Art UK is thrilled to announce Manchester Art Gallery has recently been launched on the Bloomberg Connects app. The guide features a multitude of different exhibition spaces from permanent collections to engaging family trails. Many of these guides encourage a mindful approach to art, using paintings to slow down and be in the present moment.

Bloomberg Connects is a free app that allows users to explore and interact with over 450 art venues around the world. You can remotely access these digital guides to explore content to enhance your in-person visit or to explore and enjoy collections from the comfort of your own home.

The Manchester Art Gallery guide on the Bloomberg Connects app

A current display 'Room to Breathe' is a space dedicated to mindful thinking within Manchester Art Gallery which visitors to the guide can experience in person or at home. 'Room to Breathe' is considered an exhibition, learning space and wellness resource complied by the gallery to create a relaxing space. This allows for an overall deeper, mindful experience of art for visitors to escape the overstimulation of modern society.

Several factors have gone into creating a mindful space for visitors through the curation of tranquil colour schemes, lighting and relaxed seating designed for people to connect with their own bodies and the environment around them through breathwork. Audio guides are provided on how to perceive the artworks mindfully – to use at home or in the gallery. These guides encourage listeners to use artworks – such as the below – as jumping-off points to intentionally focus on what is in front of them.

1950 (still life) by Ben Nicholson is an abstract painting made up of Cubist-inspired shapes, depicted to be cups, goblets and plates on the canvas. Nicholson experiments with traditional concepts of space through overlapping shapes and sharply drawn outlines to create an abstract design. This large oil on canvas is hung against dark green painted walls, dimly lit with yellow lighting to enhance the colours of the piece. It is positioned in front of a dark sofa, to give visitors a chance to sit, relax and mindfully gaze at the painting.

A four-minute mindful practice accompanies 1950 (still life) to help the viewer connect personally to the work through their own perception of the abstract images in front of them, paying attention to the lines, dimensions, shapes and colours of the painting.

Flowers in a Vase by Ivon Hitchens is a large oil on strawboard canvas, consisting of a semi-abstract painting of brightly coloured spring flowers in a clear vase. The background is predominantly neutral grey and white tones, but bright orange and yellow are featured within the flowers and the top-left section of the painting, with contrasting dark brown branches cascading along the top right.

A mindful three-minute practice accompanies the artwork, encouraging viewers to make time for everyday experience. It suggests subtle ways to explore the artwork in a new light by assessing colours, shapes, composition and your own thoughts and feelings.

Still Life by Edward Hartley Mooney is a vibrant still life composition set on a white tablecloth. A bright, iridescent vase is featured to the left of the image with a cluster of pink flowers casting a purple shadow on the beige background. On the table lays a sewing kit, black thread and open scissors to the left of the vase. To its right, there is a white-striped milk jug, a floral-patterned saucer and a sugar bowl. Two landscape paintings are featured in the background, contrasting the subtle colours of the table. Neutral tones and pink themes are featured in this artwork, making each section a feast for the eyes to explore. Mooney experiments with different shades – cool, light tones tie together each of the objects.

A three-minute mindful practice accompanies Still Life to help visitors connect to the painting and discover the tones, shadows, shapes and objects in a new light. Explore these artworks further on the app.

The guide also features a section 'What is Mindfulness?' which explains how to practice, how to be mindful in the present moment and the effects mindfulness has on the body. There is an additional section on 'Looking with Mindfulness', featuring four films to help visitors relax and perceive their experiences of artworks. Adding a new perspective to the artwork allows visitors to use mindfulness as a tool for learning. Paying attention to the present moment – without judgement – can lead to a positive effect on our overall health and wellbeing.

Download the Bloomberg Connects app today to explore Manchester Art Gallery's guide in more detail.

Lauren Souras, Intern at Art UK