Haphazard

Updated 8 April 2025

Haphazard is our frequent foray into ‘all ages’ Live Art, with intriguing images and offbeat oddities dotted around and about Hulme’s historic Z-arts building.

Playful, quirky, engaging, and sometimes plain daft: this is Live Art for kids and their adults, adults and their adults — anyone looking for a different day out!

Haphazard 2025 will be our eighth free Live Art takeover of Z-arts, presenting about eight works on Saturday 2 August from 1pm to 4pm — turn up at any time, come and go as you please… and expect the unexpected!

Get a feel for it with 2024’s programme and gallery of images — also watch our short video to see some of what’s gone before.

Haphazard 2025 Call for Proposals is Now Open

Artists are now invited to submit proposals for inclusion in this event:
this is not Live Art for children, but Live Art for ALL AGES — and we mean from tot to timeworn, 8 months to 80 years — so work should have appeal for adults and children alike (even if the kids need to explain it to the adults!)

If you’d like to hear more about what we think works for Haphazard, join us for a short Zoom session at midday on Wednesday 16 April.

From experience, what works best are big surreal images, interesting repetitive movement, and nothing too text heavy. We have access to a number of spaces within Z-arts, and work immediately outside the building may also be possible. Durational, intervention, and ‘come and go’ work seems to work the best — we’re not really looking for sit-down theatre shows.

For details and to apply please visit haphazard.posthaven.com
Online Info Session: Wednesday 16 April 2025, Noon (sign-up)
Proposal Deadline: Friday 30 May 2025, 5pm

Haphazard 2025 presented by Word of Warning + Z-arts; produced by hÅb with Z-arts; supported using public funding by Arts Council England, and by Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Enquiries: haphazard@habmcr.org · haphazardmcr.org

Past Editions

Taking over Z-arts irregularly since 2013, Haphazard has previously seen ping pong balls & squeaky toys; a singing fish & a sax-playing bear; paintball golf & human quoits; a giant periscope, a lonely wookie, a golden toilet, clown-dancing, and a tiny bee-shaped world… Watch some of what’s gone before.

Get a feel for it by looking at image galleries from 2024, 2023, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013 — and programmes from 2024, 2023, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013.

Image: Nicola Smith at Haphazard 2019