WHILE the art world anticipates Liverpool’s transformation into a city centre-wide gallery of work by international artists, those who are here all year round are preparing their own contributions to the Biennial.

The International strand of the 10-week festival of contemporary visual art may be responsible for the striking large-scale pieces, but the Independents provides the most wide-ranging.

This year, more than 500 artists have signed up to be involved in around 130 events at 61 venues.

Many of them are local, but some from farther afield.

And this is despite the Independents, which is run separately to the official Liverpool Biennial, receiving no funding at all.

“Artists and galleries have rallied to help the festival fight on against all odds this year because they realise the importance, the potential and the value that the Independents has for them,” says Mark Willcox, chair of the Independents board.

“In the current economic climate, their support really is something to celebrate.”

Unlike the main Biennial, which this year is based on the concept “Touched”, the Independents has no over-riding theme, although some artists have chosen to create work in relation to a particular space.