We are all guilty of it at one time or another. Who among us can say that they do not spend the large majority of our time following the same monotonous path through the city? The routes become so familiar to us that we no longer engage with our surroundings, a barrier goes up and an auto-pilot kicks in - not even crowds of people will deter us from our route. Be it the quick march of a student, iPod speakers in and head down, along Oxford Road, or the long strides of someone making a business call between Piccadilly Station and the office, there is no time to notice the little nuances that make a city what it is. It was the late Marxist writer Walter Benjamin who once said that “the joy of watching is triumphant” but who really takes time to look anymore, who takes the time to Look Up.
Look Up is a collaborative effort between students at the Manchester School of Architecture that hopes to raise awareness of architecture and the built environment of the ‘original modern’ city – Manchester. Originally documenting the events of the first Manchester Architecture and Design Festival, Look Up has expanded its scope and will bring together the views and reviews of students living in the city.
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