This morning we took a bus tour around the local and wider areas with an illuminating commentary from Ian Brownbill. We were particularly interested in the success and failure of various attempts to regenerate the city and including the Edge Hill/Kensington area local to Metal Liverpool.

In the afternoon we had the pleasure of receiving a presentation from the one and only Lemn Sissay who shared some amazing words and ideas with us in a very performative way! Apart from his obvious and amazing talent, I was particularly impressed by his sheer enthusiasm for his own work and yet ability to stay open to questions and observations from the group.

We are all feeling quite saturated. Some have gone to another presentation this evening but I have chosen to stay in and reflect a little on the last two days, firstly by setting up this blog! More tomorrow…

I have the pleasure of being an artist in residence at Metal Liverpool Culture LAB. From the Metal website:

"Metal runs a programme of Culture LABS each year that brings together groups of artists and thinkers in exploratory, week-long, intensive residencies around different themes and subjects. Artists come from a variety of disciplines, types of practice and different places around the UK and overseas.​"

There’s a real eclectic mix of artists and artist/curators at different career stages. Myself for one being pretty much at the beginning of the path, having only recently graduated from an MA. The Metal people have shown themselves to be thoroughly positive and supportive, managing to quickly create a comfortable atmosphere where ideas and opinions can be both presented and (sensibly) challenged without fear! Artist, Curator, Consultant and all-round good fellow Simon Poulter is doing a sterling job of facilitating the sessions.

In the first day, each participating artist gave a brief presentation of his/her practice. These included…

Renny O’Shea and Richard Gregory of Quarantine
Maddi Nicolson of Art Gene
Andrew Mottershead of FrenchMottershead
Rachel Rose Reid
Shereen Elizabeth
Hannah Clarke
David Kefford of Aid and Abet

This was followed by an inspirational presentation from Neville Gabie in which he talked about some of the major public art he has created over the last few years including work created as Artist in Residence at the Olympics.

The residency is particularly poignant for me as someone who studied and worked in Liverpool for several years in the late 90’s and early 00’s. Appearances have changed somewhat in places, but the same old city of extreme contrasts remains, welcoming all with her charms.