# Leeds: City of Culture 2023



## mrs quoad (Oct 27, 2017)

I’m up for that. 

Apparently it’s up against Nottingham, Bristol (there’s a challenge), and somewhere else. 

I’m wondering if it’s proximity to Hull will play against it. 

I’m also wondering who’s got the intervening 4yrs, tbh.


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## mrs quoad (Oct 27, 2017)

Oh. Capital of culture, apparently. A eu thing. 

Must be the UK’s turn. 

I missed Dundee and Milton Keynes off the list.


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## mrs quoad (Oct 27, 2017)

“Milton Keynes. EU Capital of Culture.”

I think we went to ikea there once.


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## mauvais (Oct 27, 2017)

Presumably the winner gets to forgo Brexit and/or be annexed by the EU?


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## mrs quoad (Oct 27, 2017)

mauvais said:


> Presumably the winner gets to forgo Brexit and/or be annexed by the EU?


I can’t help but wonder how the EU would feel about being given Milton Keynes.


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## mauvais (Oct 27, 2017)

mrs quoad said:


> I can’t help but wonder how the EU would feel about being given Milton Keynes.


Think of it like Kaliningrad, but instead of providing ice-free access to the Baltic, it offers, erm, well, Argos.


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## SpookyFrank (Oct 28, 2017)

Nottingam will get it. And we don't even want it, we just don't want Leeds to get it.


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## Orang Utan (Oct 28, 2017)

Leeds is pretty good for culture - don't see why it shouldn't get it - there's plenty going on


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## farmerbarleymow (Nov 11, 2017)

Yorkshire twice in a row?  

No.

I vote for Cumbernauld


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## Orang Utan (Nov 11, 2017)

farmerbarleymow said:


> Yorkshire twice in a row?
> 
> No.
> 
> I vote for Cumbernauld


Only Liverpool and Glasgow have hosted it so far. 
Cumbernauld isn't in the running. 
Milton Keynes, Derry, Belfast, Nottingham and Dundee are your UK candidates for 2023
I doubt any will win it cos of Brexit


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## Fez909 (Nov 11, 2017)

Honestly, while living in Leeds and really liking the city, I don't think it should even be considered.

Leeds is a very good city to live in, but that's it. It's not got any of the qualities I'd associate with being a city of culture. It doesn't attract tourists, it doesn't have much in th way of unique art here, and the stuff that is good about Leeds is often done better elsewhere.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to downplay Leeds' contributions to the arts, or its current cultural achievements. It's, as a I said, a great place. Definitely no cultural backwater. But nor is it a capital of culture, or even anything close.

If we're talking historic achiements, it had (arguably) the first ever moving picture commited to film. It was the birthplace of bleep music - the first UK electronic music genre that was its own thing, and not just a copy of American techno/house. In Henry Moore, it has one of the most influential sculpturists in modernist and abstract art among its denizens. But film is not associated with Leeds. Bleep was done better by Sheffield. And sculpture is not something that resonates with many people.

Aside from that, Leeds is a shopping city with good clubs and resutaurants, which is hardly unique in Europe, or even rare. 

Mind you, looking at the shortlist above, Leeds has as good a claim as any of those cities.

Hmm


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## Fez909 (Nov 11, 2017)

How the fuck can Milton Keynes be nominated for this?

MK itself is an intersting concept...a new city. But aside from that, wtf?! It's a shithole. What's its claim?!


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## Fez909 (Nov 11, 2017)

Just Googled MK and it's not even a city


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## farmerbarleymow (Nov 23, 2017)

Not happening any more.

Brexit blow to UK 2023 culture crown bids

It was only a matter of time.


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## Kaka Tim (Nov 27, 2017)

Fez909 said:


> Honestly, while living in Leeds and really liking the city, I don't think it should even be considered.
> 
> Leeds is a very good city to live in, but that's it. It's not got any of the qualities I'd associate with being a city of culture. It doesn't attract tourists, it doesn't have much in th way of unique art here, and the stuff that is good about Leeds is often done better elsewhere.
> 
> ...



Alan Bennet. Tony Harrison. Henry Moore. Atikinson Grimshaw. Damain Hirst.  Kieth Waterhouse. Birth place of goth. The Who's _Live at Leeds._ Soft cell. Gang of Four. The Mekons. Corrine Bailey Ray. First Caribbean carnival in the UK. Malcolm Mc Dowell. Peter O'Toole. Kay Mellor. John Simm. Joseph Priestly. Arthur Ransome. Ernie Wise. 

Its a pretty decent cultural heritage.


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## Fez909 (Nov 27, 2017)

Kaka Tim said:


> Alan Bennet. Tony Harrison. Henry Moore. Atikinson Grimshaw. Damain Hirst.  Kieth Waterhouse. Birth place of goth. The Who's _Live at Leeds._ Soft cell. Gang of Four. The Mekons. Corrine Bailey Ray. First Caribbean carnival in the UK. Malcolm Mc Dowell. Peter O'Toole. Kay Mellor. John Simm. Joseph Priestly. Arthur Ransome. Ernie Wise.
> 
> Its a pretty decent cultural heritage.


_Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to downplay Leeds' contributions to the arts, or its current cultural achievements. It's, as a I said, a great place. Definitely no cultural backwater. But nor is it a capital of culture, or even anything close._


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