the manchester modernist society is born!

dear friends, bluestockings, urbanists, boffins, flaneurs, loiterers, idlers and dandies,

it was a great privilege to be asked to write a welcome note to the brand new manchester modernist society, set up by my young friends and colleagues miss ward and mr hale for the promotion and enjoyment of 20th century manchester, in the manner of an informal friendly society or club. i do hope you will find it of interest and perhaps even join in some of its coming activities....

here is a transcript of my thoughts about this promising new endeavour. see you at a get together soon...

A welcome from EP Niblock-

Manchester prides itself on being the Original Modern City...

And as the 21st century gains pace and we leave the awkward noughties behind, the cityscape, more than a decade on from the almost mythical ‘96 bomb blast that kick-started its rapid reinvention, continues its incredible transformation, rapidly shedding its famous industrial skin, the patina of its 20th century incarnation, for a shiny new one. The perfect opportunity then as we hurtle excitedly into this uncharted imminent future to examine the almost ‘archaeological’ landscape of the century we have only just left behind, itself a hundred years of massive social, physical and cultural change.

This is a century that practically all of us have witnessed, influenced and survived, yet ironically from the point of view of the built environment one that threatens to disappear quite unceremoniously from our shared consciousness, like so much discarded rubbish. and whilst we recognise that the city by its very nature erases itself as it expands through history, we enjoy the untidy relics of past lives it leaves in its wake.

Why another organisation dedicated to the city I hear you ask - we already have Urbis and CUBE, both doing a splendid job of showcasing its delights to visitors and Mancunians alike? And do we really need another society – surely there’s enough with the Civic Society, the Twentieth Century Society, the Manchester Geographical Society? Each of these special interest groups do a marvellous job within their specific remits, but their very formality, so crucial to their campaigning aims and ambitions may well have prevented all but the self confident activist from joining up and getting involved with their worthy work.

Here at the nascent Manchester Modernist Society we love the city past, present and future. We are keen to document, investigate and celebrate the city in the broadest sense, in the spirit of the amateur and the enthusiast. On the street, at ground level, inscribed in the footprint of the city, in the gnarly carbuncle of the careworn, the overlooked, the neglected and forgotten fabric of the city, not simply it’s tarted up million dollar revamps or its grand municipal giants.

We want to explore the extraordinary story of the 20th century in the broadest possible sense, especially its everyday vernacular landscape, start conversations, bring people together, raise awareness and perhaps even make the occasional difference – but most of all to get out there and enjoy ourselves in it.

This is a small group with a big idea - to create a friendly and accessible old fashioned club for understanding, celebrating and involving us all in the ongoing story of our daily lives in this infuriating, fascinating and fabulous city – by and with the people who make it alive – YOU!!

manchester modernist society can be found here...

just who are the mms...?

the manchester modernist society manifesto:

We are not architects, preservationists or activists, though we do know a number of each of these.

We are not radicals, Situationists, academics or psychogeographers, though we are lucky to count a few of these mythical creatures as our friends.

We do share their passion that the city continues to be a place for poetry and dreaming as well as business and commerce, where its citizens are more than machines for living and consuming.

We are merely a small band of urban enthusiasts, amateurs and latter day dandies, passionate observers of the city and its social cultural and built environment. We believe that none of these phenomena exist in isolation but rely on each other to flourish and foster and create the living tangle of the throbbing metropolis that we call home.

We believe that the recent past and its rich variety of grand and ordinary, cherished and neglected buildings continue to play a part in our shared consciousness and sense of identity, continue to influence who we are and remind us of how we worked, rested and played.

We are keen to foster and help develop a greater public awareness of the rich and complex relationship between architecture, art and design and public space, and draw attention to the precarious nature of much of the 20th century backdrop that we often mistakenly take for granted.

We aim to create a real space for discussing, engaging and enjoying perhaps occasionally even campaigning for the multilayered complexities of a city that is comfortable to wear its carbuncled heart on its sleeve. Not for us the smooth uniformity of a relentlessly brand new city that is too intimidating to use.

We will meet and gather, mooch, amble, collaborate, make connections, gently protest and point things out where we see fit. We will speculate, agitate, cogitate, publicise, dream and philosophise over afternoon tea, on walks, talks and various outings. All we need is for you to join in, keep us informed of your events and activities across and around the city and create some of our own for your delectation.

Watch this space, join in, get involved…

manchester modernist society