Manchester Gets £25 Million “Multi-Art Complex”

Next Spring, Manchester will unveil Home, the largest multi-art complex since the opening of London’s Barbican in the 1960s, The Independent reports.

Funded by the City Council to the tune of £19 million, Home will feature a 500-seat theatre, five cinemas, and art galleries, as well as restaurants. The complex, which is expected to welcome up to 1 million visitors every year, includes the relocation of the city’s much-loved Cornerhouse and Library Theatre.

The opening is understood as a rebalancing act of the UK’s cultural economy, which has long been criticized for its London-centricity.

Manchester earned its place on the art map thanks to the Manchester Art Festival, which commissioned large-scale pieces from the likes of Steve McQueen and Marina Abramovic.

“It’s a project that’s happening because Manchester has a vision in which, economically, arts and culture have a part to play in economic regeneration,” Home’s chief executive Dave Moutrey told the Independent. “They are backing that, and the fact there is potential for growth – you can’t just chuck money at an area and say have some great art.”