Michael Trainor is a professional artist based in central Manchester who has been involved in over 50 temporary and permanent works of art in public spaces including ‘They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?’ – the world’s shiniest artwork and largest mirrorball for Blackpool seafront.

Michael’s current projects in the UK include:

• Bathing Beauties. Art meets Architecture on the Lincolnshire Coast. www.bathingbeauties.org.uk The Bathing Beauties project includes:
  • Re-imagining the Beach Hut for the 21st Century – 9 bold new beach hut installations available for daily hire from Sept 2007.
  • Beathing Beauties Exhibition: A World Premier in Lincolnshire. Over 100 scale models on display which re-invent the British Beach hut for the first time in 30 years. www.thehubcentre.org
  • Beathing Beauties Beach hut Festival – the UK’s only Beach Hut Festival Sept 2007.
• The Star of the East – A dramatic permanent light and shadow sculpture for Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, UK (to be launched in July 2007)
• Come up and See Me – A bold new beach hut as part of the Bathing Beauties Collections. Inspired by gin and tonic (installation Sept 2007)
• Garston People’s Palace – a major new temporary artwork for Liverpool Capital of Culture 2008 and Liverpool Biennial.

Other Interesting Facts

Michael Trainor originally trained as a product designer (which turned out to be an ideal background for making large scale artworks) and became a well known collector of 20th Century design. He lectured on design history at Manchester Metropolitan University and was a frequent contributor on the subject on regional and national radio and TV. He has recently been appearing as an ‘expert’ on BBC 1’s Twentieth Century Roadshow Programme. Hampshire Museum’s Service bought Michael’s collection of 20th Century design in 1998 for permanent exhibition making him one of the very few people who, without actually being dead, has their entire life’s possessions in a museum.

Michael frequently lectures and gives public talks on both public art and product design.

Contact Details

Michael Trainor
Pop Empires
No.20, 11-21 Turner St.
Northern Quarter
Manchester
M4 1DY
T: (0161) 835 9245
E: art@popempires.org