Common Frequency

Explore What's On
Person dancing with raised hands in blue light, with others behind them. The adidas and Factory International logos are at the bottom.
Date
3 - 6 Oct 2026
Venue
North Warehouse, Aviva Studios, St. John's, Manchester, M3 4JQ
Explore What's On

Accessibility features available for this event: Wheelchair Access

Explore a free exhibition on the transformative power of music – curated by the adidas Originals Creator Network North cohort

Remember the first time you heard that song? The first time you stepped out as yourself? And a shared frequency became a collective language?

Created 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. Over six months, the cohort have come together to interrogate the relationship between music, community and identity.

Common Frequency is the outcome – bringing together moving image, visual installation, a zine and two films, which explore experiences of release and resilience through music. These elements are held within an immersive soundscape carrying words and memories recorded by the cohort.

On select days, the exhibition transforms into an event space hosting a creative workshop, live music and chance to meet the cohort. Together, Common Frequency invites visitors to experience music as a vessel for human connection – through which stories are shared, truths are celebrated and identities are found.

Who do you become when the music begins?

Supported by

The exhibition

The exhibition is open on the following dates and times. You do not need a ticket to enter:

Sunday 4 October, 2 –7pm

Tuesday 6 October, 10am – 6pm

Some events require booking. Please click the links below for more information.

Bookable events

About Adidas OCN North

Established in 2024 by adidas Originals and Factory International with the shared ambition to cultivate an inclusive creative industry, Originals Creator Network (OCN) North expands on the success of OCN South, which was founded in London in 2022 to provide opportunities to underrepresented talent in the UK’s creative scene. This is a career-defining opportunity for emerging talent in the North to develop their practice with the support of adidas and Factory International, at Manchester’s landmark cultural venue, Aviva Studios.

Find out more →

Meet the 2026 cohort

Composite image of the headshots of the Adidas OCN North 2026 cohort
Meet the 2026 cohort of Originals Creator Network (OCN) North – a six-month development programme for emerging creatives – and the curators of Common Frequency
Read more →

Access information

Getting to Aviva Studios

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.

Inside Aviva Studios

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 Warehouse is by lift or stairs from the Social. Two lifts and a staircase to the Warehouse are located in the Social opposite the bar.

The entrance to the Andrew Law 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 Andrew Law 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.

Toilets

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

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).

Step-free and wheelchair access

The exhibition space is completely step-free and is accessed from the Social via a lift.

Tickets and booking

All access tickets – including wheelchair user spaces, accessible viewing platform tickets and essential companion tickets – must be bought directly from Factory International.

To book access tickets, please call 0161 817 4531. Phone lines are typically open 10am to 6pm, Tuesday to Friday, but for our latest phone line opening hours, please visit our Contact Us page.

If you need to make an access booking but are unable to do so over the phone, please email access@factoryinternational.org. We aim to respond to all emails within two working days.

Travel information

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

Train and tram

There are a number of rail and tram stations within the city centre which are just a short distance from Aviva Studios. The closest stations are:

By bike and active means

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 Starling Bike docking stations to our venue are on current on Quay Street, New Quay Street and Liverpool Road. 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.

Bus

Free bus

The free bus 1 service connects Piccadilly Station, Oxford Road and Deansgate rail stations, as well as other areas of the city centre to Aviva Studios.

The service stops on both Liverpool Road and Quay Street, close to the venue. Buses operate every 10 minutes during the day from Monday to Sunday and they are wheelchair accessible. For full details of the free bus 1 route and timetable, please visit the Bee Network website.

Bee Network services

Piccadilly Gardens is situated in the heart of Manchester and there are a number of bus services that will take you on to Aviva Studios. The 33 bus which starts at Shudehill, calls at Piccadilly Gardens and will take you straight to Liverpool Road. Services operate every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday and every hour on Sunday.

Alternatively, you can board either a 35, 36 or 38 bus to Bridge Street bus stop which is a seven-minute walk via Left Bank and Water Street to the venue.

Coming into Manchester Victoria rail station? Head on over to Shudehill Interchange (which is a seven-minute walk via Hanover Street) where you can catch the 33 bus to Liverpool Road.

Alternatively, you can board either an 8, 67 or 100 bus from Manchester Victoria to Bridge Street bus stop, which is a seven-minute walk via Left Bank and Water Street to the venue.

Car

There is a NCP car park (Manchester Spinningfields) approximately 0.25 miles (400m) 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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