Manchester's DNA: History, Place, Identity
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Arts Languages and Cultures
Abstract
What is in Manchester's DNA?
What are the 'building blocks' of the city?
How has the city developed and evolved?
What is the 'family history' of Manchester?
'Manchester's DNA' is an ambitious city-wide festival investigating and celebrating history, community, migration, place and identity. Through a seven-month series of public events, school workshops, performances and creative interventions the project considers the genetic 'building blocks' of contemporary Manchester.
Across 2023 the project will run 22 Core events based on a collaboratively produced Toolkit, curate and support around 80 further Themed events, commission creative work and deliver an exhibition. 'Manchester's DNA' allows people from across the city-region to connect with their roots, think about the stories of those who came before them, see the physical city in different ways, and to develop their understanding of what is means to be a 'citizen'. Our events will reach a projected audience of 10000 people across the city, a large intervention into the cultural life of Manchester.
The Toolkit will enable the development of events relating to, or responding to, issues recognised by the PI's original 'Double Helix History' project: public history and genetic understanding; DNA, history and self; genetics and ethnicity; genetics, place, and migration; community and co-production; public understanding of the genetically inflected past.
The project is a unique collaboration with the Manchester UNESCO City of Literature. Through this collaboration 'Manchester's DNA' sees the PI and RA work with a large number of partners around the city of Manchester including libraries, archives, hospitals, art galleries, festivals and publishers. It will create lasting impacts amongst a number of communities and audiences, including schoolchildren, as well as developing important links and shared working practices between University and non-University organisations. Methodologically the project explores issues of co-production, knowledge exchange, capacity building, oral history, science education, and public history.
What are the 'building blocks' of the city?
How has the city developed and evolved?
What is the 'family history' of Manchester?
'Manchester's DNA' is an ambitious city-wide festival investigating and celebrating history, community, migration, place and identity. Through a seven-month series of public events, school workshops, performances and creative interventions the project considers the genetic 'building blocks' of contemporary Manchester.
Across 2023 the project will run 22 Core events based on a collaboratively produced Toolkit, curate and support around 80 further Themed events, commission creative work and deliver an exhibition. 'Manchester's DNA' allows people from across the city-region to connect with their roots, think about the stories of those who came before them, see the physical city in different ways, and to develop their understanding of what is means to be a 'citizen'. Our events will reach a projected audience of 10000 people across the city, a large intervention into the cultural life of Manchester.
The Toolkit will enable the development of events relating to, or responding to, issues recognised by the PI's original 'Double Helix History' project: public history and genetic understanding; DNA, history and self; genetics and ethnicity; genetics, place, and migration; community and co-production; public understanding of the genetically inflected past.
The project is a unique collaboration with the Manchester UNESCO City of Literature. Through this collaboration 'Manchester's DNA' sees the PI and RA work with a large number of partners around the city of Manchester including libraries, archives, hospitals, art galleries, festivals and publishers. It will create lasting impacts amongst a number of communities and audiences, including schoolchildren, as well as developing important links and shared working practices between University and non-University organisations. Methodologically the project explores issues of co-production, knowledge exchange, capacity building, oral history, science education, and public history.
Publications
Evans T
(2023)
'I don't even trust now what I read in history books': family history and the future of co-production and collaboration
in Rethinking History
Jerome De Groot
(2024)
Race, Genetics, History
Oras E
(2025)
The 'Biomolecular Humanities'? New challenges and perspectives
in iScience
| Description | Collabortation with FoHR team |
| Organisation | Lancaster University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Collaboration to produce The Bell Curves, a performance at Contact Theatre. The Future of Human Reproduction (Wellcome grant 222858/Z/21/Z) funded this production with £15000 contribution. |
| Collaborator Contribution | We supported the production and produced the final performance. |
| Impact | Performance of Bell Curves |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Bell Curves |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Bell Curves is a performance undertaken with Contact Theatre on CRISPR technology. The performance was supported by 4 creative workshops facilitated by the MDNA team. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Manchester Libraries Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In 2023, 111 events and exhibitions took place in 50 different libraries. Writers appearing included the Icelandic novelist Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir and the UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage. The 2023 Festival attracted footfall into libraries of 58,000 in five days with 5,120 people booking for individual events or attending exhibitions. Audience reaction to the Festival is strong: 74% felt the Festival had shown them their library had more to offer than they had previously thought and 59% of Festival attenders reported gaining new knowledge. Over half (53%) of Festival attenders said they would attend other library events in the future. Press coverage of Festival of Libraries resulted in 48 logged pieces of media coverage (including 7 National + 1 International) and a total audience reach (across all channels) of over 84m views. Source: Independent Evaluation by research consultant Eric Hildrew. Media reach supplied by Fido PR. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.manchestercityofliterature.com/project/manchester-libraries-festival/ |
| Description | Music is in our DNA |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Music is in our DNA was a series of events including the MDNA team and creative partners. There were performances at HOME, at the Manchester Community Festival, and Manchester Festival of Libraries. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |