From 7th April to 6th May, 2005
Open Wednesdays to Saturdays, 12pm-7pm
Opening Night on Thursday 7th April, 6.30pm.


’Marketing Utopia: Communities For Sale’ gathers the work of visual artists, film-makers and poets who have worked directly with deprived communities in Manchester, London and Paris. Their work presents an alternative aesthetic to that provided by Property Developers and Town Planners and in doing so they highlight a political dimension to Urban Renewal that is rarely shown in glossy brochures or mainstream media.

All across Britain, the idea of community is being used to market an ideal future in which everyone is a wealthy consumer, capable of participating in the paradise of consumption and in the acquisition of status. Yet in this vision of a perfect Britain, the rules of engagement are for the most part drawn up in ways that leave citizens at the mercy of market forces dominated by the financial interests of the already wealthy.

As the birthplace of the industrial revolution, Manchester has fallen victim to the logic of the commodity-driven culture it helped create. All across Manchester, property developers and marketing agencies are involved in aggressively selling the soul and identity of city-life to the wealthy and the poor. And with Local Government spending millions on public consultation exercises which are so often failures, whose voices are really determining the future of the city?

This multi-media exhibition features film, photography and poetry by Alain Moreau, Yvan Henner, Liz Lock, Jonathan Purcell, Mike Garry, and Marie-Claude Witcombe.

A series of talks examining the issues raised by the exhibition will run concurrently during April and May at the Basement Arts Cafe. Full details including speakers are still to be confirmed.

For more information, contact Yvan Henner on 07960 963 663 or by email at  info@common-eye.com


“What we want you to do is to help us make this town sexy.”
- Marketing Executive, Greater Manchester