A day of cultural enrichment

Today was a day of cultural enrichment as we attended the people's history museum were we watched a one man play about the Peterloo Massacre, as today 16th August is the anniversary of the day of the massacre in 1819 where 60,000 people demanded the vote and were attacked by cavalry, 18 people, including four women and a child, died from sabre cuts and trampling. Nearly 700 men, women and children received extremely serious injuries. All in the name of liberty and freedom from poverty.

According to Nick Mansfield, director of the People’s History Museum in Manchester, 

 "Peterloo is a critical event not only because of the number of people killed and injured, but because ultimately it changed public opinion to influence the extension of the right to vote and give us the democracy we enjoy today. It was critical to our freedoms."

Historians acknowledge that Peterloo was hugely influential in ordinary people winning the right to vote, led to the rise of the Chartist Movement from which grew the Trade Unions, and also resulted in the establishment of the Manchester Guardian newspaper.

The Living History Performance was something new to the museum but it was very well received by the audience, we certainly enjoyed it and will be going back next month for Black History Month.

To learn more about the Peterloo Massacre you could wait for the new feature film currently being made about the event or watch the short clip below!.

 

We went on from there over to Manchester Art Gallery were we attended a fabulous debate entitled 'But Is it Art? 

This was a debate between two Gallery guides John Ward and Rebecca Eastment moving round the Gallery starting with Manchester’s very own and recently acquired Duchamp’s Ring.

This was an entertaining debate, bicker and argument spectacular based around Duchamps Work and other pieces of contemporary work around the Gallery, focusing on the value of contemporary art, even Banksy's work particularly 'Love is in the air' which is aptly situated right next to my favourite painting in the whole gallery which is William Etty's masterpiece The Sirens and Ulysses

 All in all a very lovely day!...