Being vertical: staging the vertical subject on the Manchester Salford border

Abstract

Brake and Aitken present artistic work, photography and speculative poetics, which explore the emerging sensorium of the vertical city and its tentative subjects. With reference to the case study of Anaconda Cut, Salford UK, the article considers the development of the housing commodity through its participation in aesthetic capitalism and the role of atmospheres and design in the staging of vertical lifestyles. The research considers photographs and other marketing materials related to Anaconda Cut as they evidence the deployment of atmospheres and the production of affective sensory spaces, highlighting the way renting an apartment is framed within contemporary notions of positional and hedonistic consumption.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Notes

[1] https://www.anaconda-cut.com/brochures/anaconda-cut-brochure-web-download.pdf

[2] https://www.omiarchitects.com/works/anacondacut/

[3] https://www.steve-edge.com/latest-news/naming-branding-anaconda-cut-manchester/

[4] https://www.anaconda-cut.com/brochures/anaconda-cut-brochure-web-download.pdf

[5] https://www.anaconda-cut.com/gallery/

[6] https://www.artformurban.co.uk/case-studies/anaconda-cut.html

[7] https://www.anaconda-cut.com

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jane Brake

Jane Brake is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Art at Manchester Metropolitan University. John van Aitken is the Academic Team Lead for Media at the University of Central Lancashire. In 2004 Brake & Aitken formed the Institute of Urban Dreaming, a research collaboration investigating urban atmospheres and the impact of urban redevelopment on public housing. From their tower block in Pendleton Salford, UK they have been creating a multimodal, pluri-vocal account of the area as it has been transformed through accumulation by dispossession and gentrification (https://iudblog.org).