School of Digital Arts (SODA)

Maja Lorkowska, Exhibitions Editor

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School of Digital Arts (SODA)

12 Higher Chatham Street, Manchester, M15 6BR
The School of Digital Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University. Opens 2021. Study film, VR, AR, AI, games & UX design, photography; make creative content.
MMU
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The School of Digital Arts (SODA) is part of Manchester Metropolitan University – a purpose‑built, interdisciplinary school that facilitates the study of film, VR, AR, AI, games & UX design and photography.

Opened in 2021,  the building provides specialised equipment and spaces, from sound design to stop-motion animation, photography studios, a cinema and much more. SODA is home to Modal, a gallery space designed to allow students and visiting artists to experiment with their chosen mediums and showcase finished works.

SODA often hosts events open to the public, particularly in the Modal gallery space as well as series of classes and sessions on new, creative technologies and the business skills required to implement new strategies, specifically for local businesses in Greater Manchester and the North West. Check the website for more information on upcoming events.

 

 

What's on near School of Digital Arts (SODA)

Abel Selaocoe_Spring 2026_credit Phil Sharp_sq
Until
MusicManchester
Inspirational Artists at RNCM

The RNCM launches its second Inspirational Artists series, spotlighting a huge range of touring musicians and ensembles, each bringing something unique to the stage.

From £12.50
jonathan schofield giving tour
Manchester
The Kimpton Clocktower Tour

Explore the incredible history behind one of Britain’s grandest and most storied commercial buildings: Manchester’s Grade II listed Kimpton Clocktower Hotel.

From £25.00
Brettel Blue
Until
ExhibitionsManchester
Black Country Type II at The Modernist

The Black Country. Not always the first place people associate with colour, design and typography – but Tom Hicks has spent years looking closely enough to challenge that.

Free entry
deathcrash Press Image
MusicManchester
deathcrash at YES

Quiet introspection and cathartic eruptions – the mysterious kids in the corner of the Brixton Windmill scene bring their new album Somersaults to YES.

From £17.45
Mleko by Charlie Smith
MusicManchester
Mleko at YES Basement

Two songs in, Manchester’s MLEKO are already building a cult following, blending beauty and abrasion to devastating effect.

From £11.80
TheatreManchester
Nation at HOME

Arriving from an acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe run, Nation is a dark, unsettling fable about nationhood and identity.

From £19.20

Where to go near School of Digital Arts (SODA)

The Salutation pub in Manchester
Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Salutation

This traditional boozer, surrounded by imposing flats and university buildings, was taken over by Trof (of the Deaf Institute fame). The Sally, as the regulars call it, hosts an energetic, arty crowd – and its recently expanded outside area is another good reason to visit.

Manchester
University
MMU Student Union

Manchester Metropolitan University Students’ Union building houses a bar and various other facilities for students and staff.

Manchester
Gallery
Manchester School of Art

The Manchester School of Art, of which the Holden Gallery is a part, is a beautiful neo-Gothic building that’s part of MMU’s All Saints campus.

exterior of Contact Theatre building
Manchester
Theatre
Contact Theatre

Following a major redevelopment, the iconic venue on Oxford Road will be reopening its doors to welcome the public back into the building this autumn. 

Culture Guides

A busy image created using generative AI. The image depicts a man at the centre with grey hair and rosy cheeks, surrounding him are fairies that appear to be created in his own image with multiple limbs and unique bodily proportions. Around them are hundreds of vials, microscopes and dated scientific equipment.
Exhibitions

Spring has sprung a wealth of great exhibitions in the North West, from intimate photographic shows to huge installations.

SILVERWINGKILLER - Press Image
Music

Our latest music picks spotlight a new underground Manchester scene gaining national attention, alongside jazz, contemporary classical and more.

Theatre

Closer, riskier, more immediate. Our small-scale theatre picks stretch from unsettling fables about nationhood to the inner workings of a mind trying to hold itself together.

Food and Drink in the North

Spring is here, so sign yourself up for some much-missed al fresco dining at these highly recommended (and mostly new) Manchester restaurants.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.