Mural of Henri memories

Oct 22 2007 by Alan Weston, Liverpool Daily Post

A LARGE-SCALE artwork commemorating the late Mersey Poet Adrian Henri was launched at St George’s Hall.

The piece, Adrian’s Wall, features tributes to some of Henri’s most iconic Liverpool paintings, alongside three poems based on his work penned by Merseyside school pupils.

The commemorative installation – which was commissioned by the Liverpool Culture Company – measures a massive 12ft by 20ft.

The wall was unveiled on Saturday by Henri’s partner Catherine Marcangeli, in the company of his two fellow Mersey Poets Roger McGough and Brian Patten.

Adrian’s Wall was conceived and created by the poet and playwright Phil Bowen, author of A Gallery to Play to: The Story of the Mersey Poets.

He is now looking for a permanent home for the installation so that it can go on show to the public during Liverpool’s year as Capital of Culture in 2008.

Mr Bowen said: "I originally came up with the idea for the installation back in the late 1990s, during one of Adrian’s last live performances.

"Adrian’s Wall is an obvious play on words, but I also saw it as an opportunity to combine elements of both Adrian’s poetry and visual art.

"Having remained committed to the project for nearly a decade I’m delighted to see it brought to life."

Created at St James Church, in Toxteth, the artwork for Adrian’s Wall was produced by Ian Town and Sophie Backhouse of Urban Art, and the wall itself was constructed by Terry O’Hara.

It combines elements of Henri’s visual art, including the painting The Entry of Christ into Liverpool, with his poetry.

Pupils at St Silas CP school wrote their own version of Love Is, while Broadgreen High produced versions of Tonight at Noon and Me.

Cllr Warren Bradley, leader of Liverpool city council and deputy chair of the Liverpool Culture Company, said: "The Mersey Poets made an important contribution to the city’s cultural fabric at a time when Liverpool was at the forefront of a movement that swept the UK.

"Their legacy is still felt strongly today, especially as we enter a new chapter in Liverpool’s history with the city’s stewardship of European Capital of Culture next year."

Adrian Henri first rose to prominence during the 1960s, and is perhaps best known for The Mersey Sound – his poetry anthology with Roger McGough and Brian Patten. He died in Liverpool in 2000, aged 68.

Due to the size of Adrian’s Wall, it will not be on show to the public at St George’s Hall.

alanweston@dailypost.co.uk