The People Of
Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor
Manchester based ensemble Quarantine have been making performances, happenings and events with and about the people of Manchester for years and we are very excited about their most recent project, The people of. You will be guided on an intimate audio walk, accessed via your own smart phone, through the eclectic suburb of Longsight’s Northmoor Road.
As the name would suggest, this tour will introduce you to those who call this road their workplace or home. We often take the rich mix of culture in our immediate surroundings for granted, but experiences like this encourage us to consider how the 1930s terraces came to be, how a cake maker who grew up at the foot of the Himalayas ended up here, who it is that grows the sunflowers on one of the street’s balconies and who plays saxophone in the local park.
As you navigate the soundscape, you will meet these individuals and more, and get a glimpse into each of their daily lives. As you listen to their thoughts and stories, you’ll walk through the busy thoroughfare with butchers, barbers, greengrocers and a community hub as well as visiting the site of an old iron works, the local park and a group of streets named after British composers such as Purcell and Elgar.
Whether you often visit Northmoor Road, have never been or even live there, you’re bound to discover something new about the diverse and intriguing people that give this area life.
Everyone has a story to tell.
The walk features sound and music composed by Manchester based acclaimed sound artist, Jaydev Mistry. His work is beautifully detailed and carefully considered, creating a sonic landscape that reflects the area and provides a backdrop to the walk.
The project aims to make us think about how we live as neighbours. How our lives constantly collide with strangers who have their own histories and inner lives that we are totally unaware of, yet we all depend on each other as we are part of the same community.
You can experience the sound walk in English and Urdu, by visiting the mobile optimised website (hit the ‘Find out more’ button below) on your smartphone, but there are also handsets available to borrow until 20 February. There’s an information point at 89 Northmoor Road, near to where the walk starts. It lasts approximately 1 mile and 1 hour. The people of is created by artists Kate Daley and Sarah Hunter, sound artist Jaydev Mistry and project animateur Chi Emecheta.
