{"id":65858,"date":"2025-05-01T14:12:15","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T14:12:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/65858\/"},"modified":"2025-05-01T14:12:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T14:12:15","slug":"the-incredible-immersive-experience-in-greater-manchester-bringing-famous-stories-to-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/65858\/","title":{"rendered":"The incredible immersive experience in Greater Manchester bringing famous stories to life"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘Humbling is the word that just keeps coming to mind’\"InspirationalInspirational stories from Nelson Mandela are amongst those to appear in the immersive exhibit(Image: David Parry)<\/p>\n

An immersive art gallery<\/a> experience in Greater Manchester is bringing the stories of David Bowie<\/a>, Queen Elizabeth II<\/a>, Nelson Mandela, Amy Winehouse<\/a> and William Shakespeare to life in stunning detail.<\/p>\n

Stories – Brought To Life from the National Portrait Gallery and FRAMELESS Creative marks the first ever immersive art experience of a UK national collective and its first stop ahead of a national tour is in MediaCity in Salford Quays.<\/a><\/p>\n

Housed within a big-boxed building in the heart of the MediaCity<\/a> piazza, the 10,000 sq ft state-of\u2013the-art digital gallery follows on from similar experiences from the likes of Van Gogh and David Hockney that have toured Manchester recently.<\/p>\n

Amongst the notable names to appear throughout the exhibition, which officially opens on Friday (May 2) and will run until the end of August, are the likes of Emmeline Pankhurst, Oscar Wilde, Winston Churchill, Malala Yousafzai, Grayson Perry, and Audrey Hepburn.<\/p>\n

Amongst one of the first to view the immersive experience was Audrey Hepburn\u2019s granddaughter Emma Ferrer. \u201cI just found the whole experience to be so incredibly moving,\u201c Emma explained to the Manchester Evening News.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AudreyAudrey Hepburn’s granddaughter Emma Ferrer described the exhibition as a ‘humbling’ experience(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I just saw how they had brought all the stories together, it\u2019s just something that draws you in right away and you can\u2019t look away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emma said she \u2018felt very humbled\u2019 to see her grandmother on the big screen in such a way. \u201cIt really is crazy,\u201d she said. \u201cImagine if your grandparent\u2019s story is the one that\u2019s told right before William Shakespeare. It\u2019s humbling – it\u2019s wild actually.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stories of each of the individuals featured are told through archive interviews, re-enactments, videos, photos and immersive graphics to bring aspects to life – like the inspirational words from Malala saying she is \u2018not a lone voice\u2019 to Grayson Perry talking about \u2018peeling away the onion layers of ourselves\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"PortraitsPortraits of Amy Winehouse also appear in Stories \u2013 Brought to Life(Image: David Parry)<\/p>\n

Speaking about how her grandmother is involved, Emma says: \u201cYou get to hear things in her own voice – it was incredible. Humbling is the word that just keeps coming to mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know people just really, really loved her and it\u2019s perhaps a bridge for people to feel more connected to her. The love that people have for her still continues to surprise me and I still continue to learn about it in new ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incredible that she continues to be idolised even by the younger generation, and people still look up to her so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe exhibition will be held at MediaCity until the end of August(Image: David Parry)<\/p>\n

The FRAMELESS team who have brought the exhibition to fruition, alongside the National Portrait Gallery, include members from production partner Cinesite, who have worked on large-scale blockbuster films including some in the Harry Potter and Marvel series.<\/p>\n

Ryan Atwood, Creative Director for FRAMELESS Creative, told the M.E.N: \u201cWith this exhibition, we really tried to create a balanced and eclectic mix of people – there\u2019s writers, actors, and really a little bit of everything. They all serve their part for so many different reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got a few minutes to give people a glimpse into each of these lives and it\u2019s hard to really narrow it down so we tried to choose moments that served multiple purposes. There\u2019s moments of courage, moments of reflection and a real balance where we really hope people will come out feeling like they know more about these people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"EmmelineEmmeline Pankhurst also features in the immersive MediaCity art experience(Image: David Parry)<\/p>\n

Ryan says he hopes the exhibition will appeal to both modern and traditional arts audiences, and also add a new perspective to the gallery\u2019s existing collection.<\/p>\n

\u201cExperiences like this really serve as a bridge into the actual galleries to see the real work,\u201d he explains. \u201cWe need to make the new generation aware of how beautiful the work is at the galleries still – they work together in a cohesive blend of opportunities for everybody.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are people who experience art very differently, so this cinematic approach really helps envelope the whole story and give everybody a chance to enjoy it.<\/p>\n

(Image: David Parry)<\/p>\n

\u201cNcuti\u2019s story, for example, is just so warm and inviting. It\u2019s about his family, it\u2019s about acceptance and the pride he has for being part of the UK. It\u2019s our stories that define us and that\u2019s the message behind all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

And asked why Salford Quays<\/a> was chosen to be the premiere destination for this exhibition ahead of a planned UK tour, Ryan, who lives in California, said it just made sense. \u201cWe needed a kick off place right?,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a tech-forward area and this is a tech-forward approach to gallery experiences, so it just felt right to start things here.<\/p>\n

\"ArtistArtist and model Emma Ferrer, who is the granddaughter of screen icon Audrey Hepburn, at the Stories – Brought To Life exhibit in MediaCity(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

\u201cYou really gotta give it up for the National Portrait Gallery because it\u2019s a pretty big deal for one of the UK\u2019s oldest institutions to be embracing this kind of technology. They\u2019ve been really fast-forward in their thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Victoria Siddall, Director at National Portrait Gallery, added: \u201cThe collection is unique in being about people and for people, and the stories we tell about the individuals who have shaped our history and culture have the power to inspire and to bring people together.<\/p>\n

“I am grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to bring this project to life, and of course to the families, representatives and sitters themselves who have so generously allowed us to tell their stories and to take them to audiences outside our walls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stories \u2013 Brought to Life opening hours<\/strong><\/p>\n