Library Live

Saturday Spectacular
2017-08-12 12:00 - 16:00 UTC | Performance Space
Join us for animal prints and book making fun! Have a go at letterpress printing with images from the archives. Create your own wonderful prints or take part in a book making workshop.
Suitable for families with children aged 12 and under.
Free – just drop in

Gerry Potter presents: The Accidental Splendour of the Splash
2017-08-10 18:00 - 20:00
We are very proud to host the book launch of Gerry Potter’s new collection of poetry and scripts The Accidental Splendour of the Splash at Central Library.
Gerry Potter is a poet, playwright, director, actor, and both creator and destroyer of the infamous gingham diva and queer icon, Chloe Poems. A favourite son of Manchester and his home town Liverpool, he has a reputation for putting his Scouse voice on the line and is strong on poetry and strong on the causes of poetryism.
No need to book, everybody welcome!

An Evening with Grace Victory
2017-08-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Performance Space
Come and hear Grace Victory talk about her new book No Filter.
Award-winning vlogger, TV presenter and body-positive internet queen Grace Victory is well known for her open honesty. Here, in No Filter, she shares her inspirational story and her wealth of advice and experience on problems that all young people face, including topics that are perceived taboo.
Grace will teach you to love your body and to dress for yourself, as well as guiding you through more serious issues including domestic abuse, mental health and other personal battles, all in her honest, warm and sassy way.
Brimming with hilarious anecdotes and no-nonsense advice, the Internet’s Big Sister tells you everything you need to know about accepting yourself and fighting back, in style.
Tickets are £3 and entitle you to event entry. You can then receive £3 off the price of the book on the evening. If you have purchased the book ahead of the event, please bring a WHSmith receipt for proof of purchase
Doors open at 6pm and the Q&A will start at 6.30pm

Polygon Quartet
2017-08-04 15:30 - 16:30 | Performance Space
Tom Thorp’s new ensemble of nimble-fingered, northern talents subverts the roles within the saxophone quartet with experimental composition techniques: energetic and always musical.
Advance: £8.50 (inc 50p bkg fee) / OTD: £10
A Manchester Jazz Festival event

Word Central: Open Mic Night
2017-08-03 18:00 - 20:00
WORD CENTRAL
a semaphore-exploding mind-flow
open mic poetry & spoken word hosted by Tony Curry
Thursday 3rd August
Manchester Central Library
6pm – 8pm [doors open 5.30pm]
Free entry
To get your name on the August reserve list please email mail@flapjackpress.co.uk
[NB Open mic slots are 4 minutes maximum]

Clouds Harp Quartet
2017-08-03 15:30 - 16:30 | Performance Space
Clouds both celebrate and challenge the preconceived charm of this beloved instrument with new music embracing minimalism, folk and classical – interspersed with improvisation.
Advance: £8.50 (inc 50p bkg fee) / OTD: £10
A Manchester Jazz Festival event

Double bill - Andrew Woodhead: Pocket Piano + Run Logan Run
2017-08-02 15:30 - 16:40 | Performance Space
Andrew explores the capabilities of the pocket piano – a tiny, hand-built synthesiser. He improvises sweeping soundscapes using both intricate textures and simple melodies.
Bristol sax and drums duo, Run Logan Run strive for intensity within the moment – from quiet, bird-like noises to huge, monolithic sounds.
Advance: £8.50 (inc 50p bkg fee) / OTD: £10
A Manchester Jazz Festival event

Future Currents
2017-08-01 15:30 - 16:30 | Performance Space
Electrifying guitarists Alex Roth, Chris Montague and Chris Sharkey exploit the instrument’s full potential to create music of extremes, using extended techniques and expansive soundscapes.
Advance: £8.50 (inc 50p bkg fee) / OTD: £10
A Manchester Jazz Festival event

Jazz North northern line: Early Nite
2017-07-31 16:00 - 16:30 | Performance Space
Otto Willberg (double bass)/Harry Smith (tenor saxophone)/Alexander Tod (drums)

A fiery take on the sax-bass-drums trio format, favouring short and snappy tunes in the spirit of punk: free improvisation delivered with humour, melody and fun.

“The band has been described as “Imagine Eric Dolphy playing Stravinsky-esque circus music and you’ll get some inkling of the kind of music that Early Nite make.”
Free Range, Canterbury
“The compositions are all written quickly, and with no undue preciousness. We then try to learn the music in an equally quick way, resulting in a high turnaround of material. We like the process of approaching concerts with fresh material each time, which stops us from falling into the traps of repeating ourselves. A review from our performance at Smugglers Festival said that “Early Nite play rapid-fire off-kilter grooves with invention, precision and a very dry wit.”
“Musically, some of the influences that we might identify with would be Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time band, Henry Threadgill’s trio AIR, Fluxus performance pieces and DADA’s destructive and primal spirit. Perhaps the most integral aspect of Early Nite however, is the necessity to have extreme amounts of fun during our performances, and for that to translate to our audience.”
A Manchester Jazz Festival event
Free – please drop in (subject to availability)

Jazz North northern line: Archipelago
2017-07-31 14:30 - 15:00 | Performance Space
Faye MacCalman (clarinet, tenor saxophone)/John Pope (electric bass)/Christian Alderson (drums)
Faye MacCalman fronts Newcastle sax-bass-drums trio, Archipelago, drawing on garage rock, minimalism and free improvisation: riffs, silence, noise and grooves create a collage of hard-edged blocks of sound that evolve over the performance.
A Manchester Jazz Festival event
Free – please drop in (subject to availability)

Manchester Pride Presents...The Mancunian Gay magazine revisited
2017-07-24 18:00 - 20:00 | Performance Space
Hear the stories behind some of the magazine’s featured headlines;
“Anderton on the rampage”
“Poppers the price you pay”
“Gay sauna raid”
“Job security for lesbian and gay workers”
“New gay bar in Bolton”
Amateur yet unashamed, over its lifespan (1978- 1986) The Mancunian Gay magazine documented the evolution of the LGBT rights movement in the UK. Its front pages shed light on a dynamic and vibrant era for queer community activism during the 1980’s. An era equally defined by homophobia, police harassment and the AIDS crisis.
Manchester Pride in association with Archives+ at Manchester Central Library are delving into the past to uncover some of Manchester’s LGBT hidden histories.
Join us as we hear the fascinating story behind the birth of the magazine from one of the founding members of the Mancunian Gay collective, Paul Fairweather; including how a magazine produced in a kitchen in Greater Manchester gave dispersed and isolated queer people an outlet for participation and inclusion by offering a voice which resonated with many.
To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act, Manchester Pride has commissioned a special anniversary edition of the The Mancunian Gay Magazine which attendees will be able to take as a momentum of this historic occasion.
Following an exploration of the magazine and its impact on queer culture in Manchester in the early 80s there will be a panel discussion around it’s lasting legacy and the chance for attendees to carry out a Q&A with the panel.
Tickets to the event are limited but free to all who wish to attend.
All guests will recieve a welcome drink and a copy of the special anniversary edition of the Mancunian Gay to take home with them.

Royal Society Science Book Prize
2017-07-19 18:30 - 20:30 | Seminar Suite, Floor Two
Join us at Manchester Central Library for a live screening from the British Library celebrating science writing past, present and future. There will be a panel discussion beamed from the British Library chaired by Dara O’Briain and including Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Vivienne Parry and Professor Mark Miodownik – with your chance to put questions to the panel via Twitter.
There will also be a once in a lifetime opportunity to examine some of the most revolutionary scientific books from Manchester Central Libraries collections including first and rare editions of works by Newton, Vesalius, John Dalton and Galileo amongst others.
The event is free but places are limited. Please book below to reserve a place.

Saturday Spectacular - Animal Prints and Book Making Fun!
2017-07-15 12:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
Join us for a fun afternoon of free family activities. Have a go at letterpress printing with images from the archives. Create your own wonderful prints to take home. The Architectural School for Children will be visiting to deliver a book-making workshop.
Free – no need to book – just drop in

every thing every time
2017-07-14 09:00 - 2017-08-09 17:00 | Lwr Ground floor – City Library
What stories can be uncovered from a city?
every thing every time, a new flip-dot artwork by Naho Matsuda, takes information from our interactions within the city to tell a new story about the people and the places of Manchester.
With the rise of the ‘Smart City’ asking important questions of what we want from the future, where do we see ourselves in it? As Manchester’s citizens interact with the city, a poem is generated, made anonymous and resonated across several locations, from a garden centre to a public library; a university square to a city laboratory.
the sun rises
the streets are empty
today is the last day of the term
the car park is almost empty
the traffic light turns green
the cleaning shift starts
the bus is on time
and it is colder than yesterday
every thing every time will be placed within the public realm across the Oxford Corridor from the 22nd June until 9th July; locations include Hulme Community Garden Centre, University Place at the University of Manchester and CityLabs 1.0.
Manchester Central Library will host an extended run of the work outside the Wolfson Reading Room from 22 June until 9 August
Project supported by Arts Council England, Future Everything and CityVerve

Central Library in LEGO
2017-07-13 09:00 - 2017-09-30 17:00
Pop in and see this wonderful LEGO model of Central Library, which was built by Robert Clarkson for ‘Bricktastic’ at Manchester Convention Centre in 2015. It has been shown around the country and is here now, ‘inside itself’, in the Central Library Search Room, for a limited time only!
Robert says: ‘My hobby is creating new and unique models out of LEGO. As I enjoy making buildings, Manchester Central Library was an ideal choice, especially as it is such a distinctive local landmark. Its architecture, style and design were just itching to be portrayed in LEGO. I gathered what plans and details I could about the building, including visits to take photographs and walk around the building to study it. Getting the perspective, scale and features right are very important.
After spending some time creating designs on paper and my laptop it took me around six weeks to build, say 300 hours. Being a member of recognised LEGO User Group, Northern Brickworks, helped me in acquiring the necessary bricks and elements I needed. Now completed, the model measures half a metre in height, three quarters of a metre wide. With the portico at the front this adds another quarter of a metre. I know for certain that it contains over 21,000 elements, as I counted them myself when building it!’
Free – please drop in (see times – opposite)

Deities at the Bottom of the Garden
2017-07-13 08:00 - 2017-09-23 17:00 | First Floor Exhibition Hall
In this fascinating exhibition, artist Richard Bartle explores in minute detail the customs and icons of major world religions and belief systems. Manifested in a series of 12 scale modelled garden sheds, the work reduces the usually grand architecture of churches and temples into more private spaces of worship. Viewers are invited to make their own minds up about the question of what it is to have faith, and the differences and similarities between differing belief systems.
Each sculpture has been extensively researched by Richard through visiting places of worship and talking to people from the communities that use them, as well as researching religious, documentary and historical texts. Each shed and its interior has been painstakingly hand crafted, wherever possible staying true to materials and respecting the sacred and ideological value of the objects and images appropriate to that belief. The work explores the ideas of dedication and obsession, a global perspective of religion and politics, and our relationship with physical objects and architecture.
Richard Bartle is a Sheffield based artist who has exhibited widely in the UK and Europe. He has many works in both private and public collections. He says about his work; ‘I have always sought to observe the fundamental driving forces behind society and its ideas of political, economic and philosophical progress’.
Free – please drop in

Freelance Giggle-oh: The 2nd Thingy from Daniel Hutchings
2017-07-13 05:30 - 20:00 | Performance Space
In 2014 Daniel Hutchings made Django Away! (the j is silent). Now he’s back and he’s on the brink of success beyond his wildest dreams.
Daniel Hutchings is the self-proclaimed Freelance Giggle-oh and he’s got his big break on Gemma Wilde’s show. Hutchings is introduced to the world with such fascinating facts as his favourite colour (“Denim”) and his favourite food (“Any”). When he is asked how he came to be on the show he takes us back to when he met a theatrical agent called Mr Patient, the first person he felt really saw his potential to make the world a happier place.
From Mr Patient’s office, our Freelance Giggle-oh weaves us a movie in and around memories and imagination. Through comedy gigs and door-to-door entertaining, adverts and trips into comedy history, fantastical notions and serendipitous acquaintances, we see Hutchings’ secret fantasies and deepest fears as he remembers the stuff he’s done and imagines the stuff he’d like to do in the continuing adventures of your Freelance Giggle-oh: trying to make the world a happier place, one laugh at a time.
Suitable for all ages

Read Manchester BookBench Trail
2017-07-10 08:00 - 2017-09-10 17:00
Come into Central Library to pick up your Trail map and plan your summer activities around our BookBenches! Venues across the city are hosting 58 BookBench sculptures – all decorated by local schools and community groups. Pick up a map and start ticking them off as you see them and get involved in the summer family activities available across Manchester.

Piccadilly Gardens Exhibition: How Did Your Garden Grow?
2017-07-10 08:00 - 2017-08-31 17:00 | Lower Ground Floor Exhibition Space
The Architecture School for Children have worked with 4 local schools from the Moss Side and Hulme area of Manchester, St Marys C of E Primary, Claremont Road Primary, Webster Primary and Martenscroft Nursery School, to help them learn about Piccadilly Gardens in the past and re-imagine a Piccadilly Gardens of the future.
This exhibition is a celebration of the work created by the children as they visited the gardens, Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester Metropolitan University and Central Library.
Suitable for all ages
Free – please drop in

Word Central: Open Mic Night
2017-07-05 18:00 - 20:00
WORD CENTRAL
a semaphore-exploding mind-flow
open mic poetry & spoken word hosted by Tony Curry
Wednesday 5th July
Manchester Central Library
6pm – 8pm [doors open 5.30pm]
Free entry
All of July’s open mic slots are now filled
To get your name on the reserve list please email mail@flapjackpress.co.uk
[NB Open mic slots are 4 minutes maximum]

ME - Portrait Exhibition
2017-07-03 09:00 - 2017-08-28 17:00 | First Floor Display Cases
This special exhibition features work from artists taking part in creative workshops at the Booth Centre, which aims to bring about positive change in the lives of people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and help them plan for and realise a better future.
The Booth Centre runs creative workshops every day for people who visit the centre with experience of homelessness. This year the arts group have formed an Arts Committee who meet regularly to discuss ideas for new projects, research exhibition venues and plan events to showcase their work.
The idea of this project, entitled ME, was created by the artists after discussions about the invisibility and isolation felt whilst experiencing homelessness.
Free – just drop in
The Booth Centre would like to thank their partners at the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) for their support with this exhibition

Wizard Academy: Celebrate 20 years of Harry Potter
2017-06-26 15:00 - 18:30
Calling all Witches, Wizards and Muggles!
It’s time to sign up to our spellbinding school of sorcery as you take a wacky and wonderful whistle stop tour of the Wizard Academy and learn to become an expert in mystery and magic.
During this interactive experience you’ll take lessons in the basics of broomsticks, practice your potion making, be instructed in incantations and learn to tattle and talk with a tawny owl.
A magical challenge for students aged 5 and over. Each participant is provided with an Adventure Booklet to complete as they travel around the rooms and corridors of Central Library meeting the Professors along the way.
This is a free drop in event for the whole family, no need to book.
Please note: The Professors will be running workshops from 3pm until 6.30pm. To complete all four workshops you need at least an hour, so the final Academy enrolment will be at 5.30pm.

Chameleon Youth FREE Taster Session
2017-06-24 08:00 - 17:00
We’ll provide the spark – You create the movement. Chameleon Youth is looking for raw dance talent.
Chameleon Youth, Manchester’s youth dance company based at Central Library, is calling out for young people with raw dance talent and a big desire to dance and be creative.
If you’re age 11 to 18, this is an incredible opportunity to be part of a dance company that is inspiring and different to the mainstream. It’s an opportunity to develop as a young dance artist where creativity is a big thing, and it’s an opportunity to get passionate about pushing yourself to develop an original movement style.
Launched last year at Central Library, Chameleon Youth is the first youth dance company of its kind for Manchester. Members of the youth company learn directly from a professional dance company, which for ten years, has toured and performed across the world, giving new meaning to dance and movement.
As part of Chameleon Youth, you’ll learn skills and techniques from a rich mix of dance styles and you’ll develop confidence through self-expression and working with others. And, as you’re taught a new language through dance and movement, you’ll be inspired to make and create your own choreography that tells the story you want it to tell.
Find out more at the FREE TASTER SESSION
All levels welcome. Dance experience is by no means essential, what’s most important is a positive attitude, loads of enthusiasm and a big desire to dance and be creative.
Chameleon Youth Try-Outs (aka auditions) follow on from the Tasters and will be held at Central Library on Sat 8 July.

Manchester Voices - Interactive Exhibition
2017-06-23 08:00 - 2017-08-31 17:00 | Archives+ Ground Floor
Manchester Voices is an ongoing project investigating and celebrating the accents, dialects, and people of Greater Manchester. It looks at the ways in which our use of language makes us who we are and explores perceptions of the way we speak across the region. Following a successful tour of the ten boroughs in our Accent Van, we are launching an interactive exhibition where you can hear voices from across the region and listen to people talking about themselves and their communities, the way they speak, and their sense of local and regional identity. There will be various spaces and installations telling the story of our findings so far, including interactive map displays and audio/video clips. Visitors will be invited to add their own voices to the project.
We will be tweeting under #MCRVoices
Free – please drop in

International Music Day: The music everywhere and the concert nowhere
2017-06-21 12:00 - 20:00
To celebrate International Music Day we will have a series of informal pop-up musical performances throughout the day with opportunities to share your love of music as a listener or performer.

Sunday Funday – Manchester Day
2017-06-18 12:00 - 16:00
Visit the library to celebrate Manchester Day. Explore and discover the magic of science, crafts, face-painting, performance and drama. Fun for all the family!
Kindly supported by The Oglesby Charitable Trust and Manchester Central Library Development Trust

Chameleon Youth FREE Taster Session
2017-06-10 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
We’ll provide the spark – You create the movement. Chameleon Youth is looking for raw dance talent.
Chameleon Youth, Manchester’s youth dance company based at Central Library, is calling out for young people with raw dance talent and a big desire to dance and be creative.
If you’re age 11 to 18, this is an incredible opportunity to be part of a dance company that is inspiring and different to the mainstream. It’s an opportunity to develop as a young dance artist where creativity is a big thing, and it’s an opportunity to get passionate about pushing yourself to develop an original movement style.
Launched last year at Central Library, Chameleon Youth is the first youth dance company of its kind for Manchester. Members of the youth company learn directly from a professional dance company, which for ten years, has toured and performed across the world, giving new meaning to dance and movement.
As part of Chameleon Youth, you’ll learn skills and techniques from a rich mix of dance styles and you’ll develop confidence through self-expression and working with others. And, as you’re taught a new language through dance and movement, you’ll be inspired to make and create your own choreography that tells the story you want it to tell.
Find out more at the FREE TASTER SESSIONS
All levels welcome. Dance experience is by no means essential, what’s most important is a positive attitude, loads of enthusiasm and a big desire to dance and be creative.
Chameleon Youth Try-Outs (aka auditions) follow on from the Tasters and will be held at Central Library on Sat 8 July.

Amore!
2017-06-03 14:30 - 16:00 | Performance Space
If music be the food of love…join us and the City of Manchester Opera to hear beautiful, accessible, opera.
Conductor: Juan Ortunõ
Accompanist: Jonathan Ellis
Book tickets at www.comoperasec@btinternet.com

North West Film Archive – 40th Anniversary Exhibition
2017-06-01 08:00 - 2017-06-30 17:00 | First Floor Display Cases
Since 1977, the North West Film Archive has been collecting and preserving the region’s filmed heritage, and making it available for people to enjoy. This exhibition showcases a selection from eclectic collections of photographs and ephemera relating to the local film and cinema industries.
Free – please drop in

Just an Ordinary Lawyer
2017-05-30 18:00 - 2017-05-31 20:00 | Performance Space
“The British Empire was trying desperately to hold on to its colonial possessions by any means … and the foul would often override the fair.”
Tayo Aluko follows the multi-award winning Call Mr Robeson with another brilliantly put-together history lesson delivered as art, as we host the first performance in the North West. Nigerian Tunji Sowande quietly breaks through multiple barriers to become Britain’s first Black judge in 1978. Also a fine concert singer and keen cricket lover, he muses on international politics and history as they affect the Black world from Africa to the USA and Britain, from the point of view of one who would rather watch sports, and spread love and peace through the medium of song.
