Our City & Beyond:

Network Rail and HOME have launched Our City & Beyond: Manchester Oxford Road Edition, an 18-month creative programme inviting artists, schools, and communities to reimagine Manchester Oxford Road Station as a canvas for collective storytelling. Delivered by HOME in partnership with Network Rail and supported by Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and Northern, the programme explores what becomes possible when rail, culture and the city come together to shape station environments and experiences that are welcoming, reflective of their communities and connected to the life of the city.

Through creative workshops, artists are working with local schools, passengers and communities to explore travel and the life of Manchester Oxford Road Station, building on Nomad Clan’s previous artwork on the former Cornerhouse Screen 1 building. HOME is working with rail partners, cultural organisations and the city to explore how creativity can shape the identity and experience of this gateway to Manchester

Through a series of creative workshops, engagement activities and public participation, artists will work alongside schools, passengers and local communities to explore the past, present and future of travel through the station. The ideas, stories and creative responses generated through the programme will inform the next iteration of artwork for the former Screen One building, planned for Summer 2027.

While the programme will culminate in this co-created artwork, Our City & Beyond is intended to be far more than a single creative outcome. It is designed as a platform to test and demonstrate how art and creativity can shape station environments and experiences - opening up new opportunities for placemaking while creating meaningful ways for communities and future generations to engage with rail and public transport.

The programme has already begun working with local schools, engaging three schools to date in creative workshops that explore the past, present, and future of travel through Manchester Oxford Road Station. For many of the children, these sessions have been their first meaningful interaction with rail, with over 60% having never travelled by train before, or only once previously. Through the project, pupils and their teachers have been able to build confidence in using public transport while expressing their creativity and curiosity about the city around them.

Louise Harney, Head of Creative Engagement, HOME, commented on the project: 

“This is an exciting partnership project that invites artists, schools and communities to engage with a famous Manchester landmark as a canvas for collective storytelling, co-creating a public artwork rooted in the city’s past and present. HOME’s Creative Engagement team lead projects that champion underrepresented voices, creating opportunities for people across Manchester to contribute to art in the city and we are thrilled to be a part of this project that celebrates creativity in place" 

The ideas and creative responses emerging through this engagement are already beginning to shape new opportunities within the station environment.

An early example is the announcement of a new artwork across the Whitworth Street railway arches beneath Manchester Oxford Road Station. Created by artist Venessa Scott, the installation will draw inspiration from the creative work already produced by participating school children and will transform the currently neglected arch frontages into a vibrant and evolving canvas for the programme. The artwork will be submitted for planning soon and is expected to be delivered in Summer 2026 and represents the first of several opportunities emerging from the programme to deliver visible placemaking improvements while longer-term plans for the station environment continue to evolve.

Venessa Scott, prolific public artist and specialist in Creative Education, said:

I am thrilled to be part of this landmark project, creating a large-scale mural that celebrates our city and beyond!

Working collaboratively with schools is delightful - The children's imaginations of what the future of travel and transportation in Manchester will be like are brilliant, smile-inducing and extremely inspiring. Creating this epic mural in the heart of the city is exciting. Through this artwork, I aim to deliver an energetic visual statement that inspires connection, sparks conversation, makes people smile, and generally leaves a lasting positive impact. - I can't wait to start painting!”

Rebecca Foy, Regeneration & Placemaking Specialist, Network Rail, said: 

“We are delighted to be working with HOME to establish a new creative approach to engagement and placemaking that brings together rail, culture and community at Manchester Oxford Road Station. Through Our City & Beyond we are exploring how art, creativity and community voices can help shape the experience of the station. Art is powerful - it shapes people, places and stories, and our stations are no different. By stepping into genuine partnership with culture and creating space for meaningful engagement, we are beginning to explore what becomes possible when rail works creatively with the city and its communities to shape places that feel welcoming, human and truly reflective of the people they serve.”

Throughout the project, filmmakers and photographers will document the creative process, with resulting films shared at HOME and online, providing an accessible way for wider audiences to engage. The project will be documented through the Our City & Beyond social channels, and through the HOME website, with HOME encouraging audiences and stakeholders to contribute stories, memories and photographs. Designed to extend participation beyond the physical site, it will ensure the project can be experienced by those unable to visit the station or HOME in person. 

With the railway running alongside HOME, the venue is uniquely connected to the life of the station and the journeys that pass through it daily - making it a perfect home for a project that celebrates people, place and creativity.

Find out more here