Manchester

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The Tony Wilson Experience

Manchester's off-the-wall way of celebrating one of its most (in)famous sons

Manchester hasn’t been the same since Tony Wilson’s death and the city has been wondering how on earth to honour one of its most famous (some might say infamous) sons. Unsurprisingly, it was left to long-standing friend and collaborator, Peter Saville, to come up with a suitably off-the-wall idea: The Tony Wilson Experience, an event that’s being billed as ‘the longest ever intelligent conversation’. Kicking off at midday on midsummer’s eve, 24 friends of Wilson – including Saville, Steve Coogan, Ben Kelly and Peter Hook – will take part in a 24-hour conversation with the next generation of Mancunian designers, artists, architects, writers, broadcasters and musicians.

The audience for this illustrious creative shindig will be selected via an open competition, where young creatives will pitch their work to prove their worth. Details of the event are still being firmed up, though it’s hoped that there will be some public access to the event on top of an anticipated live broadcast and downloadable podcasts. Speaking about the event, Saville said, ‘If there was a chance to foster new talent Tony would take it. If he could fuse different disciplines together into something brave and new and unexpected, he'd make it happen. He was at all times crucible, catalyst and collector.’ Watch this space for further details.
The Tony Wilson Experience Cathedral Gardens, M4 3BG (www.tonywilsonexperience.com). 12noon Jun 21-12noon June 22.

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