UHC Collective ‘Incursions in the Knowledge Capital’ – Castlefield Gallery Offsite

UHC Collective focuses its attention on the regeneration of Manchester with an exhibition of new work. At a time of loft-living excess and unparalleled wealth for some, many wards in Manchester still remain in poverty. In the exhibition, entitled ‘Incursions in the Knowledge Capital’, UHC asks who benefits from Manchester’s regeneration, how is the new wealth distributed and where are the voices of everyday Mancunians heard?

UHC will be transforming Pete Waterman’s former recording studio, the now derelict Castlefield Chapel, into a temporary gallery for the show. The centrepiece of will be a 4 metre long oak table ‘The Thin Veneer of Democracy’ inlaid with the names of the ‘great and the good’ at the heart of the current Manchester revolution.

RAIDERS OF THE ARC OF OPPORTUNITY
As part of the exhibition there will be two free guided bus tours of Manchester’s regeneration landmarks – past, present and future – SEE EVENTS

MORE ON UHC:
UHC (Ultimate Holding Company) is an emerging inter-disciplinary Art Collective. Founded in 2002, the group runs a busy studio producing individual and collaborative work over multiple media, aimed at engaging social change and challenging power relations. UHC also incorporates a not-for-profit workers co-op, specialising in ethical design.

There are currently seven members in the Collective working across multiple disciplines. The group is based in Manchester, where it also runs a number of experimental projects exploring collective art practice and political action.

Best known for its art installation ‘This Is Camp X-Ray’ – a full scale working replica of the US internment camp at Guantanamo Bay, on wasteland in Hulme, Manchester – UHC is currently focused on an extensive, self-commissioned study, mapping power relations within Manchester, specifically focused on its regeneration industry and the role artists play in the changing cityscape.

Exhibition Catalogue: ‘Incursions in the Knowledge Capital’, also marks the publication of UHC’s first book, Collective Works, which illustrates work in the exhibition alongside an introduction to OpenCity, UHC’s artist-led online research project. Collective Works is co-published by Castlefield Gallery and fully illustrated in colour, and is available from Castlefield Gallery, Cornerhouse or direct from UHC. Distributed by Cornerhouse Publications. Priced £9.

‘Incursions in the Knowledge Capital’ is being shown as part of Architecture Week 2006. Further details about all Architecture Week events are available at www.architectureweek.org.uk