Natalie Jervis
Natalie Jervis

The University of Salford gives us an insight into their upcoming festival featuring the talents of their graduating students…

Open to the public over the weekend of 15 – 16 June, the Create at Salford Festival will showcase the talents of 800 final year arts and media students. The event combines the best in student art and design, performing arts, music, computer gaming, animation, TV news broadcasting and much more in a free festival of creativity for MediaCityUK and Salford Quays.

At IWM North, part of Imperial War Museums, on Saturday 15 June, follow the stories of three real GI brides brought to life by performance students, enjoy a 1940s-style swing band and jive, or enter ‘The Bunker’, where visitors will be challenged to help save humanity from the end of the world. The following day the museum will host war-themed electro-acoustic concerts by music students.

Cara Peeney, Fashion Image Making
Cara Peeney, Fashion Image Making

At the University’s MediaCityUK campus, on the Saturday 36 students will showcase their designs in a Fashion Show with cutting-edge collections. The public can also enjoy a tour of the building’s cutting-edge facilities through playful, unexpected ‘pop-up’ student performances, and a range of live music gigs from the Egg Foyer stage.

On Sunday 16 June the University’s state-of-the-art Digital Performance Lab will host a fairy tale play with a Salford spin. The Very, Very, Very Sleepy Princess is a modern retelling of Sleeping Beauty written, produced and performed by the Scallywags Children’s Theatre Company, a group of second year performance students.

Rachael Pegram
Rachael Pegram

Throughout the weekend a range of demonstrations will be open, including the chance to play student-created computer games and try out stop motion animation, while visitors can experience a range of exhibitions showing some of the best work from art and design students, covering visual arts, photography, fashion, graphic and interior design among many other courses.

Professor Allan Walker, Head of the School of Arts & Media, said: “This event is the highlight of our academic calendar and its innovative format … at the Media City Campus means that we will be presenting an exciting range of specially commissioned pieces, live music and one-off performances alongside the static exhibition work.”

The Create at Salford Festival is open to the public on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June, and takes place at the University of Salford, MediaCityUK, Salford, M50 2HE; IWM North, Trafford Wharf Road, The Quays, Manchester, M17 1TZ; and the Open Centre, MediaCityUK, Salford.

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