‘Watery Archives’: a zine workshop with Fiona Brehony

Using archival materials from HMG Paints alongside records and images from Manchester Library’s collections, this hands-on zine workshop explores the River Irk through industry, memory, and local history. Participants will collage, write, and assemble their own small zine in response to these materials – creating personal interpretations of the river and its stories. No experience needed; all materials provided.

When? Tuesday 3rd March, 1–2:30pm

Where? Manchester Histories Hub, Central Library - Lower Ground Floor, M2 5PD

River Stories brings together the collective concerns and creative work of Many Hands Craft Collective and artists Fiona Brehony and Liz Wewiora. Since 2024, they have been exploring their relationship to the River Irk, a waterway which runs throughout North Manchester where the craft collective resides.

The artists and group have discussed the ever-shifting landscape of the Irk, reflecting on its industrial past, our own personal memories of the river, and our concerns around how regeneration and gentrification are affecting the area.

With issues around how natural light is being blocked from the river, and how our own right of way to access these areas are shifting, the group and artists hope the exhibition encourages you to consider your own relationship to, and future aspirations for, our natural blue spaces.

Thanks to project partners Manchester Histories, Manchester Central Library, HMG paints, University of Salford, Open Eye Gallery, High Peak Community Arts, Stockroom.

Fiona worked collaboratively with Many Hands Craft Collective exploring the River Irk’s heritage, environmental history and surrounding urban regeneration. Working through clay and natural materials from the river, poetry sessions, and sound recordings, the project began by exploring what humans and rivers have in common. Conversations about the necessity of sunlight on rivers led the group to consider how construction changes natural light, views of the moon, wind patterns, and rain in their own neighbourhoods. The group concluded that cities, like bodies and rivers, regenerate – the only thing is, they want to be part of the changes. From this understanding emerged a poetic city symphony film weaving together Many Hands’ voices, underwater recordings, and collectively written poetry – also displayed on fabric in the space.

Liz worked with the group to explore how the group could visually bring their concerns about the river together, through reading and creative writing sessions, mapping exercises, and alternative photographic processes. These sessions resulted in a large fabric protest banner, which acts as a call to action to protect our rivers, with the support of textiles artist Lou Miller.

A series of collaborative poems produced with the group are also on display, as well as some wider work by Liz and other communities exploring similar issues along the River Sett, Goty, Mersey and Tame. These include handmade paper letters from mums in Stockport writing their future aspirations for their rivers to their children as part of residency with Stockroom,, and a collaborative video piece made with the adult group from High Peak Community Arts (New Mills).

Fiona’s wider River Irk work includes films with researchers and community members, a durational cyanotype at HMG Paints – fabric recording the factory’s atmosphere through sunlight and rain water – leading to a short film about the site, and the sound piece Two Worlds made with Many Hands and composer Simon Knighton, layering field recordings that reveal the River Irk as organic machine: natural ecosystem and lively industrial archive.

Both Liz and Fiona’s work forms part of a wider PhD projects they are undertaking, and our thanks go to students from the University of Salford who have also shadowed and supported the engagement process. Anna Wijnhoven, Jessica Robsinon, Nia Hoffmann and Izzy Sempil.

With thanks to Katy McGahan, Simon Knighton, Julian Law, Jamie Woodward, Lizzie King, Tony Hall and many others who have provided technical support and insight throughout this project.

These sessions are open to everyone. No prior experience or knowledge is needed.

The venue is fully accessible. We aim to make all our events as inclusive as possible, so please contact us in advance if you have any specific access needs:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 0161 306 1982

The zine workshop is free to attend. If you would like to support our work, donations can be made via our website. Every contribution, however small, helps us to continue offering meaningful heritage projects for communities across Manchester.

During registration, we will ask a few voluntary questions about age, gender, ethnicity, disability and postcode. This information is collected anonymously and helps us report to funders and ensure we are reaching a broad and diverse audience.

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