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Five artists will bring the spirit of Argentina’s La Boca district to the back streets of Stockport
A group of world-renowned street artists will descend on Stockport for a new graffiti festival this month.
Five eminent artists from Argentina’s La Boca district are flying to Manchester this September to transform one of Stockport‘s forgotten backwaters.
Working alongside 12 local artists and 100 residents, artists Eva Luna Maissa, Patrica Salatino, Melina Lluvia, Omar Gasparini and Alejandro Fenochi will transform one of Stockport’s crumbling backstreets from a nowhere place into a somewhere place, just as they did in La Boca, Buenos Aires.
The project, which is called ‘La Boca to La Stocka’, is being masterminded by John and Sophie Macaulay, the husband-and-wife team behind Stockport’s GRIT Studios and Art Battle Manchester.
Speaking on the upcoming urban graffiti project, John said: “This could be the most exciting artistic event ever to happen in Stockport.
“We are bringing together people who have a lot in common, even though they live half a world away. It’s the spirit and drive to do something for themselves when everybody else seems to have given up on them.”
Sophie added: “We love the story of what artists were able to do in La Boca. It was a forgotten place; the buildings were crumbling; yet people were determined that their children should experience the influence of art and culture they used blank walls as their canvas.
“Today, La Boca has become a must-see destination, so we wondered if we could do the same for our
little bit of the world.”
The Argentinian artists will all live in the neighbourhood around Canal Street, Stockport for ten days, getting to know the community whilst painting together.
These five Argentinians will work collaboratively with 12 local artists, plus 100 residents, many of whom haven’t previously engaged with the town’s cultural offerings and activities.
Together they’ll create a unique, colourful space that it is hoped will make the community proud and attract new visitors to the town.
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“We are both about bringing the power of art to the people rather than just the ‘usual suspects’ and we hope this will be the start of a long and fruitful relationship between our two neighbourhoods,” said John.
‘La Boca to La Stocka’ will take place in and around Canal Street and Lower Hopes Carr, Stockport between 3 and 12 September.
This is going to be special.
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Featured Image — Canal Street via Google Maps
News
Urgent manhunt for escaped terror suspect triggers huge queues at Manchester Airport
Daisy Jackson
Massive queues are forming at airports across the country due to an urgent manhunt for a terror suspect who has escaped from prison.
Passengers at Manchester Airport are reporting long waits and scenes of ‘absolute carnage’ as security inside the terminals is ramped up.
It’s all because of an urgent police appeal to trace 21-year-old Daniel Abed Khalife, who escaped Wandsworth Prison at around 7.50am this morning.
It’s understood that all UK airports and ports are on alert as the national manhunt continues.
Khalife, a former British Army soldier, was on remand in prison while awaiting trial in relation to terrorism and Official Secrets Act offences.
He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, red and white chequered trousers and brown steel toe cap boots. He’s of slim build, around 6ft 2in tall, and has short brown hair.
While it’s believed he’s likely to be in the London area, a UK-wide alert has been issued by Counter Terrorism Command.
The public are warned not to approach Khalife but to call 999 immediately if they see him, quoting reference CAD 1631/06SEP23.
Commander Dominic Murphy, Head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command said: “We have a team of officers who are making extensive and urgent enquiries in order to locate and detain Khalife as quickly as possible. However, the public can help us as well and should anyone see Khalife, or have any information as to where he might be, then please call 999 immediately.
“I also want to reassure the public that we have no information which indicates, nor any reason to believe that Khalife poses a threat to the wider public, but our advice if you do see him is not to approach him and call 999 straight away.”
Border force officers have implemented additional document checks at Manchester Airport which is adding time to normal security checks.
Some people inside Manchester Airport reported ‘very unusual’ scenes with ‘border force running up and down as if they’re looking for someone’.
Manchester Airport said on X: “We’re sorry that you experienced a prolonged security queue. Our security teams work hard to ensure the safety and security of all at Manchester Airport and carry out important checks set by the UK Government. Thank you for your patience and we hope you have a smooth onward journey.”
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Featured image: Met Police
News
Manchester United share price suffers biggest drop ever after rumours that the club is no longer for sale
Danny Jones
Manchester United Football Club suffered its biggest share price drop this week after rumours that the business was no longer for sale began circulating – with more than £600 million wiped off their market value. Yikes.
After a number of reports over the weekend suggested that the much-maligned Glazer family are now set to take the club off the market after months of takeover talk that now looks to have stalled, Man United‘s share price closed at $23.66 on Friday and dropped to as low as $18.83 on Tuesday.
With the final figure on 5 September closing at $19.35, this was the biggest dip the club has ever seen (18.22%) in a single day since it became a publicly traded company back in 2012, breaking the previous record of a 13.8% drop set just a few years back on March 12, 2020, during the pandemic.
Speaking to Sky Sports, football finance expert Kieran Maguire explained exactly how the share price plummeted, stating that a lot of the club’s market value prior to the drop was actually being “propped up to a degree by speculators who thought there would be a full sale”.
As Maguire goes on to detail, many of those invested in the club would have been hoping to sell off their shares Man United shares for “between $27-30” once a potential buyout was complete but since there has been little movement on the long drawn out takeover, many simply decided to offload them now.
The Price of Football podcast host also argued that the Glazers’ supposed second thoughts over selling United might have come not only from their two lead bidders — Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe — failing to meet their valuation but from seeing others like Barcelona just “selling off slices” of their club.
He also added that there is a confident assumption that TV rights deals will increase next year as they so often do and that new technologies like AI and VR could allow for “new ways to deliver content to Man United’s global fan base”.
While we’re on the subject of digital technologies, these reports come in light of the suggestion the club’s media team and hierarchy are already editing out ‘Glazers Out‘ chants and their numerous offensive lyrics.
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Meanwhile, numerous controversies — Cristiano Ronaldo’s explosive exit at the end of 2022, the club finally dismissing Mason Greenwood after his criminal charges (albeit dropped) and, most recently, Brazilian winger Antony’s assault allegations which are now being investigated — certainly won’t have helped the club’s reputation or market value.
United issued a statement updating fans on the ongoing Antony situation on Wednesday 6 September, confirming that they are now looking into the matter alongside the investigation being carried out by Greater Manchester Police and Brazilian authorities, adding that they will be making “no further comments”.
Despite insisting that they are considering the impact these claims will have on “survivors of abuse”, it is now being reported that the club have so far “resisted calls from domestic abuse charities” to suspend the 23-year-old.
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Featured Image — Stacey MacNaught (via Flickr)/Wikimedia Commons