manchester modernist society Profile

We are not architects, preservationists or activists, though we do know a number of each of these.

We are not radicals, Situationists, academics or psychogeographers, though we are lucky to count a few of these mythical creatures as our friends.

We do share their passion that the city continues to be a place for poetry and dreaming as well as business and commerce, where its citizens are more than machines for living and consuming.

We are merely a small band of urban enthusiasts, amateurs and latter day dandies, passionate observers of the city and its social cultural and built environment. We believe that none of these phenomena exist in isolation but rely on each other to flourish and foster and create the living tangle of the throbbing metropolis that we call home.

We believe that the recent past and its rich variety of grand and ordinary, cherished and neglected buildings continue to play a part in our shared consciousness and sense of identity, continue to influence who we are and remind us of how we worked, rested and played.

We are keen to foster and help develop a greater public awareness of the rich and complex relationship between architecture, art and design and public space, and draw attention to the precarious nature of much of the 20th century backdrop that we often mistakenly take for granted.

We aim to create a real space for discussing, engaging and enjoying, perhaps occasionally even campaigning for, the multilayered complexities of a city that is comfortable to wear its carbuncled heart on its sleeve. Not for us the smooth uniformity of a relentlessly brand new city that is too intimidating to use.

We will meet and gather, mooch, amble, collaborate, make connections, gently protest and point things out where we see fit. We will speculate, agitate, cogitate, publicise, dream and philosophise over afternoon tea, on walks, talks and various outings. All we need is for you to join in, keep us informed of your events and activities across and around the city and create some of our own for your delectation.

Oh, and we like to think of ‘Modern’ as meaning 1914 -1999… but we’re not strict.

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