The Herds: Manchester
Public Art Project
The Brief
THE HERDS is a large-scale public art project using life-sized animal puppets to inspire conversations around climate change and the movement of species across the world.
The Production Family was engaged to provide production management and fabrication support for the Manchester chapter of the project, coordinating the delivery of a complex city-centre event while supporting extensive community participation and creative development.
Specialisms
- Production Management
- Production Partner
- Props
- Art Department
Project Highlights
Working alongside Factory International and the wider HERDS creative team, we supported the delivery of one of the project's most ambitious UK locations.
Our team managed the production requirements for the Manchester programme whilst also supporting the fabrication process behind the thousands of individual puppet components used throughout the event. Through a two-month programme of community workshops, participants helped create the animals that would eventually form part of the spectacular city-centre procession.
Alongside fabrication and workshop support, we coordinated the practical delivery of a large-scale public event within Manchester's busy city centre. This required detailed planning around traffic management, security, logistics, local authority approvals and stakeholder engagement, ensuring the event could move safely through the urban environment whilst maintaining its artistic ambition.
The project brought together artists, participants, local authorities, retailers, venue partners and production teams, requiring careful coordination across multiple workstreams and organisations. The Production Family provided the operational framework that enabled the creative vision to be realised safely and effectively.
Key Achievements
- Supported a two-month programme of community fabrication workshops.
- Facilitated the creation of thousands of puppet components using in-house CNC fabrication facilities.
- Delivered complex city-centre event operations during peak Manchester trading and transport periods.
- Coordinated traffic management, security planning and stakeholder engagement.
- Worked closely with local authorities, retailers and event partners to enable safe delivery.
- Supported the wider HERDS touring programme across additional northern locations.
