Dream Space

From running away to London at eighteen and living on a bus with a band, to forcing the door open to a career in the music industry, Mary Anne Hobbs’ path hasn’t always been the conventional one.   The DJ, curator, music journalist and radio presenter reflects on her experiences of growing up in a small Northern town, cutting her teeth in pirate radio, and how her punk, do-it-yourself spirit has shaped her life, career and point of view.   Drawing on these life experiences, in Mary Anne Hobbs’ Dream Space, young artists are given the financial support, time and care to develop their ideas, learn from the older generation and flourish. Inspired by the DIY attitude of pirate radio, her Dream Space invites young people from across the UK to hack and takeover all social media, TV and radio channels and broadcast ‘The Culture Forecast’ every night – forcing the rest of the country to pay attention to the amazing art they’re making.  Guided expertly by host Gemma Cairney who also touches on her non-linear path into broadcasting and the arts, this Dream Space is all about giving the next generation a foot in the door and a shot to shape the culture.   Mary Anne Hobbs is a DJ, curator, music journalist and broadcaster. In 2025, she premiered WHAT DO YOU WANT? at Manchester International Festival – an electrifying fusion of live DJing, sound design, violins, viola and live electronics, created in collaboration with Anna Phoebe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Artist and filmmaker Juliet Ellis takes us on a journey through her meditative practice as a multidisciplinary artist in this absorbing episode of Dream Space.  Juliet’s Dream Space reflects on serendipity – how she happened upon meditation by chance – and encourages creativity in all forms. Grounded in the power of meditation, everyone is welcome into this Dream Space. Tranquil, deep and contemplative, Juliet even guides host Gemma Cairney and listeners through an exercise to quiet the mind.  Juliet Ellis is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist, theatre maker and filmmaker. She released her first feature film in 2021, Ruby, which won Best Drama at Berlin Independent Film Festival and the Fellini Award at Austin Arthouse Film Festival. In 2025, Juliet premiered the film and installation work A Symphony of Flesh and Bones at Manchester International Festival to critical acclaim.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can a lack of control be freeing? In this episode of Dream Space, British-Iraqi writer, drag performer and filmmaker Amrou Al-Kadhi takes us on a journey through the cosmos where we become part of the universe.  Guided by host Gemma Cairney, Amrou imagines a euphoric rave inside a blanket of cosmic dust. There is no sense of time or urgency. Reflecting on queerness in his work, Amrou describes a space where everyone just is – people scream, cry and laugh like children without being judged.  Amrou Al-Kadhi's work focuses on queer identity, politics and storytelling. Their debut book Life as a Unicorn: A Journey from Shame to Pride and Everything In Between won the Polari First Book Prize and the Somerset Maugham Award. Their debut feature film Layla – a coming-of-age story set in London, about an Arab drag queen’s first love – premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Forest bathing. Climbing trees. Falling in love. Step inside writer Max Porter’s dream space where you find a deep connection to the living world and an incredible sense of peace.  Guided by host Gemma Cairney, Max Porter imagines a psychedelic forest where visitors gain a superpower that reveals the complex life cycle of each living thing – from the trees to fellow human beings.  Reflecting on the importance of freedom and activism in his work, Max Porter talks animism, empathy and pacifism as well as the radical potential of widening our roles as caregivers in our divided times.   Max Porter is an award-winning writer, who works across fiction, film and theatre. He rose to prominence for his outstanding debut Grief is a Thing with Feathers (2015). For MIF21, Max Porter worked with director Aoife McArdle on the film All of This Unreal Time, starring Cillian Murphy with music from Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner (of The National) and Jon Hopkins.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dream Space is back for a third season of dreams, visions and imaginary worlds – straight from the minds of our leading creative thinkers.  Join host Gemma Cairney in the dream space with guests including Marina Abramović, Max Porter, Nubya Garcia and Lotte Wubben-Moy, who are all fascinated by our capacity to dream.  Dream Space takes listeners on a journey through an imaginary, limitless space. Infinite resources. A blank canvas. The challenge? Create your dream artistic utopia.   What sights, sounds, tastes and conversations shape your experience? Which musicians, artists, film director or theatre practitioners feature in your dream? In each episode we get to know our guest, find out what makes them tick, what brings them joy and inspiration. Together we create a new vision, pushing the boundaries of what is possible, and ask what kind of art the world needs today.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British-born Ghanaian/Russian/German artist Afrodeutsche, aka Henrietta Smith-Rolla, invites us aboard her Love Plane in this week’s episode of Dream Space. No tickets are needed, and everyone is welcome to relax on this mystical long-haul flight where all the crew can rest. Known for her eclectic productions spanning techno, house, and classical orchestral music, Afrodeutsche is also the host of BBC Radio 6 Music’s People’s Party every Friday evening.Dream Space is a Reduced Listening production for Factory International, hosted by Gemma Cairney. This episode was produced by Silvia Malnati, with sound design by Femi Oriogun-Williams, and theme music by Andrew PM Hunt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning artist Ryan Gander lets us into his mind in this episode of Dream Space, imagining a world where time slows down, and mindfulness reigns. Inspired by Japanese philosophy, Gander’s dream space is a minimalist, meditative world reminiscent of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where you can swap senses and choose solitude or company with the flip of a switch. In this world, the passing of time is savoured, and wandering without a goal becomes a form of meditation.Ryan Gander, based in Suffolk, is known for his expansive body of work spanning sculpture, writing, architecture, and performance. Describing himself as a “neo-conceptual no-style-style amateur philosopher,” Gander’s art explores themes of language, time, and knowledge. His accolades include an OBE in 2017, the Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University in 2019, and becoming a Royal Academician in 2022. For MIF23, Gander created The Find, hiding thousands of collectable coins across Manchester.Hosted by Gemma Cairney, Dream Space is a Reduced Listening production for Factory International. This episode was produced by Silvia Malnati, with sound design by Femi Oriogun-Williams, and theme music by Andrew PM Hunt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mancunian cabaret star, actor and visual artist David Hoyle takes on a trip to a new utopia in our latest episode of Dream Space. If you’re feeling oppressed, lonely and unmotivated in a capitalist world that is causing rising social inequalities and political polarisation then you are not the only one. And, great news, there’s an alternative waiting for you: Planet Infinity, the community-led, revolutionary Dream Space conjured up by David.    David is a bit of a Manchester icon. From performing as his infamous alter-ego ‘The Divine David’ on the stages of underground clubs to presenting his own show on Channel 4 in the '90s, over the past four decades David has never stopped developing his artistic practice, exploring the themes of gender, mental health, capitalism, revolution and more…  To celebrate over 40 years of his work, in Spring 2024, Factory International hosted Please Feel Free to Ignore My Work at the Aviva Studios, where David opened the door to his outrageous and moving world.  Dream Space is a Reduced Listening production for Factory International, hosted by Gemma Cairney. This episode was produced by Silvia Malnati, with sound design by Femi Oriogun-Williams, and theme music by Andrew PM Hunt.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Enter the dreams of electronic music composer, producer, and artist Gazelle Twin as she imagines an endless summer’s evening where the scent of pine fills the air and insects are in charge of the soundtrack. An opportunity for escape and self-exploration, Gazelle Twin’s dream space offers a place of safety allowing us to process and heal. Gazelle Twin, aka Elizabeth Bernholz, is an artist whose work is radical, sometimes political, and almost always personal. 2023 saw her confront the ghosts of her past through her fourth solo studio album Black Dog, as well as write an original soundtrack for the Sky Max thriller series Then You Run featuring Vivian Oparah.   For Factory International, Gazelle Twin worked alongside Maxine Peake, Sarah Frankcom, Imogen Knight and Daisy Johnson on Robin/Red/Breast, a live performance that blurred the boundaries between theatre, art and music, and tackled complex issues around fertility, violence and power.  Dream Space is produced by Reduced Listening for Factory International, hosted by Gemma Cairney. This episode was produced by Nada Smiljanic, with sound design by Femi Oriogun-Williams, and theme music by Andrew PM Hunt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Legendary mixer and Haçienda resident DJ Paulette dances to the music of her dreams in this episode of Dream Space. Music and water collide, Manchester rain becomes a techno beat and waterfalls cascade on disco-ball umbrellas. Winner of the 2022 DJ Mag Top 100 Lifetime Achievement Award, DJ Paulette is an acclaimed DJ across UK and Europe, born, raised and based in Manchester. Over a thirty-year career, she has played some of the biggest clubs in the world and brought joy through her sets from The Hacienda in Manchester in the nineties – where she was one of two women to have a monthly residency – to London, Paris, Ibiza and beyond. Her debut book ‘Welcome To The Club: The Life and Lessons of a black Woman DJ’ was published in January 2024 by Manchester University Press.Dream Space is produced by Reduced Listening for Factory International, hosted by Gemma Cairney. This episode was produced by Tess Davidson, with sound design by Femi Oriogun-Williams, and theme music by Andrew PM Hunt.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode the acclaimed poet, writer, playwright and broadcaster Lemn Sissay takes us through his nature-inspired Dream Space. The writer and poet invites you to get lost in a forest or simply watch a sunrise on repeat with friends. On the soundtrack? New music from Loyle Carner and Arlo Parks. On the menu? The best cuisine from around the world, of course. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode award-winning artist and set designer Es Devlin builds a world where humans share a language with endangered butterflies and birds. Time is circular and electronic devices non-existent. Our sound world is expanded. We hear the voices of whales and the movement of mountains. This Dream Space is the awakening of human perception.Es Devlin has worked with some of the biggest superstars on the planet. Known for creating entire worlds on stage, Es is the subject of the Netflix documentary series Abstract: The Art Of Design and her immersive, sculptural work has been installed at the Tate Modern Gardens, COP26 and Superblue Miami.For Factory International, Es Devlin brings her magic to Aviva Studios with an iconic set for our huge opening show Free Your Mind. Can't get enough? Her monumental, immersive installation An Atlas of Es Devlin takes over the vast warehouse space during the day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.