Sonia Watson-Fowler

A global destination for arts, music and culture in the heart of Manchester, operated by the team behind Manchester International Festival (MIF). Opening June 2023. Factory International will commission, produce and present an ambitious year-round programme of original creative work, music and special events by leading artists from across the globe. Drawing on MIF's track record for premiering bold productions that defy convention, artists will be encouraged to create work in new ways, to collaborate across disciplines and blur the boundaries between art and popular culture. Built with flexibility in mind, the design of Factory International is led by Ellen van Loon of the world-leading practice Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). The 13,350 square-metre venue is based around large, open, ultra-flexible spaces that can be constantly reconfigured, enabling large-scale artistic work of invention and ambition that isn’t possible anywhere else in the world. The organisation will continue to stage MIF every other year, at Factory International and other venues and spaces across Greater Manchester. Building on the festival's record of working with communities, as audiences and as participants, Factory International will be a space where local people are actively involved – from participating in flagship commissions, co-designing programmes of activity, to shaping the organisation through involvement in its public forums. Through the Factory Academy, it will also become a major training centre for local people, equipping them with the skills needed for careers in the creative industries and helping to build the technicians, producers and other creative talent that will bring the future alive.