"River Stories" exhibition, Manchester Central Library - Now open until March 21st

We are delighted to share news of a brilliant new "River Stories" exhibition which is now open at the Manchester Histories Hub in the Manchester Central Library until Saturday 21st March. River Stories brings together the collective concerns and creative work of Many Hands Craft Collective, artist Liz Wewiora, and our very own doctoral researcher & artist, Fiona Brehony. 

Find out more about the project here: https://manchesterhistories.co.uk/news-list/river-stories/

Since 2024, they have been exploring their relationship to the River Irk, a waterway which runs throughout North Manchester where the craft collective resides. The artists and group have discussed the ever-shifting landscape of the Irk, reflecting on its industrial past, our own personal memories of the river, and our concerns around how regeneration and gentrification are affecting the area.

With issues around how natural light is being blocked from the river, and how our own right of way to access these areas are shifting, the group and artists hope the exhibition encourages you to consider your own relationship to, and future aspirations for, our natural blue spaces.

There are also a series of public events hosted by the artists, guest creatives and students from the University of Salford who have been supporting the project:

'Watery Archives': a zine workshop with Fiona Brehony. Tuesday 3rd March, 1-2.30pm

Using archival materials from HMG Paints alongside records and images from Manchester Library’s collections, this hands-on zine workshop explores the River Irk through industry, memory, and local history. Participants will collage, write, and assemble their own small zine in response to these materials – creating personal interpretations of the river and its stories. No experience needed; all materials provided.

‘Conversations with the Irk’: a sound and creative writing workshop with Fiona Brehony and Joe Shute Tuesday 10th March, 1 – 2:30pm

What stories sit inside a river – and what happens when we listen closely enough to hear them? Drawing on the sound work Two Worlds, created from recordings along the River Irk, this workshop combines deep listening with creative writing. Through sound, memory, and imagination, we’ll explore rivers as places of industry, change, and personal connection, using listening as a starting point for new writing. No experience needed – just a curiosity to listen and play.

Thanks to project partners Manchester Histories, Manchester Central Library, HMG paints, University of Salford, Open Eye Gallery, High Peak Community Arts, Stockroom. 

Fiona's doctoral research supporting this work is funded by the Open-Oxford-Cambridge Doctoral Training Partnership, along with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)