Young people’s charity ‘Innit For Young People’ hosted an art exhibition over the weekend, displaying some of Salford’s heritage through archive footage and thought-provoking artwork.
The installation itself was in an unusual location, being on the second floor of the Quayside Shopping Centre.
Within its walls, visitors could enjoy an immersive portrayal of what life used to be like in Salford before the rapid development in the city started.
This experience itself was highly attentive to detail, with clothing bags often seen in Salford Shopping Centre and a slide show of images from old Salford.
Visitors had this to say about the exhibit.
Wendy Lea, a Salford resident and grandmother of the curator, said: “It showed what life was like.”
Bousy, another visitor, said: “The new generation doesn’t understand the history of where they are coming from.”
“My mum thought she saw herself in one of the pictures!” another visitor said.
The project titled ‘Old Roots, New Shoots’ focused on the Salford of old and brought it to the eyes of the new generation.
The Innit for Young People group focuses on young people by encouraging them to access creative outlets.
Some of the artwork in the exhibition was created by some of the young people that the charity has helped.
Its founder Micky Dacks was himself a troubled young person. Mickey used the arts to turn his life around. Kane Lea-Sales, the curator of the exhibition, and Micky sat down with us to talk about the exhibit.
“It’s about getting their (the older generation’s) stories heard,” said Kane, talking about what the exhibit is supposed to mean, which is shown through the imagery displayed. Kane said how part of the space was meant to represent “Nana’s sitting room.”
The exhibition was funded by Salford CVS in partnership with Salford Council.
