Music for the Senses

Wild in Art have brought colour, fascination and imagination to the streets of Manchester in many forms. We’ve marvelled at mosaics and been blown away by strikingly designed bees in the past. This summer, they’re putting the spotlight on Manchester’s music scene with Music for the Sense, an art trail made up of personal instruments of musical icons inspired by the city’s rich musical heritage. There are also murals, mosaics and installations to be found along the trail, celebrating people, places and moments of musical history.

Throughout the city you can find instruments turned into sculpture which have been donated by Busted, Doves, Elbow, Mani, New Order, Oasis, PINS and Pixies plus others. Other guitars have been donated by the public to be transformed into objects of wonder by professional artists such as the much loved Hammo. You can also find brand new murals by street artists Lei-Mai LeMaow, Nomad Clan, ASKE and .EPOD. All of these artists have ferocious reputations for insightful and beautiful work as well as being familiar names on the buildings of Manchester.

Music is a living thing that must be heard as well as observed so be sure to check out the interactive installations Guitar Street and Cathedral of sound which have been created by Lazerian. You can find the locations for all these happenings and artworks on the music for the senses app with a free trail map. Walkers can also follow along with an interactive AR route in the Manchester Music Mooch. As one of the largest scale projects Wild in Art has run in Manchester, the list of businesses, venues and places not taking part is shorter than the ones who are. It’s impossible to venture into the city centre this summer and miss the sheer amount of creative energy on show.

Once the time has come to take the guitars down from their exhibition homes, they will be auctioned to raise money for grassroots music projects and venues throughout the city. This is a collaboration between the charity Forever Manchester and Manchester Music City. Providing a much needed lifeline to grassroots culture in a time where we’ve become familiar with the sight of venue closures.