WITH the world’s markets in turmoil, securing a mortgage for bricks and mortar has rarely been more difficult.

But Liverpool Biennial artist Sumer Erek doesn’t need to worry about that.

For the Cypriot-born former refugee is building his own house, using 100,000 bricks made out of newspaper.

He is inviting local people to help with creating the news- paper logs and bricks for his Newspapers House art installa- tion, being constructed at the Blackie Arts Centre, for Liverpool’s 5th Biennial.

Yesterday (TUESDAY) girls from Maghull High School were the first pupils to participate in the project which is being built at the Blackie Arts Centre.

For Erek, the project is first of all an artwork, above envir- onmental issues or community participation. The house has been one of his favourite themes because it raises "sociological, political, cultural and autobiographical issues".

"Displacement is very much part of my identity", said the former refugee who moved to moved to Britain in 1970.

When asked why he uses newspapers rather than rubbish, he insists he is not an artist dealing with waste.

"News has all the elements that define our present era and some newspapers can link the past and present" and "the house absorbs the information like the ears of the world", he added.

In his house, which will include copies of the Daily Post and our sister paper the Echo, newspapers names cannot be identified anymore, they seem to keep their secrets, except for the Financial Times, paving the floor with its pink colour.

The work is still in progress and any- one’s contribution is welcome. Sumer added: "I would leave it unfinished if I could for people to be able to participate forever and ever."

He hopes the Newspaper House will be put in a museum when it is finished.

Karen Janody, who was in charge of finding partners for the project, said: "It’s a really wonderful artistic project which allows the public to find inspiration".

It was first displayed in London at the Dalston’s Gillett Square in March where part of its walls were built, thanks to 85,000 newspapers. Each time it is removed, its shape slightly changes. On Friday, its wooden skeleton will be removed.

She says 100 people have visited the installation since it started on September 5 and she expects 100,000 newspapers to be turned into bricks in the two weeks it is on display.

It bears different layers of newspaper including arts, environment, education and community issues.

For Ms Janody, it is the occasion to raise collective consciousness: "If one individual throws out newspapers it isn’t a problem but if 100,000 people do, it can have massive consequences and acknowledging it can help people reconnect with the sense of collectivity".

Thanks to Ashley Middleton, the youth worker on the project, students from the Maghull High School were engaged in this creative process.