Liverpool, Expo 2010, and a disinterested Tory minister

I thought I’d use my blog this time to highlight an exchange with the government minister Damian Green.  Whilst I’m glad to receive a reply to my letter, I’m not altogether surprised that he completely disregarded the points that I made and instead chose to make another generalising statement with no factual basis behind it.  So much for the Tories listening powers.

Damian Green was on BBC Question Time on 3^rd February, and in my letter to him I took issue with a comment he made about overseas trips made by Liverpool City councillors.

My letter on 4^th February read:

During the BBC Question Time programme last night, 3^rd February 2011, whilst answering a question regarding the decision by Liverpool City Council to withdraw from its participation in the “Big Society”, you made a somewhat throw-away comment that Liverpool councillors had made visits to China, which could have led members of the audience to conclude that those councillors had been wasting tax-payers money on such trips.

You should be aware that Liverpool was the only UK city to have a dedicated pavilion at World Expo 2010 in Shanghai.  This was a major coup for the city which came about because of Liverpool’s long standing relationship with China generally, and the city of Shanghai in particular, and the city’s heightened profile during its tenure as the 2008 European Capital of Culture.

Liverpool’s presence at Expo 2010 was led by Liverpool Vision in partnership with the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), Liverpool City Council and the Liverpool Shanghai Partnership.  The NWDA committed £1.25m to support Liverpool’s presence, whilst Liverpool City Council committed £300,000.

The event was regarded in Liverpool as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to consolidate existing and forge new relationships in the world’s emerging markets and to showcase Liverpool’s track record of urban regeneration under the Expo theme of Better City, Better Life.

During the 6 months of Expo 2010 over 770,000 visits were made to the Liverpool Pavilion and the city council estimates that over £50M of inward investment will come to the city as a direct result of those visits.

The pavilion’s main sponsor was Peel Holdings, which has interests in ports, airports, renewable energy, media and property development across the North West.   It is hoped that further Chinese investment will be made in the region and particularly in Peel Holding’s Wirral Waters and Liverpool Waters developments, and representatives from Shanghai have already made reciprocal visits to Liverpool to develop that process.   During a visit to the Liverpool Pavilion Mike Taylor, Deputy CEO of Liverpool Vision remarked; “Undoubtedly the Peel Group offer some of the most significant, impressive and attractive investment opportunities being promoted at World Expo in Shanghai. The scale and potential of what will be the UK’s largest regeneration scheme is of huge interest to potential investors at home and overseas and with Peel and Liverpool City Council united behind a shared vision and ambition for the City we are on the right track in promoting economic growth and the creation of jobs on a massive scale”.

On 18^th February Damian Green wrote back to me:

Thank you for your letter about Liverpool.

I am as convinced as ever that Liverpool City Council’s decision to pull out of the Big Society project was indeed politically motivated, and that the main victims of this will be the people of Liverpool.

When government ministers themselves are busy making trips to China, India, Brazil and other emerging and enlarging markets, I’m saddened that the efforts from the leaders of one of our largest cities to bring much needed foreign investment should be denigrated in this way.

Indeed Green’s fellow minister Mark Prisk, Minister of State at the Department for Business said "I hope the success of the British contribution to the Shanghai Expo will become a symbol which embodies the determination that the UK and China have to become partners devoted to economic growth."

This success was recognised recently when Liverpool Vision won the China Recognition Award, The accolade was to celebrate the successful delivery of the Liverpool Pavilion.

Runner up was The Peel Group.  Chairman of The Peel Group, John Whittaker, also attended David Cameron’s Trade Mission to Beijing in November 2010 as part of a large delegation of prominent UK businesses, and last month Mr Whittaker met China’s Executive Vice Premier Li Keqiang during his visit to the UK.

The Recognition award, sponsored by UK Trade and Investment and the Northwest Development Agency, is given in recognition of named individuals or organisations that have made a significant contribution to developing links with Greater China during 2010.

Philomena Chen, Head of Asia Pacific Development for UK Trade & Investment, said: “There was an outstanding level of entries for the North West region this year, and our winners of the China Recognition Awards are the individuals who have shown the greatest commitment to forging links with mainland China, Hong Kong or Taiwan.

“Liverpool’s involvement in the Shanghai World Expo, and the success of the Pavilion were key to demonstrating Liverpool’s commitment to Shanghai and China, positioning the city well with key decision makers and Chinese businesses.

"It put the city and the North West on the map as a future investment destination and Liverpool Vision is a worthy winner of the China Recognition Award.

"In addition, The Peel Group’s role as lead sponsors was instrumental in encouraging engagement with China with a view to securing inward investment into the North West region."

Clive Drinkwater, International Trade Director for UK Trade & Investment North West, said: "This year’s North West England Greater China Recognition Awards recognise Liverpool Vision and The Peel Group as two organisations which have done the most to strengthen the links between our countries and businesses in the region.

"We would like to extend our sincere congratulations to these extremely worthy winners, who have worked closely with UK Trade and Investment and been of invaluable help in allowing us to offer assistance to North West companies hoping to do business in this exciting market."

Biennial 2010, the end, almost

Last weekend saw my last visit to Biennial 2010, and two more sessions in Daniel Knoor's Naked Corner.  Saturday I chose a fun slogan with "Snap, Crackle and Pop", and on Sunday I decided to finish with the more serious and, to my mind, thought provoking "Capitalist Tool" 

The hours spent in the window watching Liverpool pass by allow you plenty of time to study your fellow humans.  I made two observations in particular: firstly the city is still the capital of live music, it seemed that every other lad who walked past was carrying a guitar.  And secondly it was interested to watch couples as they passed in cars; where the girl was driving, the lad was more likely to be looking at the shops and pointing me out; but where the lad was driving, the girls tended to be texting - all this was a totally unscientific study but amused me anyway…

Before my session on Saturday, I visited the Walker for the Wolfgang Tillmans' exhibit.  It was interesting that the artist and curator had chosen to display the works intermixed with the existing artworks in the gallery which gave you a different insight into some of the "old masters" that I normally tend to speed past.

Sunday afternoon I took in the Biennial pieces in FACT, and had a hot chocolate and cake with the ever lovely Anna (twitter @thespyglass) before heading over to Renshaw Street.

The journey back to London was productive, I got chatting to the young guy sat next to me, who was looking for a rugby team to play for having just moved south, so I talked about our team www.kxsrfc.com and he played for us this weekend, he's a very talented and enthusiastic flanker, and should be an asset to the team as we enter the second half of the season.
 
2010 Biennial has been amazing, I've done 5 visits and still didn't get around everything.  It’s a worrying time for the arts as the government wields its spending axe, but knowing the people involved in Biennial and knowing the people of Liverpool, they won't let a bit of petty penny pinching in Whitehall spoil the party.  Roll on 2012!

3 Days in the Corner

Up to Liverpool for a 3 day Biennial blast, giving me plenty of time to take in the diverse nature of Britain’s biggest contemporary arts festival.

Before my Thursday session in Daniel Knoor’s “Naked Corner” I went to the Europleasure building for Alfredo Jaar’s “We wish to inform you that we didn’t know” an emotional, thought provoking piece that left me not so much angry as disappointed at the ignorance of the “civilised” world.  Then next door for Cristina Lucas’ “Touch and Go” which is supposed to convey messages of the fragility of the capitalist system which passes through and leaves decaying remnants - yes it did, but it was also the perfect fun antidote to the Jaar installation.

I was joined by my twitter friend Scott (@merseytart) and stripped to our pants we took up residence in the window, our corporate messages were “A diamond is forever” (Scott) and “Just do it” (me).  Performing with someone else was a very different experience to the other week, as the audience are not focusing solely on you and you can observe the interaction between viewer and model whilst occupying the same space.  The most surreal moment was a woman down on her luck, albeit numbed by the effects of the can of special brew, who crossed from the other side of the road and licked a smiley face onto the window in front of us…

Friday morning came and I was alone, the message I had chosen was “Join the debate” and this brought out another aspect of the viewing public, whereas the earlier messages had simply been read, the audience took this one as an instruction, and I had countless people knocking on the window asking “what debate?” or “what are we debating?”  Although the project is about the ownership of language, I put my own spin on this and invited the audience to debate about whatever they wanted, including two elderly ladies who starting a good natured argument about whether it was art, so I told them, there you go, you’re having your debate…

Friday afternoon I took in Laura Belém’s “The temple of a thousand bells” a most beautiful piece and in a classically perfect setting, followed by Danica Dakic’s “Grand Organ”, another uplifting piece which brought together the amazing organ of St George’s Hall, with the building’s other role as court of justice.  The time period of the Hall’s conception was also inferred with the children looking like workhouse kids one minute and gentrified scholars the next.

On to Saturday and with no-one else taking part I had a split shift from 11am to 1pm and then from 2pm to 4pm.  This gave me time for a quick look around the Biennial installations in the Bluecoat before heading to Renshaw Street.  My chosen message for Saturday was “Capitalist Tool” which I felt probably sums up the objectivity of standing in the window, those portals for the manufacturers and retailers to prise your hard earned, or ill gotten, gains out of your pockets.  Midday I met with my friend and fellow plinther (Gormley‘s “One and Other”) Jensen Wilder who bought me lunch, a delightful mug of “scousers’ breakfast” tea and brought me up to date with what was going on with his life.   Then it was a quick tour of the upper floor of the old Rapid building, before my second performance of the day, which meant I was there when the 3:30 tour came around, which was informative and gave me a deeper insight into what I was actually doing!

Once dressed, it was off to St Luke’s church where I met some Spanish tourists who recognised me from earlier and wanted a clothed picture of me too, then to FACT for a warming mug of chocolate, and there I meet some ladies who asked “did we see you naked earlier?”  Well at least people noticed what my face looked like!

A fast train to London, and onto the disorganised chaos that is public transport in the capital on a weekend.  London is fun, but my heart was lagging 200 miles behind me as I descended into the Nether World of Hades, or the Northern Line as London Underground prefer to call it..

The Art Wot I Was In

Its unbelievable that a year has passed since the end of Antony Gormley’s One & Other project on the Fourth Plinth.  My unexpected hour in the spotlight was on Friday 2^nd October at 6pm – and if you are going to stand naked in the middle of London then 6pm on a Friday is as good a time as any!

It was a fantastic experience which saw me actually taking part in an artwork for the first time, having just been an observer before.  The various ways that 2,400 people came up with to spend their hour of fame was inspiring, whether it was just sitting reading a book; raising money for their charities; creating their own artwork within an artwork; or casting caution, and clothing, to the wind and celebrating the amazing piece of natural engineering that is the human body.

It also got me into tweeting, which is a fantastic way to interact with people (the tweets during TV programmes such as Question Time and The Apprentice are often more entertaining and informative than the programmes themselves). 

Art participation is addictive though, and this year has seen me naked in Salford with Spencer Tunick (Everyday People) and up in my home city, in my pants, for Daniel Knoor (Naked Corner) at the Liverpool Biennial.  I know, you’re thinking I’ll drop my trousers at the drop of a hat… and you’d be right!  I think its overcompensation for being chronically shy as a child.

I’ll be back in Liverpool for another 3 days of the Biennial next week, more details about that in my next blog, but meanwhile, I’m over in Trafalgar Square this evening to meet up with some of the plinthers to mark the anniversary of the end of O&O and to have a look at the book of the project which was published today.

This weekend as there isn’t any rugby for Kings Cross Steelers RFC, I’ll be at Tate Modern for a longer look/walk/feel of the Ai WeiWei Sunflower Seeds installation in the Turbine Hall and at the Wapping Project Bankside to catch the Elina Brotherus exhibition before that ends next week.

Whatever you do this weekend, enjoy!

How much is that scouser in the window

The requirement to wear plain, unbranded underwear for my spell in Daniel Knorr’s Naked Corner, caused a dilemma, which lead to me ironing a pair of boxers for the very first time!  Well it was a Sunday, so I had to look my best.

After choosing a slogan, “Vorsprung Durch Technik”,  I was painted up and like a thousand mannequins before me taken to my shop window.  Following a quick chat with the previous performer, I was left to watch the comings and goings on Renshaw Street, and for the comers and goers to watch me of course.

I’ve stood alone, and naked, on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth (One & Other, Antony Gormley 2009) but this felt very different, being on street level meant I was very close to the audience, and most of those didn’t know I was going to be there until they were 6 feet away.

The reactions were mixed: children pointing; middle-aged Germans who read the slogan and took it all very seriously; families who thought it all a laugh; or families where the father looked back for a little too long…; some people smiled, and some ignored the whole thing; a woman stopped her car, took a photo and shouted “you’ve made my day”;  a war veteran gave me a thumbs-up; a group of teenagers, stood and studied, but declined the invitation to take part; girls headed into town for a drink;  lads heading home with their shopping. 

At 6pm, my time was up, time to leave the window empty for the night; time to get dressed and walk into the street; time to become just another face in the crowd.  But time goes quickly and I’ll be back.

“Be seeing you”

when twitter ain't long enough

After using Twitter for a while, you suddenly realise that far from having not much to say, you just can't say what you want in 140 characters, so blogging it has to be.

I'll try to inform and entertain on here, hopefully I won't bore you.

I had a blog published the other week about my exploits at the Liverpool Biennial so the first thing to do is copy that, which I'll do, when I've finished my skinny latte....