ONE accusation aimed at Manchester International Festival is that, gloriously creative in full bloom, it doesn’t lay down roots in the city. Another, that it bypasses the Salford side of the Irwell.
Visitors will also see two ingenious indoor aquaponics systems, which use nitrate-rich water from fish tanks to fertilise salad and herb crops, before reusing the water in the tanks.
The Biospheric Project sweeps all this aside. This groundbreaking urban farm experiment set up in Irwell House, a disused former printworks on East Philip Street, Salford, looks set to be one of the stars of the 2013 Festival ... and its farm shop, 78 Steps (now that’s what we call sustainability), a valuable legacy for the local community.
Disused former print works
The MIF has announced a huge programme of free events around this fortnight-long open house. The first public tours of this innovative research hub.part-farm, part-lab, start on Saturday, July 6, along with an in conversation event with project director Vincent Walsh.
Wythenshawe boy Walsh has been responsible for a number of community projects in places such as Ethiopia and Nigeria, developing skills around agroforestry, permaculture and facilitating communities to overcome environmental challenges. His PhD research at Manchester Met on socio-ecological urban development was recently chosen as one of the100 Big Ideas that will change the future by the Research Council UK.
Now, where'd I leave that bloody trowel
Walsh heads the Biospheric Foundation – a group of young researchers who have a vision to change the way cities and communities interact to create a more sustainable way of living.
Their local fresh food distribution scheme, WholeBox, is already in action and July sees the opening of their own grocery shop, 78 Steps, which will sell locally grown fruit and vegetables and organic wholefoods. The shop will eventually be stocked with crops grown at the Project, taking the distance between production and distribution of the food to just 78 short steps. The plan is for the project hub to continue as a research centre.
Biosphere
What’s on offer at The Biospheric Project for the public?
Visitors during MIF will have a glimpse into the inner workings of this interconnected agricultural complex inside Irwell House, with indoor and outdoor growing experiments in their early stages, including forest and roof gardens, vermiculture, bee hives, chickens and mushroom systems.
Visitors will also see two ingenious indoor aquaponics systems, which use nitrate-rich water from fish tanks to fertilise salad and herb crops, before reusing the water in the tanks. One of the systems pumps water from fish tanks on the first floor to grow leaf crops in rooftop polytunnels. The second is a test Bio-productive Climatic Façade system – a ‘Greenius Wall’ – designed to maximize bio-productivity by using dormant space on the sides of buildings.
These prototype systems have been developed in collaboration with MIF sponsors, BDP and Siemens. The aim is to develop a fully functional vertical farm system which could be replicated on a larger scale using available spaces in cities in the near future.
The clever bit
Public events include a range of tours, talks, films, how-to workshops and family sessions which take in the full spectrum of ideas behind the Project, from science and environment to food and farming, communities and the future of our cities. Leading figures from these fields will contribute to discussions about the issues raised, each chaired by an expert from MIF’s family of sponsors. Workshops in bee-keeping, mushroom-growing, permaculture and planting offer a more hands on experience for visitors.
Tours of the site will begin with a guided walk from Festival Square (Albert Square) along the River Irwell, in association with Manchester Guided Tours. Guests on the tours will learn about the historical context of food and the city and visit the different spaces of the Project. Salford-based head chef Robert Owen Brown (The Mark Addy) will be creating tasty morsels inspired by the variety of crops and ingredients grown on site.
The Biospheric Project, Irwell House, East Philip Street, Salford M3 7LE. Fri July 5-Sun July 21. Free admission; booking essential. Tickets available from Friday, May 24. Visit mif.co.uk/biosphericproject
For full details of events, including talks, tours, workshops and The Biospheric Project Family Fun Weekend visit http://www.mif.co.uk/event/the-biospheric-project
The Biospheric Project is commissioned by MIF Creative and Salford City Council. Produced by Manchester International Festival and The Biospheric Foundation. Supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and players of People's Postcode Lottery.
Work in progress in May 2013
Work in progress in May 2013
