Exploring - 12th November 2016

I walked around exploring Liverpool in search of interesting spaces and places that might inspire me in some way. I wasn't sure what i was looking for but decided to walk around places anyway. Whilst in a space i tried to figure out why it was interesting to me, what stood out and why.

These are the spaces i have found interesting in some way:

Stanley Dock

This place is frozen in time, empty and fragile. What i found interesting in this space is the sounds coming from somewhere inside. A repetitive sound of metal playing music with the wind. Although i couldn't get inside or even walk around the space because of the fence surrounding it, i could feel the atmosphere of the space and how lonely it was. When i got home i researched further and found that Stanley Docks will soon be transformed into luxury apartments. Another place that will be restored and will find new life.

Long bridge with smaller tunnels underneath
This space is opposite the Stanley Docks. Again i was interested in the sounds around, the echo when standing under the bridge and the train sound from above. The vibrations. This place feels hidden although there are houses around.

The Chairs
This place is on London Road next to Lime Street. There was a building here before - Jerome’s photography studio.

Jerome studio

The Chairs (before)

The building was demolishes and in place of it now there is an art exhibit called “the chairs” which was installed into the space in 1995. Although it would be nice to think that "the chairs" represent a photographic sitting in the previous Jerome Studio, Alan Dunn (one of the artists responsible) stated that this was just fortuitous coincidence. He didn’t discover the Jerome’s heritage until a few years after "the chairs" were installed.

When i found the space i didn't know anything about it but i knew that it was something special. To me it looked like a set for people to engage with e.g sit and chat. After 20 years the place looks dirty and not well looked after to the point you begin to question if it is a piece of work. When i visited it there were bins around everywhere, and rubbish around the chairs. The atmosphere of the sculpture and the place has been taken away. You can easily walk past the space now as it blends in. As i researched more about this space and sculpture i found that the sculpture is soon to be removed as the plot has been sold to a developer.

The Chairs (now)

From this walk i started to think about memory of a place, the sounds around and how these are imprinted in the space.  I started to think about other spaces, abandoned building with history and purpose and how they are frozen in time. I thought of how through some kind of intervention art piece i can bring memories of a place back. 

~ Ev