CityLife

Local artist Jean Hobson is inspired by change

Sunny Day In Piccadilly Gardens (2009)

ANYONE living or working around Ancoats will have noticed the landscape changing from disused industrial landscape to an uber-modern living space over the last couple of years.

But few have gone out with their camera and paintbrush to document its changing face with the care that Jean Hobson has.

Glossop-based, Jean found herself fascinated by the ever-changing surroundings of Ancoats after she took up a post with Manchester’s Families Support Services in Gorton, working with foster children and families.

Gazing out of her office window, she saw old buildings giving way to smart new ones, and the history of the area replaced by a new dawn of urban regeneration.

Enthused by the regeneration but stunned by the rate of it, she decided to go out and record some of the old buildings before they were torn down.

A painter and screenprinter for many years, Jean has documented the people and places she saw in an new exhibition – Made In Manchester, showing from Monday at the City Inn hotel.

The exhibition was due to open in Urbis in March, but the City Inn stepped in to host the show after Urbis announced its temporary closure from the end of February.

'Contrast of materials'

“From that office in Gorton, I realised there was a big part of the city that I’d never even been to,” says Jean, who originally comes from Merseyside but lived for many years in Scarborough as a hotel landlady.

“Seeing the real Manchester, where people live and that was going through an amazing transformation, was an eye opener, and there were a few buildings I thought I could record before they were torn down.

“I’m not sentimental about old buildings; I’m also very excited about the new stuff going up. But the contrast of materials I find really exciting and I’m trying to record both.”

Her vivid and unusual watercolours, finely detailed graphite drawings and bold screenprints depict both still and lively scenes of today's Manchester, as well as snapshots of Mancunians on holiday enjoying the summer sunshine.

As a memento of the places she has recorded – many of which have now been destroyed – Jean has collected a few bricks from each site and plans to put a permanent reminder of her

Made In Manchester project right outside her house.

“I’m building a garden wall out of all the bricks I’ve collected,” she smiles, “and I’m going to make a mural to forgotten Manchester.”

From February 1, 2010 at City Inn, Auburn Street. Free.