About me
ALLAN PURVES
Interdisciplinary Artist
If you like the performance work of creatives like Chris Thorpe, Michael Pinchbeck, Enkidu Khaled
If you enjoy the films of Peter Greenaway, Alfred Hitchcock or Orson Welles
If you read the literature of Laura Cumming or Isabella Hammad
Then you might like some of my work!
Short Introductions (150 words)
Allan Purves is an interdisciplinary artist based in Manchester. Allan creates work that works across the mediums of theatre, live art, film and live music, and his work explores themes of adaptation, translation, utopia, documentation and climate. He creates work that is connected to place, to his surroundings and to the people that surround him. In creating a piece of work he aims to synthesize a wide range of elements, texts, people, landscapes and soundscapes, he aims to weave and orient these things in an intertextual manner. He also aims to create work that reflects his identity, upbringing and experiences, and the diverse range of this with the people he works with. His most recent work 'A Utopia Story', which navigated the realms of performance, lecture, film, and saxophone, was presented at The Kings Arms, Salford, in March, and will be part of the Buxton Fringe festival in July 2025.
More Biographical Details
I was born in Ashton Under Lyne, in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom, and I grew up in the nearby town of Glossop at the edge of the Peak District. After finishing college in Stockport, I found myself at a loss for what to do, which is why I decided to study a three year course in Drama and English at the University of Lincoln in 2021. I feel that this course gave me a wide array of skills and introduced me to a huge array of literary, cinematic, live art, and theatrical influences. During my time in Lincoln I also worked a huge amount independently from the material that my course offered me. In 2022, I co-founded the company 'Mindscape Arts', and began to create interdisciplinary work exploring ideas of adaptation, translation and displacement.
Leaving Lincoln in 2024, I moved to Manchester, where I formed a new company: 'Late Arrival Arts' with my friend and collaborator, Cole Tinsley. I am now studying an MA in performance at Manchester School of Theatre, and am continuing to create work as an early career artist in the vibrant and exciting city of Manchester