Very Public Art comes to the streets of Liverpool this summer

A bird box sound and art installation has landed in the grounds of St Nicholas’ Church as part of a new free cultural campaign launched in Liverpool.

The Very Public Art initiative will see eight artworks pop up in locations around the city between now and September, with artists commissioned by Culture Liverpool supported by Arts Council England.

The first work, And These Birds Can Sing, has been created by The Birdcage Stage CIC from wood salvaged from Strawberry Field at Woolton and is a sound, art and nature trail celebrating women’s voices, with a soundtrack from We Want Women, Hope Street Harmonies and Singing Mamas Choir.

It will be in place until August 15.

Meanwhile Statues Redressed, the Sky Arts campaign launched earlier this month and which involves artists giving city statues a temporary makeover, also forms part of the campaign.

Statues which have been ‘redressed’ so far include Victorian statesman and prime minister Benjamin Disraeli who stands outside St George’s Hall, Jacob Epstein’s Liverpool Resurgent – better known as Dickie Lewis – on the former Lewis’s building, and Captain Cook at Sefton Park Palm House.

The Birdcage State CIC director Katy-Anne Bellis says: “It’s been a difficult couple of years for the arts and especially for choirs and the music industry, as many choirs have been unable to sing together in groups due to restrictions.

“Creating this exhibition has been moving and joyful in equal measure as female singers from all over the city have submitted or recorded their voices, poems, stories and songs to be included within the beautiful setting of the birdboxes, finding new ways to bring our voices together and share them with audiences.”

And Harry Doyle, Liverpool cabinet member for culture and visitor economy, added: “The pandemic and the lockdowns we’ve all experienced have given us a different lens through which to look at our homes, our streets, our parks and the city as a whole.

“Very Public Art is all about bringing a new energy to the familiar and giving everyone a reason to get out and explore the city’s streets again.”

For details on where you can see the Very Public Art works visit the website HERE

Top: And These Birds Can Sing installation in St Nicholas Gardens © Amy Heycock