Renowned for his matchstick figures and northern life paintings, L.S. Lowry’s work is immediately recognizable. Before long, visitors to the Lowry arts centre will be able to walk around a huge re-creation of one of the artist’s most famous works.

Today bosses at Lowry have said that to mark the 25th anniversary of the center, they will take up one of their very ambitious projects this May. They are set to launch a new, free immersive experience with ‘Going to the Match’ by L.S. Lowry.

Collaborated with creative studio Layers of Reality, acclaimed ‘LOWRY 360’ with which audiences will be embedded into visual and auditory elements of the 1953 artwork ‘Going to the Match.’ Its aim is to bring the viewers inside the framed subject of the painting before they see the real piece in reality, to be shown at Salford Quays gallery.

According to arts leaders, while immersive experiences are an effective way of engaging new audiences with the arts, their expense is often prohibitive. In celebration of its anniversary, Lowry presents LOWRY 360 for free, calling it “a special gift to make sure that everyone can take part in this extraordinary experience.”

"The generous support of The Law Family Charitable Foundation has enabled us to realize this ambitious and exciting new experience,” said the bosses.
J. Fawcett, Chief Executive of Lowry, English:
“. . . as “This is probably the most ambitious and thrilling project we have ever embarked on.”

A top creative studio is what we have on board to help us revamp our gallery space; the aim is to create an unforgettable experience that will draw in new audiences to the works of L.S. Lowry. Our special thanks must go to Andrew Law for his invaluable assistance in making this vision a reality.

She stated, “In our 25th year we’re going to offer this experience completely free as a special gift to audiences, as many people as possible can take in art and get inspired. Our philosophy when we acquired Going to the Match was to keep it public but cost nothing.” “And now with this engaging experience, we will unleash this iconic masterpiece to broader audiences.”

The painting of the artist Lowry from Pendlebury shows masses of football fans trooping to Burnden Park, erstwhile home of Bolton Wanderers. In the background, terraced houses can be seen along with factory chimneys.

LOWRY 360 opens to the public on Saturday, May 3. Admission is free, but a timed slot must be reserved so that there is a steady flow of people.
The exhibition was created by Layers of Reality, a collective known for their immersive experiences around the art of Frida Kahlo and Salvador Dalí.

It’s supposed to be a very strong exploration of football, the community and culture- stuff that characterizes both Lowry’s artwork and daily life in Salford.

Today the full gamut of celebratory events has been unveiled with major performances designed to delight audiences alongside innovative and daring productions. On top of that, the renovation of the Lowry galleries and spaces will provide visitors an entirely new experience.

The cast and crew of this live reimagining of Greek myths through the working-class culture of Salford are 25 talented young Salfordians, Fractiously, many of them have been hit by tough circumstances and considerable challenges.

For young artists working on the show, The Gods of Salford is so much more than just a show: an opportunity to work gain experience in the industry, polish their skills and hopefully carve a career in arts in the future.

Julia Fawcett says, “Lowry is 100% dedicated to community – locally based community and learning and engagement has been central to our mission for the last 25 years.” Gods of Salford raises the stakes by putting social impact together with the development of a bold, challenging, high quality production, which will not only cultivate brand new skills and open hugely underprivileged youth culture to art, but apparently rake in the money from ticket sales.

Families will be able to enjoy a major new exhibition of Quentin Blake’s illustrations, featuring some of his best-loved characters from the BFG, Matilda and the Enormous Crocodile, all around the Lowry building. Also on show – a unique portrait of L.S. Lowry by Quentin Blake.

A large mural created by French designer Camille Walala will makeover Lowry’s Promenade Gallery, inspired by the architectural look of city landscapes, plastered using local landmarks of Lowry and the Media City views from the Promenade into a bright, bold design.

A talk – along with one of Manchester-born writer Jeannette Winterson – is going to mark the 25th birthday. She’ll talk of L.S. Lowry’s sensitivity in picturing the lives of working men and women from that time, with reference to her own family background.

Aakash Odedra, celebrated as Britain’s leading Kathak dancer, will present an exquisite evening of dance and poetry inspired by the Persian culture, accompanied by live music from Manchester Camerata called The Song of the Bulbul.

“We’re going to be celebrating an extraordinary journey of the last 25 years,” said Lowry’s Chief Executive, Julia Fawcett. “What started as an ambitious vision to create a new arts and cultural centre in the North West at the turn of the millennium has become the leading attraction in Manchester and the cultural linchpin for one of Europe’s most epic regeneration success stories. We’re marking this occasion with a fantastic summer season – great art and great theatre – because we believe that 2025 is going to be one of Lowry’s most outstanding years as we set up for the next 25.”