Urbis · Manchester
Urbis
Metropoli — a five-screen immersive film.
Metropoli Immersive Installation
Working with exhibition designers At Large, we created Metropoli for five rear-projection screens at the top of Urbis. We filmed on 16mm in 16 cities, using cameras ranging from conventional film equipment to a clockwork Krasnogorsk 3 in Cuba.
The footage was transferred at 2K on a Spirit DataCine and the multiscreen programme edited on Avid Media Composer. We created a surround-sound track and worked alongside the electronic systems integrator to commission the installation on site.
A landmark for Manchester
Completed in June 2002 for Manchester City Council, SimpsonHaugh’s competition-winning Urbis helped renew the city centre after the 1996 bombing. Its six-storey form frames Cathedral Gardens, while an inclined lift takes visitors towards the top and a sequence of descending gallery floors.
The building’s green glass skin comprises around 2,500 panels beneath a sloping copper roof. Originally designed for interactive city galleries, Urbis subsequently became home to the National Football Museum.