November

Aesthetica Short Film Festival

York’s Aesthetica Short Film Festival moves online this year with a special 10th anniversary edition.

Explore our Museums at Home with the Science and Industry Museum

Ignite curiosities and discover inspiring stories with the museum’s treasure trove of online activities, games and science.

Ideas Worth Exploring – at home and online with People’s History Museum

Even though we’re in the midst of a second lockdown, there are still plenty of ideas worth exploring at home and online with the People’s History Museum.

Virtual Tour of the PHM’s Main Galleries

Experience the national museum of democracy in depth and online, with the immersive virtual tour of the PHM’s main galleries.

Art for Two – conversation and tour

Discover ideas worth fighting for past, present and future in this online conversation and tour of People’s History Museum’s main galleries, with actor Alfred Enoch and PHM’s Head of Collections & Engagement Jenny Mabbott.

Give Handmade this Christmas –Online with Manchester Craft & Design Centre

Now more than ever is the time to keep your Christmas shopping as local and handmade as possible. And Give Handmade makes this easy.

From Couch to Chorus: the Festive Edition

Learn to sing opera classics alongside the chorus of Opera North, without having step outside your front door, in the festive edition of Couch to Chorus.

Peer to Peer: UK/HK Online Exhibition

Peer to Peer: UK/HK Online Festival launches an exhibition of new and existing digital artwork by over 30 UK and Hong Kong-based artists. 

Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair | The Online Edition

When looking for a print this Christmas, whether it’s for your loved ones or a present to yourself, be sure to check out Woolwich’s hand picked collection.

Manchester Animation Festival

Manchester Animation Festival moves online with an eclectic programme catering to animation professionals, enthusiasts and fans alike.

Small Axe – Streaming on BBC iPlayer

Small Axe is a brand new series of films set in Londons West Indian community from 12 Years A Slave director, Steve McQueen.

Jasmin Kent Rodgman: nineteen ways of looking – Online with CFCCA

Jasmin Kent Rodgman’s anti-racist ‘Instagram opera’ responds to the prejudice experienced by East Asian people during the pandemic.

Fabric of the North: Gift Directory

Fabric of the North is a blog with an excellent gift directory. They champion independents maker from across the North who are creating beautiful and ethical work.

Patrick – Streaming On Demand

Patrick is a 38 year old handyman at his parents’ naturist campground. When his prize hammer is stolen, Patrick’s quest to solve the mystery of its’ theft leads to a much deeper mystery – who is he himself?

Fun & Games: Playtime, Past & Present at The Portico Library and Online

Fun & Games at The Portico Library explores the evolution and traditions of games and play throughout the ages up to today.

The Apartment – Streaming on YouTube

One of the quintessential New Year’s films, The Apartment is also one of director Billy Wilder’s best-loved and most acerbic works.

Northern Lights Writers’ Conference 2020: Digital Edition

The seventh consecutive Northern Lights Writers’ Conference presents a series of free online events for emerging and established writers.

Engels Memorial Lecture: Online

In this Third annual Engels Memorial Lecture Mary Davis will be speaking on Women’s oppression, the origins of the family & the condition of the working class.

Garlands and Detours: double book launch and open mic online

Award-winning North Yorkshire indie Valley Press invite you to join Anne Caldwell and Matthew Hedley Stoppard as they launch their latest collections – fourth for Anne and second for Matthew – with an open mic section to round off proceedings.

Chanukah Lewinsky’s Big Quiz Night

Chanukah Lewinsky’s Big Quiz Night brings you Manchester’s Jewish history with more chutzpah, queerness and comedy than ever seen before.

Cancelled: Total Recall 4K Restoration at Vue Manchester

Arnie’s back on the big screen as Paul Verhoeven’s sci-fi satire gets a 30th anniversary showcase.

SpokeCast

Tune into this new podcast series and take a witty and informed dive into the taboos, stigmas, mysteries and misinformation that surrounds disability.

Weasel International

What is it about weasels and why does artist Dominic G find them so fascinating?

Celebrating Our Identity

Indonesian artist Hannah Madness and St Helens-based Alexis Maxwell will explore the shared narratives of two disabled artists from completely different parts of the world

Game of Spoons

Created as part of DaDaFest 2020, Game of Spoons is a board game that participants can download, print off and play at home.

Scars: Memories of the Skin

Scars communicate different meanings, lived experiences and emotional changes as a script on the body. Like translated texts, they can be interpreted in different ways.

Through photography, artist Ngozi Ugochukwu uses her lived experience to explore the scars on her own body, each telling a story from her life.

From tribal markings received as a baby, to burns used in traditional Nigerian medicine inflicted on her to try and make her walk, to hospital operations, to the everyday marks and scratches we all get from living our lives, Ugochukwu explores what is written on the body.

Her stories will be told through a series of photographs and audio descriptions, revealing the origins of the scars. At the same time, Ugochukwu will seek out other stories and other storytellers whose own scars have something to say about them.

Broken Biscuits: Unheard Voices

Broken Biscuits: Unheard Voices focuses on the Yemeni-British immigrants who set up corner shops in Britain during the post-war era.

Chair Dancing Fitness Take 2

Challenging the perception that everyone should move and look the same way, this performance offers a new take on chair dancing.

Kintsugi Gold

Kintsugi Gold is a short film that aims to celebrate the lives of people with severe and enduring mental health disabilities. 

The Misunderstandings of the Other Side

The Misunderstandings of the Other Side will examine the communication difficulties faced by atypical people in a neurotypical world.

DaDaFest International 2020: Translations – online

With a vibrant showcase featuring 14 brand-new works by D/deaf and disabled artists, DaDaFest International 2020 goes online for its first-ever digital festival.

Maelstrom Under Glass

Created by artist Alexandrina Hemsley, this new film commission takes a look at the intimate landscapes of the body as a dynamic system of repair.

Diving Station (online)

To launch their new EP June Damp, harp-led indie pop four-piece Diving Station are performing a special livestreamed gig.

A Grand Auction of my Life with HOME

Created by HOME favourite David Hoyle, see the theatre space transformed into an auction room in this live-streamed performance.

Re:Form

A medley of visual, audio and text, Re:Form will explore what happens when disabled people control the gaze.

Permission to Speak

Permission to Speak by Deaf Explorer is a new work for camera which examines the way that sign language intersects with social, political and cultural identity;

First Do No Harm

A spoken word film exploring how doctors’ words translate to the patient they are treating, created by poet Helen Seymour.

I was Naked, Smelling of Rain

An intimate and moving piece exploring the impact of the external physical and social weather on our internal psycho-emotional weather.

Pakui Hardware at BALTIC in Gateshead

Lithuanian artist duo Pakui Hardware presents an immersive art installation about the future and ethics of virtual health care.

Zombie Uprising: The Barracks

Unearth terrifying thrills whilst you battle your way though a zombie ridden war zone. Zombie Uprising open their military facility gone wrong to the public in, The Barracks.

Cancelled: Some Like It Hot at HOME

Billy Wilder’s multi-award-winning satire tracks two penniless musicians (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon), whose chance witness of a gangland massacre forces them to flee Chicago.

Deconstruct and Reconstruct: Collage Workshop

Join Lydia Swinney for a thoughtful dive into how we can use collage to deconstruct and reconstruct large ideas.

Grayson’s Art Club at Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester

Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry presents a major exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery featuring work made by the nation during the initial weeks of lockdown.

The Sun at the Science and Industry Museum

This blockbuster exhibition was due to close at the end of March, but has been extended until 29 November as part of the Science and Industry Museum’s reopening programme.

Online Meditation with the Manchester Buddhist Centre

As we learn to live with uncertainty now is a better time than ever to explore meditation, let the friendly community at Manchester Buddhist Centre help you on this journey.

Trading Station: how hot drinks shape our lives at Manchester Art Gallery

Trading Station at Manchester Art Gallery charts the history and changing social role of hot drinks in our lives.

2020 Banner Display at People’s History Museum

Visit People’s History Museum’s 2020 display of political banners from across the years – including several that will go on public show for the first time.

Utopias at the Whitworth

How have visions of utopia and the visual culture that helped form it impacted upon the Brexit debate? A new exhibition at the Whitworth explores.

The Little Library in Spinningfields

Take your pick from The Little Library’s carefully curated collection of classics and new releases, adding a recently read book of your own as a replacement.

Emii Alrai: The High Dam at The Tetley in Leeds

Combining demon lures and invented artefacts, ancient mythology and family lore, The High Dam at The Tetley in Leeds is the latest new work by upcoming artist Emii Alrai.

I Don’t Love You Anymore, But I Don’t Love You Any Less with HOME

A Young Identity and Homemakers commission, this is an audio poem exploring universal uncertainty at a time of great change.

Chasing On A Dream with HOME

Fusing music and spoken word, Young identity present this new work by Saf Elsenoss as part of Homemakers.

Memories of a Moss Sidian with HOME

Presented by Young Identity, this collection of 4 poems examines the ethereal qualities of our lived experiences, once we look back on them as memories.

They keep telling me that my house is on fire with HOME

Using soundscape and film, this Young Identity Homemakers commission explores the burning house analogy often given as an explanation to those who say ‘all lives matter’.

New Digital Experiences at People’s History Museum

Can cutting-edge tech bring us closer to the events of the past? People’s History Museum unveils a series of new digital artworks and experiences.

POSTPONED -The Tiger Who Came to Tea and the Adventures of Mog the Forgetful Cat at Z-arts

In this immersive exhibition, children can let their imaginations go wild as they take centre stage alongside some of their favourite characters from beloved children’s author, Judith Kerr.

Phoebe Davies: Points of Rupture at Site Gallery in Sheffield

For her first solo exhibition, Welsh artist Phoebe Davies presents a new body of work inspired by her time spent with a group of teenage female wrestlers training in a local club on the outskirts of Oslo.

The Very Error Of The Moon with HOME

Shot entirely on a smartphone and GoPro throughout lockdown, this perceptive short film examines the costs of being ‘othered’ in a radicalised world.

I am all the Rooms of the House with HOME

Exploring love, loss and reclamation, a house is vividly brought to life in this metaphorical poem by writer-performer Hester Ullyart.

Poetry Health Service with Oldham Coliseum

Offering contemporary poetry as a tool for healing and connection, PHS is a brand-new online literary cure-all.

My Darling Christopher with HOME

Innovative, visual and inclusive, this short film uses unique theatrical language to shine a light on a Deaf person’s experience of war.

Absent Tense with HOME

Inspired by the first 12 weeks of lockdown and presented in 12 parts, Absent Tense is an audio essay and accompanying publication that reflects the presence of absence in our lives right now.

TubeSong with HOME

Presented in three chapters, TubeSong will take you on a powerful storytelling journey to a world where day and night are lit as one.

Amazon with HOME

Created by composer Alex Ho and theatre-maker Elayce Ismail, this stunning fusion of music, text and visuals sees a trip to the Amazon take an unexpected turn.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire – Streaming on Mubi

Brittany, France 1770. Portrait painter Marianne (Merlant) is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse (Haenel), a reluctant bride to be who has just left the convent.

Turkey Sausage Roll with HOME

Presented by Homemakers and the RADA Festival, Turkey Sausage Roll takes you on a journey into one young woman’s restless mind.

Animation Slam with HOME

Pairing some of the sharpest minds on the UK spoken word scene with hand-drawn animations by theatre-maker and video designer Edalia Day, be sure to catch this animated slam.

Wait I’m From Wuhan with HOME

Follow Jasmine’s story, as she struggles to decide whether or not to search for her birth family in Wuhan, told via a series of Instagram and blog posts.

How To Win with HOME

Take part in this new episodic online game created by multi-award-winning interactive theatre-makers Hidden Track, in collaboration with you, the player.

ACTUALQUEST with HOME

The Homemakers series of virtual theatre continues with this interactive, fantasy musical set in and around your own home.

Joana Vasconcelos at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Yorkshire Sculpture Park presents the monumental work of celebrated Portuguese sculptor Joana Vasconcelos.

Dogs Don’t Wear Pants – Streaming on Curzon Home Cinema

Heart surgeon Juha has lived life at an unengaged distance since his wife’s passing. And although it is often debilitating, his grief also throws up some rather surprising sexual urges.

System Crasher – Streaming on Curzon Home Cinema

Controversial from the moment it premiered in Competition at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival, documentarian Nora Fingscheidt’s fiction feature debut portrays the life of a chaotic and troubled young girl.

Anthony Burgess on Tape

Anthony Burgess on Tape is an online exhibition from the International Anthony Burgess Foundation comprising of 1,094 cassettes and 87 reel-to-reel tapes from one of Manchester’s greatest and most prolific writers.

Posters from the Irish civil rights era – Online with the Working Class Movement Library

Working Class Movement Library presents an online exhibition of powerful posters made by young activists fighting for civil rights in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

The Living Planet – Online at FACT, Liverpool

FACT’s year-long programme, The Living Planet, seems even more timely than first imagined – and has been created for people to interact with and enjoy remotely for free online.

Strip! How Football Got Shirty – Online Exhibition from the National Football Museum

The National Football Museum presents a major online exhibition of football shirts. Enjoy in-depth analysis, opinion, and discussion by the exhibition curators and shirt industry insiders into what makes certain shirts so special.

Strip! How Football Got Shirty at National Football Museum

The National Football Museum presents a major exhibition of football shirts. Enjoy in-depth analysis, opinion, and discussion by the exhibition curators and shirt industry insiders into what makes certain shirts so special.

What it is to be here: Colonisation and Resistance – Online at The Portico Library

The Portico Library marks 250 years since British explorer James Cook first landed on the shores of what we now call Australia with an online exhibition that explores the history of violence and resistance that followed.

Homemakers

HOME have invited theatre and live art makers to create new works at home, for an audience who are also at home. 

Homelands

Very different from what we’re seeing elsewhere during the lockdown, Homelands is for anyone who needs a creative outlet and a sense of connection during this time.

I am falling in love with you and it’s making me do stupid things

Follow Bryony Kimmings on a long, lonely night after she finds the email address of a potential lover and through the following day’s onslaught of Covid anxiety.

ABC (Anything But Covid) with HOME

Tune in to this new short film, by Ugly Bucket, which examines the lengths we’ll go to oblige the pressures of staying productive in lockdown.

Threat to Breath with HOME

A brand new commission for Homemakers, Threat to Breath is a sound piece to listen to at home, on your own or with others.

Love Letters to a Liveable Future with HOME

Part of Homemakers, this ongoing project offers the space to imagine how we would like our world to change once we emerge from lockdown.

The Gardener Digs in Another Time – Online at the Whitworth

the Whitworth in Manchester invites you to step into the garden as subject with an online version of its 2016 exhibition, The Gardener Digs in Another Time.

Homemakers: Tell Me with HOME

How well do you know your friends? Homemakers presents Tell Me, a game for two or more people which you can play at home. Intrigued? Read on…

Family Gorgeous Storytime Sessions with Waterside

Tune in online and enjoy the fabulous members of Family Gorgeous read children’s stories in their outlandish and hilarious style.

Homemakers: Siege – Part 1 with HOME

Presented in two parts, Siege is a nitty-gritty, punch-packed series of online discussions between disabled women performance makers.

Lost Online with HOME, Z-Arts and STUN

One for our next generation of digital natives: an exciting new dance commission inspired by the dance challenges on TikTok and Instagram.

Homemakers: Week Nine with HOME

Find a quiet room, grab your headphones and get some welcomed lockdown escapism with this specially commissioned cinematic soundtrack.

A Series of Metaphors About A Plague with HOME

Since the beginnings of European theatre and politics, people have used plague as a metaphor for thinking about what society and art could be. In this playful piece Javaad Alipoor and Natalie Diddams present their response to this idea.

Book sale at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House

The must-see Elizabeth Gaskell’s House and award-winning garden have reopened to visitors, with safeguarding measures in place and the famous book sale back on.

Sheffield Doc/Fest

Having taken place in Sheffield annually in June, this year Sheffield Doc/Fest extends its activities throughout the rest of the year – both in Sheffield and virtually.

Shared reading live with The Reader

Join The Reader for their free sessions of lockdown-inspired literature every Tuesday from 1pm, and every first Thursday of the month at 7pm – it’s free and anyone can join in.

Hamilton – Streaming on Disney Plus

Politically charged with a hip-hop soundtrack, there is no doubt that this filmed performance is one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of 2020.

Use Hearing Protection: The Early Years of Factory Records at the Science and Industry Museum – Postponed

Use Hearing Protection tells the story of Factory Records’ formative years from 1978-1982, when the label made waves with its innovative work in music, technology and design.

Dracula by Northern Ballet

Recorded at Leeds Playhouse on Halloween 2019, Bram Stoker’s gothic romance is brought to life in this stunning ballet.

Swallows and Amazons For Ever! at Windermere Jetty Museum

Celebrate the spirit of adventure, learn more about the Cumbrian landscape and uncover the inspiration behind Arthur Ransome’s classic tale.

Linda McCartney Retrospective at Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

This major exhibition of Linda McCartney’s photography includes more than 200 iconic images, from the music scene of the 1960s, to family life with Paul.

Coliseum Creates with Oldham Coliseum

Creative and fun, get the family together for these activities from Oldham Coliseum and you could win four tickets to next year’s family show, The Jungle Book.

And Say the Animal Responded? at FACT, Liverpool

And Say the Animal Responded? at FACT provides a fascinating window into the lives of the other animals that form part of Earth’s total population.

Jamie Crewe: Solidarity & Love at Humber Street Gallery in Hull

Humber Street Gallery in Hull presents Solidarity & Love, an exhibition by artist Jamie Crewe that spans subjects of heartbreak, transphobia and LGBTQIA+ solidarity.

Future 20: Last Place On Earth – Online

Last Place On Earth is a brand new digital experience from the Future 20 collective, commissioned by HOME.

What is Manchester Art Gallery? at Manchester Art Gallery

Manchester Art Gallery reopens with a thought-provoking new exhibition that delves into the history of the public institution and its role within the city.

POSTPONED: Derek Jarman: PROTEST! at Manchester Art Gallery

Manchester Art Gallery is open again and they present the UK edition of PROTEST! – a major retrospective dedicated to the life and work of the iconic British artist Derek Jarman.

Images of protest: Black Lives Matter at People’s History Museum

People’s History Museum presents a powerful selection of images documenting one of the peaceful Black Lives Matter protests that took place in central Manchester during May 2020.

Paloma Varga Weisz: Bumped Body at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds

Paloma Varga Weisz: Bumped Body continues the Henry Moore Institute’s programme of exhibitions dedicated to contemporary sculptors yet to receive full exposure in the UK.

Augmented Empathy at FACT, Liverpool

From face filters to world lenses, Augmented Empathy at FACT in Liverpool explores how AR technology can be used to create a fluid space of possibility.

User Not Found: A Video Podcast with HOME

Exploring digital legacy and online identity, acclaimed theatre-makers Dante or Die are back with a video podcast version of their hugely successful show.

Don McCullin at Tate Liverpool

Tate Liverpool presents a major retrospective of work by Don McCullin, widely considered to be one of the greatest photojournalists of our time.

White Psyche at the Whitworth in Manchester

White Psyche at the Whitworth examines the aesthetics of white supremacy through the story of Cupid and Psyche – a classical tale of love and good looks.

A Meeting Place | 会议地点 : A soundwalk in Chinatown

Explore the history of Manchester’s Chinese community with a soundwalk from CFCCA’s current resident artist, Hayley Suviste.

Nicole Prior: Data Rooms at Castlefield Gallery New Art Spaces Wigan

Using security cameras, screens, projectors, mirrors and software patches, Data Rooms reflects back to us images of ourselves and others.

Huma Bhabha: Against Time at BALTIC, Gateshead

Huma Bhabha’s strange cast of both ancient and futuristic seeming characters are due to arrive at BALTIC in Gateshead for an exhibition alluringly titled, Against Time.

The Making of Husbands: Christina Ramberg in Dialogue at BALTIC in Gateshead

The Making of Husbands: Christina Ramberg in Dialogue at BALTIC shines a light on a greatly under-recognised artist, whose work engages with questions of gender and identity.

NIA TV, from the Niamos centre

Experience raw and entertaining local broadcasting from local artists in the most recent TV station to be launched in Manchester, NIA TV.

World of Music Choir (Autumn 2020)

Join the World of Music Choir to learn a mixture of traditional and modern tunes. With no previous experience necessary and an ethos of no judgement, it’s the most friendly introduction to group singing you could wish for.

Psappha 2020/21 Concert Season

Psappha’s 2020–21 season explores the sharpest and smartest sounds in contemporary classical music, presented in concert and streamed online for free.

Aid Workers: Ethics Under Fire at Imperial War Museum North

Aid Workers: Ethics Under Fire at Imperial War Museum North takes a close look at the moral dilemmas surrounding overseas aid.

Early Years Atelier with The Whitworth

Specially designed for the under 5s and their grown-ups, The Whitworth have taken their early years sessions online.

Floatation Therapy at Zero Gravity

Try a new immersive relaxation technique at Zero Gravity with their state of the art i-sopods and floatation therapy.

All Ages Sewing Workshops at Sew Creative

Join Sew Creative for sewing workshops where you decide what garments are created and, with the help of expert sewers, bring those clothes to life.

My First Protest Song Online with the People’s History Museum

My First Protest Song goes online. Round up the family and join Matt Hill for this live-streamed event full of toe-tapping tunes.

Open Online – with Paradise Works in Salford

In place of its annual Open Studios, Paradise Works is pleased to announce the launch of Open Online 2020.

Multiplicities in Flux at Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, Manchester

CFCCA presents a two-person exhibition that challenges ideas of Britishness, belonging, identity and citizenship.

Omid Asadi: Autopsy of a Home at Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art

For his exhibition at CFCCA, Omid Asadi explores the diasporic experiences and domestic spaces of migrants.

Manchester Cathederal: 360° Virtual Tour

See the Cathedral in 360° of stunning photography in this virtual tour. Explore its distinctive chapels, grandiose high alter and intimate quire.

Mothers Who Make at HOME

Mothers Who Make is a support group for any kind of maker and any kind of mother. The groups meets to talk, share and emphasise with the challenges faced by creatives in mother (or grandmother) – hood.

On the Rocks – Streaming on Apple TV+

Escapades and hi-jinks in moneyed Manhattan, Sofia Coppola’s new film is a pleasurable throwback to the golden age of screwball comedy.

One Man and His Shoes – Streaming on BFI Player

British filmmaker Yemi Bamiro looks stateside as he surveys the Nike Air Jordan phenomenon.

The Sheffield Project at Weston Park Museum, Sheffield

Commissioned in the mid-1980s, The Sheffield Project focused a lens on a unique chapter in the city’s history, when it embarked on a journey of radical change.

Mike S. Redmond and Faye Coral Johnson: Bubbling Pitch at HOME

Coolaborative artist duo, MSR FCJ, present a series of experimental drawings, larger textural paintings and a new publication at HOME in Manchester.

Our Plague Year: Nick Burton at HOME, Manchester

Our Plague Year is a comic-based, alternative retelling of the Eyam Plague of 1665-66 by Nick Burton, presented as part of Art Comes HOME.

Blue Glass Fortunes: Joy Yamusangie at HOME

Part of Art Comes HOME, Joy Yamusangie’s Blue Glass Fortunes is inspired by a vision of blue goblets with candles set inside, flooding a room with light.

Art Comes HOME at HOME, Manchester

HOME reopens its main gallery with three simultaneous exhibitions of new work by Nick Burton, Joy Yamusangie and duo Mike S Redmond & Faye Coral Johnson.

Make Up – Streaming on BBC iPlayer

Cornwall has seldom seemed eerier than in Make-Up, the vivid first feature from director Claire Oakley.

Mogul Mowgli – Streaming on BFI Player

Although his cutting lyrics speak provocatively about identity politics, it is not until Zed (Riz Ahmed) returns home after two years on tour that he is called by his real name: Zaheer.

Rent at Hope Mill Theatre

Missed out on tickets the first time around? You’ve got another chance to watch this sell-out show online. But be quick.

Shirley – Streaming on Curzon Home Cinema

Josephine Decker’s psychodrama blurs the boundaries of biopic and fiction in exploring the cruel forces that can feed creativity.

Olivia Bax: Off Grid at Cross Lane Projects in Kendal, Cumbria

Cross Lane Projects presents ‘Off Grid’ – a solo exhibition of new work by Olivia Bax, winner of the Mark Tanner Sculpture Award 2019/20.