May 2008

Sep 27 2007

3rd & 4th May

20th Birthday Celebrations at Tate Liverpool

Tate Liverpool

When Tate Liverpool opened its doors on 24 May 1988 it became the first regional gallery to share the Tate Collection and to be dedicated to encouraging a new younger audience through an active outreach programme.

Since then it has presented the very best modern and contemporary art, welcomed more than 11 million visitors and played a vital part in the regeneration of Liverpool.

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6th - 12th May

Open Squash

Liverpool Cricket Club and Arena & Convention Centre Liverpool

The British Open is the world's most important, prestigious and longest established squash championships - considered the sport's blue riband event and the 'Wimbledon of Squash'.

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20th - 25th May

Fragrant at Chelsea

RHS Chelsea Flower Show Liverpool's botanical collection's first exhibition at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show since 1962.

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24th May - 2nd November

Ben Johnson's Liverpool Cityscape 2008

Walker Art Gallery

This painting has been specially commissioned by National Museums Liverpool, the Liverpool Culture Company, Professor Phil Redmond CBE and Alexis Redmond for 2008 from contemporary artist and honorary fellow of RIBA, Ben Johnson. Johnson will take up residency at the Walker to finish the Liverpool Cityscape in front a live audience from 28th January to 7th March. Two years in the making, Liverpool Cityscape is painstakingly detailed showing Liverpool’s famous skyline from a vantage point high above the River Mersey, looking almost due east towards the Three Graces.

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30th May - 31st August

Gustav Klimt: Painting, Design and Modern Life in Vienna 1900

Tate Liverpool

To celebrate 2008 as European Capital of Culture Tate Liverpool is delighted to present the first comprehensive exhibition of Gustav Klimt’s work ever staged in the UK. The exhibition focuses on the life and art of one of the world’s most influential and revered artists.

It will explore Klimt’s role as the founder and leader of the Viennese Secession, a progressive group of artists and artisans driven by a desire for innovation and renewal and whose vision of the ‘total work of art’ demanded a new unity between art and society.

The work and philosophy of the Secession embraced art, architecture, fashion, dazzling decorative objects and furniture in the search for identity.Major paintings and drawings from all stages of Klimt’s career will be shown alongside the work of Josef Hoffmann, the architect and designer and a close friend of the artist.

By displaying Klimt’s spectacular decorative paintings in settings that recreate his patrons’ private residences, the exhibition will offer a stunning presentation of his art within the context of one of the highpoints of Viennese modernism.

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30th May - 1st June

MIA - Liverpool Streets Ahead

St Georges Plateau & City Centre

Commissioned by Liverpool Culture Company for European Capital of Culture 2008.

A weekend of fantastic street theatre, music, dance, puppets, booth shows and spectacle, featuring leading artists from all over the world, Great Britain and Liverpool itself. Presented by M.I.A. on behalf of the Liverpool Culture Company.

Exhibition in June.

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Four Corners Finale at end of May (on European Neighbours Day).

Venue tbc

Four Corners is a city-wide creative neighbourhoods regeneration programme working with residents, cultural organisations and neighbourhood services. It seeks to examine the life of Liverpool's communities by reflecting significant changes and upheaval - capturing memories, aspirations and supporting community cohesion. Through the creative process Four Corners seeks to address "What makes a neighbourhood?" Four Corners 2008 will feature five separate neighbourhood exhibitions.

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May - July

Arab Cities

Open Eye Gallery

A partnership with the Open Eye and the Bluecoat, as part of the Arabic Arts Festival.

The Bluecoat’s reopening in early 2008, sees the return of the Arabic Arts Festival to its traditional home, where it will form the heart of an artistic programme presenting the best of new, innovative local and international art. Arab Cities is one such Bluecoat project occurring in conjunction with the festival and in collaboration with the curator November Paynter, Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool and Zenith Foundation in London. Arab Cities is an exciting exhibition investigating intersections in art and architecture featuring sculpture, photography, film and installation works responding to the cities of Baghdad, Beirut, Damascus, Cairo, Mecca, Casablanca, Gulf cities and cities in the occupied territories.

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May

Visible Viruses - green spaces public art May

Various parks

Virals is a set of three projects in three different environments and contexts in the city infrastructure, Transport (January 2008), Urban Spaces (March 2008), Green Spaces (May 2008). They will aim to have a positive, highly visible ‘infectious’ effect and engage with large numbers of people throughout the city.

The nature of the ‘infection’ will be specific to each context and engagement is seen as being a central element of the green spaces and urban spaces commissions. (Part of public art programme, commissioned from Liverpool Biennial by the Liverpool Culture Company for European Capital of Culture 2008).

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Launches in May

Garston Pavillion

Garston Pavilions especially commissioned for and by their communities will ensure that residents in Vauxhall, Garston and Kensington will show their creativity in awe-inspiring structures built by international artists and architects.

Community engagement is a key element of the 2008 public art programme and, like the Winter Light series, will be led by the Big Table partner organisations across the city; Rotunda College in the north, Metal in the east and Garston Cultural Village in the south. The Pavilions will be inspirational and create a sustainable connection between the city centre and the neighbourhoods and act as catalysts for interaction and engagement with the local community. All three sites have been selected as representing a focus for transformation and change for those areas and all three commissions are specific to those areas needs and character.

The involvement of the pavilion designs in the three areas will re-introduce the local residents to existing underused space with which events and cultural exchange for community cohesion will be programmed for throughout 2008. (Part of public art programme, commissioned from Liverpool Biennial by the Liverpool Culture Company for 2008).

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Various dates and locations

The Line

A Liverpool Commission, commissioned by the Liverpool Culture Company for European Capital of Culture 2008.

The LINE is a large-scale line of choreography, which brings more than 100 different people together to create a line that makes some unlikely appearances. Emerging out of the crowd, everywhere from football pitches to shopping parades, audiences will be able to stand and wait to see the LINE as an ‘event’ or just ‘happen’ upon it whilst strolling about the streets, out and about visiting, or shopping in the city.

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May - October

Tales… From far away and the house next door

Across Merseyside boroughs (finale at St George's Hall)

Tales…. From far away and the house next door is an innovative new project engaging young people across Merseyside in producing exciting new Fringe Festivals that explore the themes of European myths and tales.

Taking place in the community across the 6 boroughs of Merseyside from May – June 2008, their collaborative works will evolve into a multi-media extravaganza in a final performance at St George’s Hall in September 2008. Tales….from far away and the house next door was developed in collaboration with 12 Arts Colleges, 3 Universities and 4 FE Colleges and supported by borough arts/education officers, engaging partner secondary schools, feeder primary schools and local community groups.