New Work!

 

I've not posted here all summer, I've been busy what with MoTMA being in Bolton in July as part of THIS  and I've also been working on the below picture called EVERY TAKEAWAY ON THE A6 (through Salford & Manchester) AND MOST OF THEIR MENUS. It's a single picture which is nearly ten metres long so it's took a while. It's 60cm by 940cm to be precise. You can see it in more detail on my website HERE.

 

It is of course influenced by (ripped off from) Ed Ruscha. Alfred Wainwright and the drawings he made of his walks also played a part. I think of it as a map as well as an historical record. At least one of the takeaways have already closed and another couple changed their name.
The menus and dots along the top relate to takeaways on the left hand side of the road and the ones along the bottom to the right hand side of the road as you head along the A6 from Bolton through Salford and Manchester and towards Stockport a distance of around sixteen miles. There are eighty-two takeaways.
There is a book to follow.

Dream Street.

The most perfect street in Greater Manchester.

Snap.

Image copyright Mark Page.

Me and Ian Brown's video director on last years track 'Stellify' had the same location idea. It's the bit when he starts singing, and it's my route to work every morning. Can anyone name said location ?

Manchester Modernist Society.

MANCHESTER MODERNIST SOCIETY have been on my radar for a while. I've been meaning to find out more about them and spend some time at their website . So when they got in touch with me to ask the story behind a photograph that I had taken of THE ALBERT

VAULTS (another sad victim of the ongoing death of the British pub) I was prompted to mention them here.

There's lots of information about iconic Manchester buildings. Manchester is famous for the Victoriana but it certainly wouldn't be the place it is without some of it's more modern building's love them or loath them they all make Manchester home. So it's good that there are people helping to protect them. A proper living city has to have layers or you end up living in a theme park of a town like York or Bath. God bless the Mancunian way and all who fly over her.......

Cruel Town.........

Image MEN

A body can lie in this centre of a city undiscovered for perhaps 50 years............

Them were the days.......

As Manchester continues to throw it's self whole heartedly behind the homogenization of British cities, Church St records is the latest victim of the wreckers ball. Back in the day this was the place to buy second hand records, books and uhmm...... porn. Behind it was the legendary 'Blob Shop' pub where you could have a pint (and a ciggy) and be offered cheap non specific 'meat' sold out of a sports bag by some scally. Happy days..

BBC Build, 12 months on.

Images copyright Mark Page

The New BBC build at Salford Quays, taken 12 months apart to the DAY. Is it me or is

Bob the builder dragging his feet?

Welcome To Manchester. We're All Gay!

Or at least we are this weekend. Oh yes it's Manchester "Pride" Fat middle aged scally birds on the piss in pink cowboy hats. "Sing if your glad to be gay" seems a million miles away. THIS is the official corporate line. Having lived in the heart of the village for almost a decade and watching things progress THIS is nearer the truth.

And here's a part of England that's more like Baltimore, apparently.

Dirty Old Town.

Image copyright Mark Page

There's a misconception that the song written by Ewan MacColl Dirty Old Town is an Irish song due to the popularity of The Pogues and The Dubliners versions. It's not though, it's about Salford. You can hear a good version of the ditty HERE if you've never heard it. The first verse of the song goes "I met my love by the gas works wall" And then it dawned on me that after passing these towers twice a day and doing a little research that this is what remains of Salford Gas Works and there is the bloody wall!
Another bit of useless information is that Salford Council were so upset at being called Dirty Old Town that they managed to persuade MacColl to change the lyrics from "Smelled a spring on the Salford wind" to "Smelled a spring on the smokey wind", thus loosing this song to the Irish and another piece of Salford heritage to oblivion.............

That's Just The Way It Is?

"THEY say the Beetham Tower is visible from 10 counties.

You can see it from Liverpool. You can see it from Marple. And you can certainly see it from the inner-city estates of Harpurhey, Miles Platting and Beswick.

But what do people there think when they look up at this great glass monument to modern Manchester, then look around at their own lives?" READ ON

So writes David Ottewell on the M.E.N site today. I'm sure the same could have been said back in the late 50's/ early 60's when the CIS Tower was being built along with other great swathes of the city centre. There will always be shit area's, I'm not saying it's right just how it is. Just like the reality that in the UK your career prospects are still subject to class.

"An English Mans Home Is His Castle"

Image copyright Mark Page

BBC Build.

Image copyright Mark Page

The new home for large chunks of the BBC is now coming on in leaps and bounds! Under leaden Salford sky's. Is that a Smiths lyric? if not it should have been......

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/05_may/31/salford.shtml

It's Christmas! (shouted in a Noddy Holder stylie)

God I hate winter. I'm sat looking out of my office window on a grey and drizzly Salford street. I feel proper lethargic, and every time I have a chance to make photographs the weather's shit.I just want to hibernate.

However I do love Christmas, It's no wonder we have a big party at this time of the year. It must have been so druids didn't slash their wrists. And the Christmas markets are back! http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=1654I love em. I know it's the same old shit every year, and OK I'll no doubt get a dose of "the green apple splatters" from an under cooked German sausage, but I don't care I think they really make town Nice and Christmassy. Mulled wine though, whats that all about?

Happy New Year !

Image copyright Marc Asnin

One of the things I've always loved about Manchester is our large and historical Jewish community. Manchester Jews go back as far as the 18th century when immigrants from Eastern and Central Europe arrived to work in textiles and other areas of the industrial boom. http://www.movinghere.org.uk/galleries/histories/jewish/settling/manchester_jewry_1.htm#

We now have the largest Jewish community in the UK outside of London (35000). It's one of the things that I think makes us a proper city, just another exciting and vibrant ingredient.

So coming across the excellent "Rebbe" by Marc Asnin www.marcasnin.com and the fact that it's Rosh Hashanah http://www.chabad.org/holidays/jewishnewyear/default_cdo/jewish/High-Holidays.htm led to this post. Happy New Year to you all.

Albion

Click Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTX-s5eGtLw

Piccadilly Dreaming

Image copyright Mark Page

Now I know it's hard to imagine how the wonderful Piccadilly Gardens could possibly be any better, but if you can, now is your chance to have your say by meeting up with and ranting at Councillor Pat Karney. Apparently he's in charge of them and is looking to hear from people who have views on the future of said gardens. 11Am Cafe Nero, Piccadilly Gardens, Saturday 29Th March if you want your say. http://www.manchesterconfidential.com/property/index.asp?sessionx=IpqiNwB6KDOnNwB6IaqiNwA

China Town

I love China Town, and we are lucky here in Manchester in having the UK's largest. After this weeks look at the work of some Chinese photographers I thought it would be a good way back into Manchester. Here for some great info about our BRILLIANT China Town: http://www.manchester.com/community/chinatown/