MusicAlley Design

MusicAlley is situated in Manchester, a city full of creativity and famous for its music scene. I designed a space where a range of music is accessible to anyone in Manchester, and encourage communities who want to make music outside of rehearsals, but can’t, due to low funds or venue size available.

The MusicAlley is a public, two-story high footpath in the disused Mayfield depot. As people walk by, they will see the performance area, including the stage and abstract seating, that can be booked by any music group who want to share their music.

Having people access music this way has two advantages; Building confidence of upcoming musicians when playing live, by designing the walkway to partially cover the view of people passing, having an overall relaxed atmosphere, and not being the dedicated focus. The second advantage is about bringing new music to people from all walks of life for free. As people can use the walkway in their journey through the city for convenience anyway, they may discover new musicians they love. MusicAlley tries to break down the barriers and assumptions between different music communities, spread appreciation and give opportunities to new music groups wanting to express themselves.