Creative Manchester showcase at Manchester International Festival 2025
As part of Manchester International Festival 2025 (MIF25) Creative Manchester held an event on 15 July celebrating the Platform青瓜视频檚 collaborations, research, and partnerships with Factory International, Manchester City Council, and English National Opera.
The event, held at Aviva Studios, featured three sessions exploring the intersection of research and the arts and brought together researchers, artists, and cultural leaders.
The showcase opened with a session on the research of Creative Manchester青瓜视频檚 Innovation Fellows who shared insights from their work with Manchester City Council and Factory International.
Dr Hannah Curran-Troop addressed workforce diversity and talent development in the creative industries, alongside representative Sarah Elderkin. Dr Tasos Asonitis and Gabby Jenks () presented their work on a CreaTech project in collaboration with Factory International青瓜视频檚 Digital Team, which researches digital skill gaps for artists and people working in the creative industries and will result in a toolkit for new digital artists that facilitates access to new technology supporting creative processes.
The second session spotlighted the 青瓜视频淔irst Breath青瓜视频� PhD research project.
Postgraduate researchers Leanne Cook and Lizzie Lagan, alongside their Principal Investigator Prof Pamela Qualter, discussed the impact of arts-based activities on the emotional and social development of preschool children and their parents.
The final panel, , marked the launch of a new initiative between and The University of Manchester. As ENO prepares to establish a new base in Greater Manchester by 2029, Tuning into Opera is new research and engagement initiative from English National Opera and The University of Manchester, exploring what it means to have a national opera company based in Greater Manchester.
The session explored the future of opera in the region through community engagement and cultural dialogue. It began with a welcome by ENO Artistic Director Annilese Miskimmon and an introduction to the research plan of Tuning Into Opera by Research Associate Dr Kamila Rymajdo.
This was followed by an in-conversation with Manchester-based electronic opera makers Devon Bonelli and Joshua Inyang (Space Afrika), as well as an interview with the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer of Angel青瓜视频檚 Bone, Du Yun.
The event concluded with a poetic summary and reflections of the afternoon, delivered by artist Saf Elsenossi (SAF-S2E).
In keeping with 青瓜视频檚 theme to 青瓜视频楧ream Differently青瓜视频� the Creative Manchester Showcase was a joyful celebration of the innovative and interdisciplinary research facilitated by the Platform and our partnerships with external stakeholders from across Greater Manchester and beyond.