Emergency 25 is a day out for the curious presented by Word of Warning + Contact
emergencymcr.org
Manchester’s 25th micro-marathon of the bizarre, the bold, and the beautiful takes over Contact on Saturday 27 September from Noon to 10pm:
— with an Afternoon of installations, interventions, limited capacity works
— followed by an Evening full of short shows from 4pm
— including the return of special guests, Action Hero.
Look at some of our artists’ images at wordofwarning.org/galleries/2025-emergencypre
ARTISTS
Afternoon, Noon-4pm.
ClusterFlux Collective · Dongting Huang · Faye Yan · GOWD · Kris Canavan · Leon Clowes · Lisa Ford · Luca Federici · Luke McDonnell · Madeleina Kay · Miss Freda Wallace · The Paula Davy
Evening, 4pm-10pm.
Action Hero · Burt Turdgirth & special guests · Elana Binysh · Kellie Colbert & Deborah Newton · Mole Wetherell & UoS Performance · n:u (melissandre varin) · Nathan Birkinshaw · Rachael Gooch · Riley Hamshaw-Mills · Rosie Hart & Poppy Waxman · Tom Cassani
(Participating artists subject to change.)
(Unfortunately Alexis Maxwell is unable to perform due to injury.)
ENTRY
Pay What You Decide: there’s no ticketing, just turn up & donate by cash/card.
Time: Saturday 27 September 2025 from Noon to 10pm (last entry at 9.30pm).
*NB* some artists will take breaks on an ad hoc basis, some works have a short duration, some have limited capacity on a first-come first-served basis, and some occur at the same time — so you will not be able to see everything.
Location: Contact, Oxford Rd, Manchester M15 6JA.
ACCESS
Age Advisory: mainly 16+, some work will be suitable only for 18+ (aimed at adults, parent/guardian/carer discretion).
Content Warnings: some works involve interaction and/or participation; specific warnings are now listed at wordofwarning.org/warnings
Features: twenty-three Live Art & contemporary performance works with varied content. Multiple spaces on the ground/first/second floors are in use, and works are varied in format — some roaming, some seated, some standing, some spoken word, some visual, some participatory.
Queries: please contact Contact via
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ABOUT
Our annual platform for Live Art and contemporary performance, Emergency offers a sneak preview of new live work over a single day in Manchester every autumn — this 25th edition will present twenty-three works from lunchtime till late throughout Contact’s building and its multiple spaces.
Probably England’s longest-running Live Art event, Emergency aims to be:
— a free to access public micro-festival and open submission platform;
— an opportunity for artists to meet, show, and peer review work;
— a selection event for a number of small Works Ahead commissions.
First held at greenroom in 2000, Emergency also took place at International Anthony Burgess Foundation, BLANKSPACE, Castlefield Gallery, Z-arts & STUN Studio, NIAMOS, before finding a new home at Contact from 2020…
CREDITS
Emergency 25 produced by hÅb; supported by Contact and using public funding by Arts Council England.
Also check out other Arts events in Manchester, Sports events in Manchester, Festivals in Manchester.
