Lewis Biggs, chief executive of the Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art and director of Another Place Ltd (200)
THE man who commissioned Superlambanana says it is popular because people can interpret the artwork in a multitude of ways.
In 1998, Lewis Biggs commissioned artist Taro Chiezo to create the now iconic sculpture, but, at the time, the Director of Tate Liverpool had no idea what the final outcome would be.
The work was commissioned through Artranspennine Ltd, a partnership between Tate Liverpool and the Henry Moore Foundation, as a part of a major exhibition.
Ten years later, more than 100 of the creations can now be seen across the city as part of Capital of Culture year.
The artwork was not an instant success, and stirred up controversy within the city in the late 1990s.
However, residents have now taken it to their hearts, and Mr Biggs believes this is because of its individ-uality.
He said: “It is popular because of its quirkiness, a number of people have misread it and have discovered in it something more nostalgic, but this is fine. People can interpret it in any way they like, and this is the beauty of art, it can create many different responses.”
The piece was commissioned because Mr Biggs – now the director of Liverpool Biennial – was very impressed by Chiezo’s body of work.
“I had seen some of Taro Chiezo’s work in Tokyo, and he looked to be a very good sculptor,” he said.
“I commissioned him to create something new, we did not know what he would come up with.
“He created hybrid sculptures – part mechanic, part animal – and I was impressed by his work.
“He came to the city and saw the 1930s ventilation towers as a futuristic statement of the city at the height of power.
“He wanted to make a statement of Liverpool being at the height of power in the 1990s, and he looked to the city’s sunrise industries, such as computer programming, and that influence was central in the design of the Superlambanana. It was the futuristic nature that was of interest.
“I always thought it would go to Wavertree Technology Park eventually, as this is where much of Liverpool’s sunrise industry is based.
“Liverpool Architect Design Trust (LADT) were given care of the sculpture and they had different ideas.
“The piece then moved to different places – and the rest is history.”
