LOITER – Online

Sara Jaspan, Exhibitions Editor
Loiter / Proforma
Roman Manfredi

PROFORMA presents LOITER at esea contemporary, Manchester 30 January 2021 Entrance is free — Visit now

Loitering is not something we do so much of beyond a certain age. The word, which means to stand or wait around without apparent purpose, seems to have little place in a time of diminishing public space and where busyness is seen as a sort of status symbol. When it does crop up, it seems most often applied ‘trouble-makers’, ‘opportunists’, or bored ‘youths’ on park benches, carrying with it an implied sense of threat. But is there something to be gained from reclaiming our right to linger, laze, loaf or dally on street corners?

LOITER – a one-day-long live visual art programme occurring around the Chapel Street area – tarries over this question. Inspired by a reading of the term as a subversive performative gesture, the short-lived urban festival will feature a series of live, durational artworks spanning film, animation, sound, intervention, and augmented reality, that encourage viewers to slow down and experience their surroundings in new ways.

Connecting Manchester and Salford, Chapel Street is one of the oldest trade routes between the two cities and has been undergoing a process of major re-development over the last few years, offering a rich psychogeographic environment for artists to respond to. The line-up includes Omid Asadi, Juliet Davis-Dufayard, Tink Flaherty, Parham Ghalamdar, Christian Selent, and Shy Bairns (who will create a zine-style guidebook).

LOITER is organised by Proforma and forms part of the curatorial platform’s ongoing model of presenting time-restricted exhibitions in non-gallery spaces – in this instance, outdoors. Though late January might not be the most clement of times, after such a turbulent year in which most galleries have had to postpone or cancel shows, the option of throwing on a few extra layers in order to experience art safely doesn’t sound too bad. For those who aren’t able to attend, a live digital experience of LOITER will also run throughout the day.

Accessibility

  • Audio Described
  • British Sign Language
  • Captioned

What's on at esea contemporary

Where to go near LOITER – Online

Manchester Pubs
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Trof Northern Quarter

It’s a landmark year for Trof NQ. In the years since it first opened, the Northern Quarter has developed around it to become one of the city’s most prominent areas.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Bar 21

A bar in Manchester’s Northern Quarter for fans of television and cinema science fiction. Enjoy food and drink amongst a off-beat selection of movie memorabilia.

Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
This & That Café

Eternally popular curry canteen taking its name from a time when patrons didn’t know what to call their orders, but pointed instead to a bit of “this” and “that”.

Manchester
Restaurant
Disorder

Disorder is a new bar and restaurant in the Northern Quarter, based where the old Walrus venue was, with Bryan Barber as executive chef.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Odd Bar

A three storey Northern Quarter bar which serves a selection of beer, cocktails and food. Regular quiz nights, open mic sessions and resident DJs.

Wolf At The Door
Manchester
Restaurant
Wolf At The Door

Three storey bar and restaurant on Thomas Street in the Northern Quarter, from the team behind the Wilderness record store and bar in Withington.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Bay Horse Tavern

The Bay Horse Tavern is a laid-back pub based in the dead centre of the Northern Quarter, with a wide range of drinks and food options.

What's on: Exhibitions

Until
ExhibitionsManchester
Nothing About Us Without Us at PHM

‘Nothing About Us Without Us’ at PHM explores the history of disabled people’s activism and their ongoing fight for inclusion with a wonderful collection of exhibits brought together for the first time, 

free entry
Until
ExhibitionsManchester
(Un)Defining Queer at The Whitworth

Through a fantastic collection of classical and contemporary artists’ work, ‘(Un)Defining Queer’ examines the use of language, histories and narratives to explore what ‘queer’ really means today. free entry

Culture Guides

Music in Manchester and the North

From post punk legends to the leading lights of modern shoegaze, read about the most exciting artists playing in Manchester and the North this autumn.