Salford Quays
A little bit of background history... The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex at Salford Quays, within Greater Manchester. It is named after the early 20th century painter L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England and was officially opened on 12th October 2000 by Queen Elizabeth II.
To redevelop the derelict Salford docks, Salford City Council developed a regeneration plan in 1988 for the brown field site highlighting the leisure, cultural and tourism potential of the area, and included a flagship development that would involve the creation of a performing arts centre. The initial proposals were for two theatres and an art gallery on the prominent Pier 8 site.
Between 1990 and 1991 a competition was launched and architects James Stirling Michael Wilford Associates was selected. After the death of James Stirling in June 1992 Michael Wilford continued the project. The city council bid for Millennium and other British and European funds and private sector finance to progress the project. Funding was secured in 1996 and The Lowry Trust became responsible for the project which comprised The Lowry Centre, the plaza, a footbridge, a retail outlet shopping mall and Digital World Centre. The National Lottery provided over £21 million of funding towards its construction. The project was completed in 1999 at a cost of £106 million. The Lowry name was adopted in honour of the local artist, L. S. Lowry.
Another from the night visit with Muddy Boots UK.
For me this is the real heart of the Quays complex and if this is my 45th photographic trip then I must have visited well over a hundred times for theatre events since its opening. Countless comedians, touring West End productions, lectures and the odd classic of Shakespeare, opera and ballet, although once is enough for those, but as they say... don't knock it till you've tried it! And not forgetting the permanent display of Lowry's work... always worth a visit.
I've said in the past, good architecture and design is good for the human soul and every visit is a joy for me. The wacky design - there's not a straight line in the place, and as for the colour scheme - yellow, orange and purple, it's a full on attack of the senses. It's hard to be down-hearted the moment you walk into the foyer. I've heard it described as "not quite Salford's Guggenheim" and maybe not, but for me this is my Sydney Opera House... both dared to be different in concept and design, and after the public's initial scepticism are very much loved buildings today.
I've always wanted to capture this bold " in yer face" version of the Lowry, but I've never been happy with past efforts for one reason or another. Yes, it should be a cliché image, but considering the tens of thousands of pictures taken around the Quays over the years, it's surprisingly overlooked. It has always played havoc with my sense of symmetry, but I'll forgive it for that. This may be my best effort to date and the illuminated trees a bonus as I've not often seen them. I'll settle for this for the time being, but there's always visit 46!
Loading contexts...
