The Bigger Picture is part of a major experiment in public space broadcasting, launched in 2003 on Big Screen Manchester, UK. Big Screen Manchester is a 25 square metre video screen with full sound system, and is housed in a busy public area of Manchester, Exchange Square, regenerated after the IRA bomb in 1996. The Manchester screen broadcasts 24 hours a day, with sound muted from midnight to 7.00am.
The Bigger Picture exhibits artists’ film & video, interactive / participatory screen based projects and arts-based community moving image. Utilising the unique context of Big Screen Manchester, The Bigger Picture is able to present a host of artists’ works to large, diverse, yet often fleeting audiences, reaching far beyond the traditional gallery context.
Working in partnership with BBC, Manchester City Council, and a host of local, regional, national and international partners, Cornerhouse delivers The Bigger Picture’s curated programmes, including calls for entry to its Open Submissions Rounds up to five times a year, whilst additionally commissioning and touring large outdoor screen-based projects. Occasional late night screenings and filmmaker focused events also form part of the programme.
The Bigger Picture screens on the Big Screen in Exchange Square, Manchester, Monday – Friday, after the news at 9.00am, after the news at 12noon, 2.05pm, after the news at 5pm, 10.35pm, and at various times throughout the weekend. Schedule subject to change.
Big Screen Manchester, is part of a UK Big Screen network and also works to generate opportunities and partnerships with international screen sites.
A partner consortium of BBC, Philips, Manchester City Council and The Triangle (Exchange Square Manchester), installed the first permanent Public Space Broadcasting Screen for the UK in May 2003.