Factory Records’ History Celebrated In New Manchester Exhibition
The Manchester Science and History Museum is set to present a new exhibition, ‘Use Hearing Protection’ dedicated to one of the city’s most influential labels, Factory Records.
This special exhibition tells the story of Factory’s formative years from 1978 to 1982, and how their innovative work in music, technology and design gave Manchester an authentic voice and distinctive identity. Founded by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, the label played an influential part in the city’s transformation from an industrial powerhouse to a beacon of art and culture.
Fans will be able to see the first 50 artefacts from the official Factory catalogue, including creations from Joy Division, New Order and The Durutti Column, as well as graphic designs by Peter Saville, previously unseen items from the Factory archives, and objects loaned from the estates of both Tony Wilson and Rob Gretton, the former manager of Joy Division and New Order.
Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the world of Factory Records and experience a night out like no other with the museum’s tribute to The Factory night at the Russell Club. Just plug in and play—bring your own headphones and create your own unique versions of iconic tracks with our synthesizer and mixing desk. Explore how the city lived and how music brought people together with crowdsourced photographs from the People’s Archive.
‘Use Hearing Protection: The Early Years of Factory Records’ is a new exhibition, reinterpreting the display hosted at Chelsea Space, London in 2019. The development of new content for the exhibition was carried out by the Science and Industry Museum with the support of Jon Savage and Mat Bancroft, and Stuart Wheeley at Warner Music UK.
‘Use Hearing Protection’ will be on display from 19 June 2021to 3 January 2022. Visit the Manchester Science and History Museum website for further information.