Factory International facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Factory International

Factory International building under construction
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 an exciting arts organization based in Manchester, England. It's known for running the amazing Manchester International Festival and for operating a cool new building called Aviva Studios. This organization helps bring new and exciting art, music, and performances to life for everyone to enjoy.

A Brief History of Factory International

Factory International grew from the Manchester International Festival (MIF). This festival is all about performing arts, visual arts, and popular culture. It takes place all over Greater Manchester, using many different and unusual places.

Building a New Arts Hub

In December 2014, plans for a brand new cultural building in Manchester were announced. The government promised £78 million to help build it. This was part of a big plan to help northern England become a strong cultural center, just like London.

Manchester City Council strongly supported the idea. They believed this new place would help Manchester and the North offer amazing cultural experiences.

In January 2017, the Manchester International Festival team was chosen to run the new venue. They were tasked with coming up with exciting ideas and events for it.

Funding and New Name

From April 2018, the government started giving an extra £9 million each year to Arts Council England. This money helps support the project and its activities.

In September 2022, the whole organization changed its name to Factory International. This new name shows that they do more than just the festival. However, they will still hold the Manchester International Festival every two years.

In 2022, Factory International received about £9.9 million per year from Arts Council England. They also get important support from Manchester City Council and many other sponsors.

In 2023, the building was officially named Aviva Studios. This happened after the insurance company Aviva paid £35 million for the naming rights. This was one of the biggest deals for cultural sponsorship in the UK!

Exploring Aviva Studios

Aviva Studios is the amazing new building run by Factory International. It was designed by a famous international architecture firm called Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). This is OMA's first big, permanent cultural building in the United Kingdom.

Inside Aviva Studios

The inside of Aviva Studios is huge, covering about 13,300 square meters. It's designed to be super flexible, so it can host all kinds of events. This includes dance, theatre, music, opera, visual arts, and even big concerts and exhibitions.

Aviva Studios was built on the old site of Granada Studios. This is where famous TV shows like Coronation Street used to be filmed! The building is located in an area called St John's. It's also right next to the Science and Industry Museum, which is building a new exhibition gallery nearby.

Aviva Studios is close to the River Irwell and other cool cultural spots in the city center. These include the People's History Museum, John Rylands Library, the Opera House, HOME, and the Royal Exchange Theatre.

Building Design

The building has three main indoor areas: the ground floor, the warehouse, and the auditorium. There are also more spaces inside and outside. The warehouse can hold up to 5,000 people, and the auditorium can seat up to 1,600.

The warehouse and auditorium can even host events at the same time! The warehouse can also be split into two smaller spaces using a special soundproof wall. Both areas can also be combined to create different types and sizes of events.

There are also two public squares outside the building. The project also fixed up and reused part of an old, historic railway bridge nearby.

Exciting Programs and Events

Factory International loves to bring new and exciting art to people. They have a history of commissioning unique performances and experiences.

Early Events

Before Aviva Studios officially opened, Factory International (then MIF) put on many special events. These included:

• Giselle by Akram Khan
• Returning to Reims by Thomas Ostermeier
• Available Light by John Adams, Lucinda Childs, and Frank Gehry
• Everything that happened and would happen by Heiner Goebbels
• Invisible Cities, a joint project with 59 Productions and Rambert
• Atmospheric Memory by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer
• to the Moon by Laurie Anderson

Virtual Factory

In July 2020, during the pandemic, MIF launched something called Virtual Factory. This was a series of online art projects inspired by the new building. One cool project was Your Progress Will Be Saved by LaTurbo Avedon. In this, Factory International was built inside the popular game Fortnite Creative! Other artists like Tai Shani and Robert Yang also created virtual art.

Grand Opening Program (2023)

In September 2022, Factory International announced the first shows for the new building. These included:

• Free Your Mind: An amazing dance, music, and visual effects show inspired by Matrix films. It featured a creative team including Michael 'Mikey J' Asante MBE, Kenrick 'H2O' Sandy MBE, Es Devlin, Sabrina Mahfouz, and director Danny Boyle.
• You Me and the Balloons: A fun art installation by the famous artist Yayoi Kusama.
• The Welcome: A series of events and performances put together by people from Greater Manchester themselves!

Working with the World

Factory International works with venues, festivals, and companies all over the world. They team up to create new art and bring artists together.

As MIF, Factory International was part of a special program with The Public Theater in New York. This program helped show artists and companies from England to a global audience. The Under the Radar Festival supported artists in theatre and performance.

Learning and Job Opportunities

Factory International also runs a program called the Factory Academy. This program offers skills training and job opportunities.

Since 2018, the Factory Academy has helped many people. For example, in January 2019, seven local people who weren't working or studying completed a seven-month training program with MIF. They learned about things like IT, digital work, and ticketing. In January 2020, five young people started apprenticeships to become Creative Venue Technicians.

Project Timeline

Here are some important dates for the Factory International project:

• July 2015 – The contract for the building's design was issued.
• Mid-November 2015 – The design team was chosen.
• January 2017 – The building plans were submitted for approval.
• February 2017 to June 2023 – The building was under construction.
• June 2023 – The venue hosted its first events for MIF23, letting visitors see the building.
• October 2023 – The building officially opened!

See also