From local to global, this year’s festival shines a spotlight on Manchester’s diverse communities, with two projects that start in the city but have international reach. In the words of festival director John McGrath: “The ways in which artists have used the opportunity of the festival to reflect on life as we emerge from lockdown has been inspiring. Our programme is very different to the one we had almost fully planned at the start of last year, but I hope it feels urgent and right.”
Portrait of Black Britain
A bold new work offering a vision of Black achievement in the UK – a journey that starts in Manchester
I aim for this to be the largest portrait series of Black British people ever taken before,” says campaigner and photographer Cephas Williams, announcing his new, landmark project, Portrait of Black Britain. Commissioned by Manchester international festival, the first set of images feature the faces of Manchester residents who responded to Williams’s invitation to take part. “This interest in making Black people visible is not just to see their face, but for…