The Urbis museum I helped curate/research last year is gearing up for opening, as is the press coverage. I'm still yet to actually see the finished version of the exhibit I worked on (a multimedia 'kiosk'-based exhibit on "Imagining The City"), and I'll tell the full story here sooner or later, but early reports are that it's been realised pretty darn well. The building itself is certainly striking, as this opening paragraph from The Observer makes clear.
"It's like a giant iceberg rising out of the city centre, shiny glass all glistening against the clear blue sky. Inside, a glass elevator takes you on a one-minute 'sky glide' to a point 35 metres above the city. The cityscape sprawls beyond and below. Welcome to Urbis, Manchester's shiny £30m new museum dedicated to the urban environment. When it opens, on 1 July, you will be able to experience life in cities around the world, from the hum of helicopters above the traffic gridlock in Sao Paulo to the nocturnal activities of Parisian graffiti artist, Andre. But hold on a minute - Sao Paulo, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Singapore, Paris - Manchester?"
