Host by Hilary Jack across Spinningfields

Polly Checkland Harding

Visit now

Host by Hilary Jack

Spinningfields, Manchester
1 December 2016-31 January 2017

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Host by Hilary Jack. Photo courtesy of Steve Iles.
Book now

Over ahe last few weeks, a series of unusual looking wild plants has appeared across Spinningfields – emerging from paving stones, the sides of walls and in the foyers of office buildings. Not only are they an unfamiliar sight in this typically spotless Manchester district, they’re also not real. Look closely and you’ll discover that these are beautifully made sculptures, hybrid casts of plants ranging from foxgloves and cow parsley to thistles and buddleia. There are nine in total, and altogether they make up Host by Manchester-based artist Hilary Jack, the second ever Spinningfields Art Commission from Allied London, produced by Castlefield Gallery.

Host is, in fact, part of Allied London’s commitment to the work of the Manchester Homelessness Charter; in May 2016, Allied became the first business to sign up to the Charter – which has set out to end homelessness in the city – pledging £10,000. The aim of the installation is to keep the issue of rough sleepers in the city at the front of people’s minds – and Allied has chosen an impressively challenging way in which to do so. Jack’s sculptures subvert the built environment of Spinningfields, asking people to look harder at their surroundings. ‘”The core of it is about the overlooked,” she explains. “It’s quite easy to walk past certain things and see them, but not really notice, or pay attention.” Using bronze, the traditional material for often imposing public realm sculpture, Jack has created a series of delicate casts of plants that typically grow in forgotten urban places. By transplanting them into Spinningfields, she questions the value we so easily give to public art, versus the way in which we tend to denigrate natural creations.

Host is also a reflection on Jack’s own feelings about the homelessness situation in Manchester. “I’ve been very disturbed to see what’s happened with the homeless rough sleepers in Manchester in recent years,” she says. “I’ve lived in Manchester for a long time and I’ve never seen it worse. Every 20 yards or so there’s someone asleep on the street, and I wonder how it’s possible that it’s become normal to walk past someone like that.”

Whilst Jack hopes “that people will look at the built environment in a slightly different way” as a result of her work, Host will also have a very tangible impact: the sculptures are to be sold to raise funds for the Manchester Homelessness Charter. Each sculpture is one-of-a-kind and anyone interested in purchasing one should contact Jennifer Dean at Castlefield Gallery on jennifer@castlefieldgallery.co.uk. In the meantime, the public can explore the installation using the specially-designed map, with the accompanying social media campaign (search the hashtags #SpinArt2016 and #MCRHomelessnessCharter) helping to promote different aspects of the work of the Charter. You can also join Hilary Jack, along with Kate Jesson, Curator at Manchester Art Gallery and Councillor Beth Knowles, on a walking tour of Spinningfields to discover Host – book your tickets here.

Where to go near Host by Hilary Jack across Spinningfields

Stables Tavern
City Centre
Restaurant
Stables Tavern

The Stables Tavern is an olde style pub in the St John’s neighbourhood of Manchester, where the Rovers Return once stood.

Manchester
Restaurant
Ban Di Bul

Ban Di Bul is a longstanding Korean restaurant in the very centre of Manchester.

Bridge Cottage
Port Sunlight
Gallery
Bridge Cottage

Bridge Cottage is one of Port Sunlight’s most charming and architecturally distinctive Arts & Crafts homes. Often hold art Exhibitions and Tours.

A projected image of the Stockroom.
Stockport
Library
Stockroom

Stockroom is Stockport’s new centre for culture and creativity, with a library, a children’s play area and a whole host of exciting events.

Inside main hall Birch Community Centre, showing high hammer-beam ceiling.
Manchester
Theatre
Birch Community Centre

Housed in a striking neo-Gothic former parish hall, Birch Community Centre is a hidden gem on Brighton Grove, just opposite Platt Fields Park. Its vaulted wooden ceiling and arched windows…

A series of microphones hang from the ceiling with a muted warm light in the background.
Rochdale
Event venue
RISE Inavate Centre

RISE Inavate Centre will be used for a thought-provoking sound installation by Shilpa Gupta at Manchester International Festival 2025.

Interior Decorations - Viet Deli
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Viet Deli

Viet Deli is a small venue, not the kind of place for a sit down meal. Serving only bánh mì, traditionally street food in Vietnam.

Levenshulme
Restaurant
My Nawaab

Eye-catching banqueting hall in Levenshulme, with a wide-ranging buffet showcasing freshly-prepared Indian and Pakistani cuisine.

SB_BreweryTour - Taproom One
Manchester
Brewery
Seven Bro7hers Brewery & Taproom

Discover the heart of Salford’s craft beer revolution at the Seven Bro7hers Brewery & Taproom—a spirited, family-run brewery where the brewing kettles gleam and the atmosphere buzzes with energy.

What's on: Exhibitions

In a large industrial space filled with dobby looms hangs a blood red textile piece infront of a sheer white backdrop.
Until
ExhibitionsLeeds
Loops at Sunny Bank Mills

‘Loops’ is a new collaborative exhibition of textiles at Sunny Bank Mills, connecting artists from across the Netherlands and Yorkshire.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Experimental performance, thought-provoking new writing and our picks of Manchester International Festival - here’s what’s taking centre stage this summer.

A painting called Daphne, 2021, by Carolien Walker. The painting features Caroline’s own daughter as a toddler.
Exhibitions in the North

Captivating, urgent and intimate - we bring you our top exhibition picks, with even more art festivals, artist-led shows and new venues.

Cloudwater Production One
Tours and Activities in the North

Go forth with wild abandon to dance the pavements, dabble with the paint and down the pints in this month's tours and activities guide.

Classical Music in the North

Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.

A young boy with a white sash around his left arm cries.
Cinema in the North

Outdoor cinema announcements, a major retrospective at HOME, and the best of indie cinema.

Music in the North

Gigs are coming in hot this spring – from long-awaited returns to one-off happenings you’ll blink and miss if you're not careful.