual Design Emmanuel Biard

Sound System Design Kyle Marriott 

Stylist Lou Webb

Company Kayleigh Price, Kyrah Decoteau, Louis Ellis, Rebecca Callow, Rhys Dennis, Sam Brown, Samara Langham, Tyresse Nichols

Music produced by Blackhaine and Croww

Live guitar Samara Langham and Croww

Additional production Shimz

Guitar GABRIEL

Drums Pike

Artist management Jacob Whittaker

Commissioning

Commissioned by Factory International & Holland Festival

Produced by Factory International

With support from Civic Engineers

Image: Archie Finch

Executive Producer Tricia Coleman

Producer Pete Vance

Producing Administrators Subu Shrivastava, Simaran Patel & Rebecca Burgess

Production Manager Martin Clarke

Stage Manager Joe Colgan

Assistant Stage Manager Alyssa Watts

Artist Liaison Assistant Jojo Hunt

Wardrobe Manager Susan Limbert

Wardrobe Assistant Azona Warshaw

Access information

The full address of Diecast is 51 Ducie St, Manchester M1 2JQand the what3words are icons.composers.cards.

The venue can be approached from Great Ancoats Street, or from Piccadilly, turning onto Ducie Street.

There is one accessible toilet at this venue. It does not require a radar key. There are additional toilets at the venue.

Assistance Dogs are welcome at this venue.

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. Due to the high volume levels at this event, we advise leaving your assistance dog with our team for the duration of the performance.  Please also refer to our assistance dogs policy.

If you are bringing an assistance dog to this 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).

To book access tickets and essential companion tickets please call 0161 817 4531 (Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm) or email access@factoryinternational.org, or book online.

Access bookings can be made by email, phone or online. They are also available in person at Aviva Studios.

This event takes place in a disused warehouse space. The floor is uneven concrete with a gentle slope and the temperature inside the space is cool. 

The step-free entrance is down a wide sloped entrance, with a steep gradient.

This a standing event. There will be some seating available for access patrons, on request.

Please call 0161 817 4531 (Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm) or email access@factoryinternational.org to request accessible seating.

This event will be captioned on Thursday 17 July, 7:30pm. The captions will be available on hand-held devices. Please book a Captioned User ticket to reserve a device.

This event will be audio described on Friday 18 July, 7:30pm

This is a highly sensory performance work featuring heavy use of haze, smoke and moments of darkness, and extended periods of strobe, flashing and flickering lights.

The piece moves between moments which are slow, quiet and intimate, to moments which are fast, loud and intense.

Sound levels will be very loud, and feature performers shouting and screaming.

The performance includes depictions of ill mental health, death and grief as well as imagery of fighting, fitting and seizures.

The performance includes strong language.

There is a sequence of repeated strobe effects which lasts approximately 5 minutes, which takes place 55 minutes into the performance.

Please note as the show develops, the What to Expect Guide may change. You can find the latest version below.

Travel information

Diecast is 0.3 miles from Piccadilly Station, 0.8 miles from Oxford Road Station, and 1 mile from Victoria Station.

Diecast is 0.3 Miles from Piccadilly Tram stop, 0.5 from Piccadilly Gardens Tram Stop and 0.6 miles from Market Street Tram Stop. 

Diecast is 0.3 Miles from Piccadilly Gardens Bus Station, 0.7 miles from Shudehill Bus Station, and 0.5 miles from Chorlton Street Coach Stations.

There is bike parking on the corner of Jutland Street and Ducie Street.

There is a bike hire station on Redhill Street. Take a look at Transport for Greater Manchester’s webpage for advice on cycle hire.

The venue can be approached from Great Ancoats Street, or from Piccadilly, turning onto Ducie Street.

There are a number of pay and display car parks close by. These are located at 61 Ducie Street and at 30 Tariff Street.

Diecast is 1.5 miles from Aviva Studios, and the venues are connected by the 33 bus route.

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