Victoria Baths Centenary Arts Programme

7th September 2006 was the 100th anniversary of the opening of Victoria Baths.

In celebration of the centenary the Victoria Baths Trust presented a month of artworks to explore and celebrate the building’s history, and point to its potential future as once more it demonstrates its role as a centre of the community.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS, ONE HUNDRED FACES

In celebrating the first 100 years of Manchester's Water Palace, we wanted to record - through a series of portraits - the range and diversity of people whose lives have been touched by Victoria Baths. In the spring of 2006 we commissioned Manchester-based photographers Liz Lock & Mishka Henner to capture portraits of people that had a close connection with Victoria Baths as Workers, Swimmers, Campaigners or Artists, either directly or through family relationships. The results were stunning, as the three examples above show. The portraits were exhibited at the Baths during September 2006 and were published as a book: One Hundred Years, One Hundred Faces. Check with our office if you are interested in obtaining a copy of the book.

Many thanks to Awards for All, Arts Council England, Manchester Airport and Manchester City Council for making this project possible.

DANCING IN THE DARK

On the evening of the centenary itself we celebrated in style by Dancing in the Dark - reliving the notorious dance featured regularly by the Phil Moss band at Victoria Baths in the 1950's where the house lights are turned off to provide a romantic ending to a night of dancing. The event was produced for us by Stephanie Gill and featured the Gordon Campbell Big Band, dance instructors Miss High Leg Kick and Boogaloo Stu and many special interventions around the building.

Very many thanks to all the artists, companies and volunteers who contributed to making Dancing in the Dark such a special occasion:

Rags to Bitches provided clothes and accessories, the chance to dress up and have your photograph taken, have your hair done by Mike Burgum or be made up by Donna Atherton

Waterless Swimming Lessons was choreographed and performed by Maria Kanaris with Torsten Pollock, Keith Tait, Millie Gair, Edgar Klusener and Cerina Ogle

Silent Movies featuring Dance Halls of the 1930's were provided by the North West Film Archive at Manchester Metropolitan University

A Cubicle Swimsuit Display was produced by Emma Santhouse

Pool Life Pictures from Above was choreographed by Spiral Dance and performed by Catherine Robinson, Claire Filters, Bex Melvin, Romina Sartori, Jo Rhodes, Margaret Greenwood, Debbie Royle and Fay Temple

Teresa Hodgson Holt appeared as the Life Guard

Swim Suits from 1906 - 2006, a fashion parade through the decades, was choreographed by Catherine Robinson and modelled by Spiral Dance, Darren Kirwin, Mikey Maxwell, Gareth Parkinson, Jo Tremarco and Jon Martyn. The Bikini Mix Soundtrack was by Nicholas Wolstenholme. Swim suits were sourced by Jack Britton and number discs produced by Gemma Lacey and the Platt Lane Art Group

Our Needle point shower had an exhilirating soundscape produced and installed by Emily Hewson

Adele Fowles and Annie Morgan rejuvinated tired feet with wonderful massages

Jo Tremarco and Jon Martyn produced a video installation in the Turkish Rest Room - Eye Dancing

Last, but by no means least - the centenary Birthday Cake was made by Jane Fineran

Funded by Arts Council England, this was certainly a night to remember.

Many thanks to Alex Jerman and Alison Kershaw who took the photographs of the evening which appear here. Alex's website is www.alexjermanphotography.com

PANACEAHOTHOUSE AT VICTORIA BATHS

To complete our centenary celebrations we filled the gala pool with water for the first time since 1993 - a celebration in itself and a very fitting symbolic act as we approached the first phase of restoration work. The gala pool then hosted two installations: The amazing Sci Fi Hot Tub by Zoe Walker & Neil Bromwich was floated in the gala pool, used by specially invited guests and open to view to the public on 23rd and 24th September. Crawl, a projected artwork by Michael Pinsky explored the social function of swimming pools and was open on 29th and 30th September and 1st Oct.

A few members of the Friends took the opportunity of the filled pool to use it as originally intended

Specially-commissioned Sci Fi Hot Tub and Crawl are both part of PANACEAHOTHOUSE which is at Cornerhouse from 6 October to 19 November 2006 alongside with artworks from Michael Pinsky and Zoë Walker & Neil Bromwich.

PANACEAHOTHOUSE is the Manchester edition of Panacea, an evolving and travelling artwork, which searches for a universal formula to cure the ills of society. Pinsky and Walker & Bromwich create artistic ‘solutions’, which simultaneously offer viewers/participants an aesthetic experience and a practical tool to improve their lives.

This artist-led collaboration is developed in partnership with the John Hansard Gallery and supported by Arts Council England (National Touring Grant) and the Wellcome Trust (Sciart Production Award).

For more information, visit www.panaceaproject.org or/and www.cornerhouse.org