Hidden Canal

Inspired by the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal we paired Salford / Greater Manchester artists with European artists to create a Sound Walk along the route of the old canal. The canal begins at the River Irwell at Middlewood Locks and then disappears from sight until near Agecroft Cemetery.  

5 artists from Greater Manchester and 5 artists from Europe worked on the Sound Walk and it started at the end of February with an international residency at Cobden Works. The artists involved are: 

• Anne Louise Kershaw 
• Caro C
• David McFarlane 
• Fionnuala Dorrity 
• Tom Kitching 
• Mauro Amaral (Faro, Portugal) 
• Robert Klapcic (Rijeka, Croatia) 
• Selma Ebbans (Leeuwarden, the Netherlands) 
• Ugnė Makselytė (Kaunas, Lithuania) 
• Wytse Dijkstra (Leeuwarden, the Netherlands) 

More information on the artists here

Developed as part of the Creative Embassies Network www.creativeembassies.com 

Read the words by Year 5 pupils from St Philip's CE Primary School for location 7 Don't Disrupt the Animals here

The Hidden Canal project culminated in two days of sound walks on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May 2024 with the audio played from a mobile stage and a canal side neighbourhood festival at Middlewood Locks. For more information on the canal please visit https://www.mbbcs.org.uk/

It’s now available online, both via this webpage or the Echoes app