Unity Progress Strength: The Bradford Pit Memorial- Radical Research Exhibition

This installation presents a life size visualisation of a memorial designed by Lucy Gannon which commemorates the industrial heritage and community of the former Bradford Colliery in East Manchester, now occupied by SportCity and Etihad Stadium.

It is the culmination of The Bradford Pit Project, initiated in 2013 by Lauren Murphy, a BA(Hons) 3D Design alumnus, and her research into memorial crafts. Lucy then started working with Lauren in 2015 to realise the physical memorial - keeping true to the layers of collaboration and engagement within the Bradford Pit Project

The work also recognises the key role of former design academic Jenny Walker, in making the formative stages of this project possible for the students and partners involved.

The project evolved through a public engagement process which led to the development of archives, a collection of oral histories, exhibitions and practical workshops engaging a spectrum of audiences. Ian Whadcock worked with a number of students from the School of Art to produce a range of visual responses to this material. In 2016, Lucy Gannon working with Broadbent Studio and Lauren secured a significant grant from the City of Manchester to realise the aims of the project, in the form of a permanent memorial on the site.

The design evolved through community consultation days with the Miners groups and is a collaboration between Lucy Gannon and external partners Broadbent Studio. It features the drawings of former Illustration student Jacob Phillips and graphic design by Jonathan Hitchen. The physical memorial structure represents a lift shaft cage. It allows the viewer to imagine being lowered into a subterranean world below the streets of Manchester and to recognise the history and legacy of this site.

The memorial is currently being fabricated by CB Arts with the glass print by The Printed Film Co. We hope it will be installed by June 2020 - after 7 years in the making.

Bradford Pit Memorial - Exhibition

Radical Research Catalogue

Bradford Pit Memorial Exhibition installation