The Mayfield Partnership, the public private partnership responsible for delivering a £1 billion transformative regeneration of the Mayfield area of Manchester city centre, has signed up to become an official supporter of the 2019 edition of the Manchester International Festival (MIF).
Staged every two years, MIF is the world’s first festival of original, new work, and brings together world-renowned artists from different art forms to create dynamic, innovative and forward-thinking premieres for Manchester.
The next Festival takes place 4 – 21 July 2019, with elements of MIF19 revealed later this year and the full programme announced early next year. MIF will also be the operator for The Factory, a new £110m world-class cultural space being built in Manchester and due to open late 2020.
Mayfield’s association with MIF stretches back to the fourth edition in 2013 when the atmospheric Mayfield Depot hosted a collaboration between documentary film maker Adam Curtis and Bristolian drum and bass pioneers, Massive Attack, as well as a series of live art performances curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Alex Poots, Asad Raza and Tino Sehgal.
It also hosted a huge celebration of MIF’s ten-year anniversary which included a rare live performance from Four Tet and a 12-hour extravaganza headlined by Carl Craig and Mike Banks at MIF15, before the festival returned in 2017. For this edition, Mayfield was home to the programme launch announcement along with two unique events: What if Women Ruled the World?, a film and performance project by Yael Bartana, and 10000 Gestures, a performance of experimental choreography created by Boris Charmatz, which have since gone onto tour in Berlin, Bilbao, Aarhus, Jerusalem and Vienna.
Commenting on the sponsorship arrangement, James Heather, U+I’s Development Director for Mayfield, said: “From the very beginning MIF has been about creating unique experiences which cast the city in a different light around the world. Mayfield has contributed to this on a number of occasions as there is nothing quite like the Mayfield Depot as an events space in the city.
“The fit between MIF and Mayfield is perfect: both are about being world class, about creating world firsts and about being internationally ambitious, pushing boundaries to create something which stands out on a global stage.”
Jenny Mungall, Development Director at Manchester International Festival added: “All of us at Manchester International Festival are delighted that the Mayfield Partnership is supporting us as Official Providers of the Festival, and of course to be back in the truly unique Mayfield Depot this Autumn as it hosts a series of Pre- Factory Events.
“We are a festival of extraordinary work, and the support of some 90 extraordinary partners across Manchester makes that possible. The role that the Mayfield Partnership, and others in Manchester’s business community, takes in supporting a culturally vibrant city is inspiring and something that we, as a Festival, are hugely grateful for.”
Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Innovation and imagination are central to Manchester’s identity as a city. Both MIF and Mayfield are great examples of this and the two are a natural fit.”
