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Black Gold ~ Manchester

  • Aviva Studios Water Street Manchester, England United Kingdom (map)

Shape-shifting ensemble Manchester Collective return to Aviva Studios for a tectonic journey through the elements

Rock, fire and oil. The elements drip, crash and thunder against each other in Black Gold.

Feel the ground tremble as Manchester Collective morph into a bass-heavy ensemble. Sliding rhythms and revving engines from James Tenney’s Glissade rip open a chasm from which Luke Mombrea’s atmospheric Black Gold emerges.

Tracing the history of a disastrous oil well fire, Luke’s audiovisual piece takes us from rising Californian mountains to the rumblings of industry – until we’re plunged into the inferno. Fragmented photographs and textural projections by visual artist Nate Mohler complete the story.

Sitting between these tectonic pieces is a new commission by composer Sasha Scott, known for her shattering, glitchy music. Finally, enjoy a moment of catharsis with contemplative Bach chorales and a cinematic vista from Hildur Guðnadottir. Much loved for her TÁR, The Joker and Chernobyl scores, her piece From the Other Place is a masterclass in restraint and expanse before we plummet back towards the shattered earth.