Earlier this year we unveiled a new digital art installation on the rear of the building! Featuring three large-scale screens presenting film footage directed by legendary interdisciplinary graphic designer Malcolm Garrett, the work features a specially commissioned short film exploring 200 years of Manchester’s music and social history and the reveal marks the official completion of the building’s recent renovation.
Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the piece is a celebration of Manchester’s many migrant communities and their music, spanning the last 200 years. The new installation will be lit up every evening and overlooks the city.
The film covers three main themes using footage from Manchester Library’s archive Broadside collection, telling the early story of the Swan Street area around Band on the Wall, the Smithfield Market area, and the George and Dragon pub, which later became Band on the Wall.