Bruntwood commissions Lowry-inspired artist for Neo

A specially commissioned film that charts a day in the life of Manchester by layering more than 55,000 individual images of the city together, is being showcased at Bruntwood’s Neo building in the city.

The new work, from award-winning artist Andrew Brooks, will be exhibited as part of an ongoing programme of digital art and film, commissioned by the regional property company for Neo’s dedicated digital art space.

Captured from the rooftop of Neo, Brooks’ film, entitled ‘Sightlines’ is designed to encapsulate the energy and pace of Manchester, observing patterns of movement below as people go about their day against a backdrop of changing light and weather conditions.

The immersive piece, which draws inspiration from L.S Lowry’s famous ‘match-stick men’ paintings of busy street scenes, will be shown on the permanent media wall, on Neo’s ground floor.

Bruntwood invested £250,000 into the media wall, which is made up of 30 screens, each measuring 55 inches. The digital art space is integral to Neo’s collaborative workspace ethos and is intended to help stimulate creativity and act as a talking point for the Neo community.

Commenting on the film commission, Brooks, who was the winner of the 2016 Greater Manchester Emerging Contemporary Artist Prize, said: “This was a fantastic project to be involved with and I am very grateful for Bruntwood’s support. All of the footage was filmed from Neo itself, which enabled me to capture Manchester from the viewpoint of one city centre building and to record the rush of people on the streets below.

“The views from Neo’s rooftop and terrace area are excellent, and meant I could build a number of geographical landmarks into the film, including the airport, the Rochdale windfarm and Runcorn Bridge. The resulting piece showcases Manchester in breathtaking detail and I hope it will be enjoyed by the general public as well as the people who work at Neo.”

Ciara Keeling, director of asset management at Bruntwood, added: “We are committed to supporting established and emerging artists in Manchester and were hugely impressed by Andrew’s portfolio, much of which is focused on showcasing our cities in spectacular fashion. Andrew has created an inspirational piece that is the perfect fit for Neo’s collaborative and creative culture.”

Sightlines is open now and will run until May 31 at Neo on Charlotte Street and is open to the public Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, except on Bank Holidays.

A special opening is being hosted by Bruntwood on Saturday 10 March from 10am to 5pm, with a short talk by Andrew Brooks at 2pm.