SPARE a moment for the People And Places at One Piccadilly. Manchester is a place where people happen - not things.

That awkward phrasing makes sense when you consider any number of well-known characters, both fictional and real: from Best to Cantona; Ian Curtis to Ian Brown; Sharples to' well, you get the picture.

Of course, when we reflect on famous Mancunians - as the name suggests - we're never far from considering their city.

Indeed the interplay between this city and its citizenry has provided one of the foundations for a new show opening within Piccadilly Gardens, slap bang in the middle of Manchester.

One Piccadilly - that prestigious sounding location - is where, for the next few weeks, photographer Michael Spencer Jones and graphic artist Paula Hateley have positioned their show, People And Places.

'It's just an amazing opportunity,' says Hateley. 'As soon as that building gets taken over by retail units or whatever' you know there won't be an art gallery there.

But there is now.' Given the key location, this show will be seen by more people than any other show in Manchester this week - probably this year.

And it will be deeply resonant with a large number of those visitors/passers-by. Making it unique.

Jones' shots, culled from a stellar career as a rock photographer, provide a sober take on celebrity Mancs.

Think A-list: Stone Roses, Oasis etc. Complementing this, Hateley's pieces draw on the rich photographic archive of Manchester's main library, so as to conjure old with new representations of this city's public areas - like Piccadilly. 'The fact that it's in Piccadilly Gardens is relevant to some of the work,' says Jones. 'But not all.'

Eclectic

Jones also includes more recent pieces - his 'personal projects' - while Hateley adds self-portraits: illustrative of the range here of subject and media (from stills to videography). 'This is quite a broad, eclectic show,' says Jones. 'Which is one of the things that make it good.'

While Hateley's parting shot emphasises 'the sense of optimism in Manchester. The people make this place. Not just buildings.' Indeed.

People come and go and, as they say, cities never sleep. Manchester is no exception - whether you want to cite the 1996 bomb and subsequent regeneration or not.

Regardless, every now and then it's good to take stock. And since art has the ability to draw time and space into one point (as in a painting), a populist show like this may be the best, free way to pause and consider everything around you.

People and Places shows at One Piccadilly until May 7.

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