{"id":237477,"date":"2025-07-04T13:17:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T13:17:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/237477\/"},"modified":"2025-07-04T13:17:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T13:17:18","slug":"the-herds-is-taking-over-manchester-city-centre-tonight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/237477\/","title":{"rendered":"The Herds is taking over Manchester City Centre tonight"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Something extraordinary is stampeding through Greater Manchester. It\u2019s not a safari escape, but The Herds, a visually breathtaking public artwork that brings climate change to the streets in the form of life-sized puppets of elephants, giraffes, antelopes, and lions.<\/p>\n

Created by acclaimed international theatre company The Walk Productions, The Herds combines storytelling and a call for civic action to move hearts and minds.<\/p>\n

The Herds come to Manchester<\/p>\n

The majestic puppets, made entirely of up-cycled and recyclable cardboard and plywood, began their journey in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, in April. They\u2019ve since travelled thousands of miles across Europe and are now taking centre stage in Manchester as part of the Manchester International Festival.<\/p>\n

\"\"Artistic Director Amir Nizar Zuabi<\/p>\n

Artistic Director Amir Nizar Zuabi describes the project as \u201ca long-form theatrical journey through geography and story,\u201d drawing inspiration from his previous work on Little Amal, the three-and-a-half-metre puppet of a Syrian refugee child that walked from Syria to Manchester in 2021.<\/p>\n

Speaking of The Herds, Zuabi said, \u201cI knew that our next project needed to deal with the biggest political crisis of our time,\u201d says artistic director Amir Nizar Zuabi. \u201cAnd I\u2019m from Palestine \u2014 I know what a political crisis is. But the climate crisis is happening everywhere, to millions of people. It\u2019s real, it\u2019s now, and it\u2019s devastating.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese animals are refugees,\u201d explains Zuabi. \u201cThey\u2019re fleeing climate disaster. They\u2019ve had to leave because their world could no longer sustain them. And hunger, you know, hunger is violence. Climate displacement is real, and it\u2019s already happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"A sneak peek at some of the puppets outside Factory International today <\/p>\n

Made in Manchester<\/p>\n

The puppets you\u2019ll see parading through Greater Manchester weren\u2019t just flown in. Many were built right here by members of the local community, trained and supported over three months. Participants followed digital blueprints created by South African designers Planda, essentially IKEA-like flatpack puppet kits, to build the animals piece by piece.<\/p>\n

In addition to the builders, more than a hundred local volunteers have been working tirelessly over the past week to learn the art of puppeteering.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe build new puppets in many cities,\u201d said Zuabi. \u201cAnd Manchester was one of the places that really rose to the challenge. They\u2019ve built an incredible bunch of puppets for us. The community here has been amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome had puppetry experience,\u201d said Zuabi, \u201cothers were completely new. But when you present people with something ambitious, something meaningful, they rise. They do astonishing things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Art that moves the soul <\/p>\n

\"TheThe Herds in Madrid<\/p>\n

Zuabi sees The Herds not only as a performance but as a catalyst for emotional awakening.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so much talk about climate in graphs and statistics, 1.5 degrees, carbon emissions, biodiversity loss. But those figures don\u2019t make us feel. As an artist, my job is to create a powerful emotional response, to help people care.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a visually appealing call to action. I hope it\u2019s something people cannot ignore and engage with, and makes a whole new generation take up climate activism. <\/p>\n

He hopes that from that care, action may follow: \u201cIf I throw a stone into a lake, maybe the ripples will become waves. That\u2019s all I can do. That\u2019s what The Herds is, a precise, beautiful stone thrown into the water.\u201d<\/p>\n

Low Kee Hong, Creative Director of Factory International and Manchester International Festival said:\u00a0\u201cWith\u00a0THE HERDS\u2019s visit to Greater Manchester we\u2019re really proud to once again bring iconic international public art to our streets for everyone to witness and be inspired by. More so, we\u2019re thrilled to celebrate the creativity of our area by inviting people from Greater Manchester to become a part of\u00a0THE HERDS, whether contributing to\u00a0the herd, or performing in the events.\u201d<\/p>\n

When and Where to Catch The Herds<\/p>\n

Friday 5 July \u2014 Rochdale (Heywood)
19:00 onwards on Aspinall Street, Miller Street, Starkie Street, Queen\u2019s Park (around the lake). It will be accompanied with free live music at the outdoor theatre and food and drink available from 19:00 to 21:00<\/p>\n

Saturday 6 July \u2014 Pennington Flash, Wigan
Event details TBC, but expect stunning scenery and more puppet magic.<\/p>\n

Manchester International Festival has an amazing lineup this year, including many free events!<\/a> <\/p>\n

You can find out more by clicking here<\/a><\/p>\n

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