Factory International facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Factory International

Aviva Studios, the home of Factory International
Location	Factory International Water Street Manchester M3 4JQ England
Coordinates	53°28′40.1844″N 02°15′27.2988″W / 53.477829000°N 2.257583000°W / 53.477829000; -2.257583000
Public transit	Deansgate station / Salford Central station / Deansgate-Castlefield Metrolink
Owner	Manchester Quays Ltd (MQL)
Operator	Manchester International Festival via the project's board
Capacity	Up to 7,000 1,500 – 2,000 auditorium 5,000 flexible 'warehouse' space
Acreage	13,300 m2 (143,000 sq ft)
Construction
Broke ground	January 2019
Opened	June 2023
Construction cost	£185.79 million
Architect	Office for Metropolitan Architecture, lead architect Ellen van Loon
Project manager	Manchester City Council
Structural engineer	BuroHappold Engineering also civil engineer services and BREEAM
Services engineer	BDP (building services) Charcoalblue (theatre) Level Acoustics (acoustic)
Tenants
Manchester International Festival

Factory International is a world-famous arts group in Manchester, England. It is known for organizing the Manchester International Festival (MIF), a huge arts festival that happens every two years. The group's home is a special building called Aviva Studios, which was designed by the famous architecture company Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA).

Factory International brings together artists from all over the world to create new and exciting shows. These shows mix different kinds of art, like theatre, dance, music, and digital art. This helps make Manchester a major center for culture in the north of England.

What is Factory International?

Factory International grew out of the Manchester International Festival (MIF). The festival is famous for its amazing performances, art shows, and music events. These events don't just happen in normal theatres. They take place all over Greater Manchester, in places like old railway stations, churches, and even car parks.

In 2022, the organization changed its name to Factory International to show it does more than just the festival. It now runs the Aviva Studios building all year round, but it still puts on the MIF every two years.

The group gets support from Arts Council England and Manchester City Council, as well as from companies that sponsor its work.

Aviva Studios: A Unique Venue

Aviva Studios is the permanent home of Factory International. It is the first major cultural building in the United Kingdom designed by OMA, a world-renowned architecture firm. The building is named after the insurance company Aviva, which gave £35 million to support it. This was one of the biggest deals of its kind for a cultural venue in the UK.

The building is located on the old site of Granada Studios, where the famous TV show Coronation Street used to be filmed. It's part of a new neighborhood called St John's and is right next to the Science and Industry Museum.

Amazing Design

Aviva Studios is a huge and flexible space. The inside is about 13,300 square meters. It was designed to host all kinds of events, from huge concerts to small, intimate plays.

The building has three main spaces:

• The Warehouse: A massive room that can hold up to 5,000 people. It can be used for big concerts and exhibitions. It can even be split into two smaller spaces with a special soundproof wall.
• The Auditorium: A more traditional theatre space that can seat up to 1,600 people.
• Combined Space: The Warehouse and the Auditorium can be joined together to create one enormous space for very large and unique shows.

The building also has public squares outside for people to enjoy.

What Happens at Factory International?

Factory International is always busy with exciting shows and events created by artists from around the globe.

Famous Shows and Events

Before Aviva Studios even opened, the organization put on many incredible shows. These included dance performances like Giselle by Akram Khan and unique theatre shows like Invisible Cities.

The opening of Factory International in 2023 was celebrated with a huge show called Free Your Mind. It was inspired by The Matrix movies and was directed by Danny Boyle, who also directed the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. The opening also featured a giant art show by Yayoi Kusama called You, Me and the Balloons.

In 2024, the venue hosted many more events. These included a play starring Maxine Peake, a festival organized by musician Brian Eno, and an amazing sound and light show called Sweet Dreams.

Virtual Factory

In 2020, Factory International launched a series of online art projects called Virtual Factory. One project, by an artist known as LaTurbo Avedon, involved building a digital version of the venue inside the popular video game Fortnite Creative. This allowed people from all over the world to explore the building online before it was even finished.

Factory Academy: Learning New Skills

Factory International also runs a school called the Factory Academy. It offers free courses for people in Greater Manchester who want to work in the arts. Students can learn important skills like stage lighting, sound engineering, and set design.

The training happens right inside Aviva Studios, so students get real, hands-on experience. By 2024, over 1,000 people had taken courses at the academy. Many of them went on to get paid jobs at major venues in Manchester.

History: How It All Began

The idea for a new cultural venue in Manchester was announced in 2014. The UK government promised £78 million to help build it as part of a plan to boost culture in the north of England. Manchester City Council also supported the project.

• 2017: The Manchester International Festival was chosen to run the new venue.
• 2019: Construction on the building began.
• 2023: The venue, named Aviva Studios, opened its doors in June for the Manchester International Festival. It had its official grand opening in October.

See also