Leaning in Liverpool - Day Three - 'Be happy even if you are in the war'

I begin at the end.  The single most expressive and emotional statement I encountered today was in response to a request from the Museum of Liverpool to write messages to deceased loved ones.  One child wrote, 'Be happy even if you are in the war'.  This simple statement has resonated with me all day.  It is an altruistic expression of love, akin to a hug from a loved one.  I hope that s/he will retain that purity as they grow to face the horrors and uncertainties of adulthood.  True strength lies in empathy and compassion.

So yes, as you may have guessed, today has been quite a reflective day.  I attended the Museum of Liverpool, the Merseyside Maritime Museum, the International Slavery Museum and the World Museum.  They all offered something different.  The Museum of Liverpool was simply wonderful.  A comprehensive overview of Liverpool as a living, breathing, industrial city, vibrating culture and humanity from every orifice.  They can be forgiven The Beatles as Alan Bleasdale and Ken Russell also came from Liverpool.

Lots of bizarre things happened today.  I refer to them as 'unifiers'.  Moments where I acknowledge the links between my interests, feelings and ideas.  I kept seeing masks in various contexts.  Tribal masks in particular, with their associated symbolic meaning and magical intent.  Also I was reminded of 'Polari'.  The so-called secret slang that was so dominant in the gay scene decades ago.  Many of the words still being used today in everyday parlance such as 'Bevvi' for drink.  I mention this in passing as I also chucked a small amount of money at a busker murdering 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out'.  Music has a way of connecting both people and sentiments.

I love Liverpool, the laid-back yet brutally honest demeanours of many of the people I met or passed.  I found myself listening to random conversations.  Same as everywhere but the aggression wasn't there.

Returning to London was a culture shock, people hiding behind their devices, electronic and intellectual.  Emotionless drones until provoked where upon they will tear you to bits.  Not everyone of course, but the sense of paranoia in London is so much more pervasive than in Liverpool.

I didn't find myself in Liverpool, but I did learn more about the people I know and one thing is for sure, any future changes will not come about in London.  Time to keep exploring...

Barry Watt - Wednesday 25th June 2014.

Afterword

'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out' is by The Smiths.  It originally appeared on 'The Queen is Dead'.  One of the most important and influential albums of all time.  Originally released by Rough Trade in 1986.  Currently, available on CD on the WEA label.

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Photos

Museum of Liverpool.

Museum of Liverpool.

One of many of the rather wonderful Bananalamas that were created to celebrate Liverpool being chosen as the European Capital of Culture in 2008.

Locust in the World Museum.

Merseyside Maritime Museum.

Outside the Central Library Liverpool.

Seagull contemplating which way to go.

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Leaning in Liverpool - Day Two - Is it Lucky to Slip in Dogshit?

Oh how beautiful the sound of Seagulls during the day...  Not so pretty throughout the night, I can tell you.

Upon waking for the twentieth and final time, I realised I had left the hotel window open.  Every car, every bird song, every rubbish collection as audible as a baby's cry.

Today, I wandered a lot.  I went to the Tate and saw the critically acclaimed Mondrian exhibition.  The recreation of one of his studios was a definite highlight.  His work which primarily consists of squares (occasionally coloured) and stark black lines will either excite you or leave you cold.  I don't mind him but my Tate experience was enhanced thanks to the crazy thematic exhibition downstairs, where links are made between disparate artists conceptually.  Lots of school parties were sitting on the floor, in front of paintings and other compositions.  A teacher inadvertently setting off an alarm when he got too close to a bike exhibit.  What did delight me was the work he gave his students, 'go and find two works of art that you like for whatever reason'.  The fact that he allowed emotional response as a reason for being attracted to a work, saw him leap up in my estimation of him as a teacher.  Art ultimately is only as important as the people who perceive it.  Emotional value is so much more inspiring that the prices the works may generate in an auction.  I want to see a child pulling out a canvas or piece of paper and giving it a go as a result of their exposure to something that has moved them.

More wandering followed... I did manage to find the Williamson Tunnels.  Joseph Williamson was a wealthy tobacco merchant who created a series of erratic tunnels under a section of Liverpool, the excavated stone used to provide raw materials for his properties.  It appears he employed a number of poor people for years on end.  No-one knows how many or how much he paid them.  Many mysteries surround the tunnels.  For one thing, they are still coming to light.  The only thing that people know for certain is that Williamson kept digging tunnels way into his old age (well, not personally, but you get the idea).  I was given a tour by a lovely chap who looked better in the helmet than I did and pointed out the artificial moles to me, apparently included to prevent children from getting too scared.  If a child starts to exhibit signs of fear at being stuck in a tunnel, point at the moles and all is right with the world.

I then went to the Victoria Gallery and Museum, where I stumbled on a bizarre public relations and filming session for a new exhibition focusing on nuclear power and atoms etc.  I am sure that all will be revealed in the future.  I also felt very sorry for all of the specimens in jars.  Creatures once alive and vibrant, frozen in embalming fluids, soiled remains of the very human need to know everything.

This evening, I spent my last night in Liverpool at the Unity Theatre, watching a play called 'Wolf Red'.  A very powerful piece acted by one woman that explores fairy tales, female gender roles and sexuality and quite possibly, severe mental illness.  The most disturbing image was the woman masturbating herself with a feather duster, having obsessively tried to clean every inch of the set.  The audience member behind me left me feeling slightly uncomfortable.  Although, laughter is often the best remedy when something escapes our ability to rationalise it.

I am now in the hotel room, reflecting on Albert Dock this morning, the peace and quiet, the endless warning signs and the variety of homeless people I have encountered in the last couple of days.  Liverpool is suffering like other areas of the United Kingdom.  It deserves to pull through, the local council certainly seems to be addressing the empty building phenomenon, considerably more effectively than the councils in London.  There are a myriad of construction projects going on at the moment.  Hopefully, this bodes well for the future.

Barry Watt - 24th June 2014.

Afterword   

I am amazed that I didn't discuss my experiences in Liverpool Cathedral and my growing connection to religious iconography even though my religious beliefs can best be summed up as agnostic.  Also the current phenomenon of attaching padlocks to fences etc denoting love affairs, relationships and bereavements.  I always find these striking.  Oh yes, I really did slip in dog crap! (27th June 2014).

The 'Mondrian and his Studios' exhibition is on at the Tate Liverpool until 5th October 2014.

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-liverpool/exhibition/mondrian-and-his-studios

'Wolf Red' was on at the Unity Theatre.  Please see below a link to the website, so that you can see a promo video for the play, in case it tours.

http://www.tmesistheatre.com/productions/new_piece.php

The Williamson Tunnels can be partially explored courtesy of the Williamson Tunnels Heritage Centre supported by the Joseph Williamson Society.

http://www.williamsontunnels.co.uk/view.php?page=about

The Victoria Gallery and Museum felt curiously outdated but still worth a visit.

http://vgm.liverpool.ac.uk/

The Unity Theatre is one of those little gems that is hidden down the back streets, that only local residents know about.

http://www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk/

Photos

Padlock of love.

Albert Dock.

Tate Liverpool.

Billy Fury statue in Albert Dock.

Early morning in Albert Dock.

Williamson Tunnel.

Mole in Williamson Tunnel.

Art exhibit in Williamson Tunnel.

Liverpool Cathedral.

Unity Theatre.

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Leaning in Liverpool - Day One - 'Bring It All Down'

Leaving my usual station seated on the train, I mentally noted the legend, 'The ladder is adjacent to the toilet.'  I absorbed this knowledge as though an eager student of Zen philosophy.  In the event of a biblical flood or man made apocalypse, at least I will see the world from a different vantage point.

In many respects, Liverpool is that vantage point.  Freeing myself from London and marvelling at the sound of Gulls and a very late sunset, this is a city moving to a different pace than the frenzy of London.

In my wanderings today, I have experienced genuinely nice people, concerned that I have enjoyed my meal.  Maybe, even a little surprised that I had chosen their restaurant to eat (nearly empty restaurants in London repel casual diners as readily as a cross on the door dissuaded callers to the households of plague victims in the past).

Culturally, I have hung out in the Walker Art Gallery and felt oddly at peace amongst the sculptures and modern art.  In the evening, I went to the Everyman Theatre to see the new Kneehigh show, 'Dead Dog In A Suitcase (and other Love Songs)'.  It is effectively a performance piece based on 'The Beggar's Opera'.  A modern morality tale occupied by greedy, self-centred people and the odd 'good' person corrupted by the unfolding events.  It doesn't have a happy ending.  Although, the best intentioned villains are allowed to move on to live their lives.  The 'Bring It All Down' sign affixed to part of the set becomes a rallying cry for one member of the audience who is looking for answers.  The cast's exhortation that there will be no revolution and that the story will go on offers little relief, but hope is never lost if you look for it.

Barry Watt - 23rd June 2014.

Afterword

'The Beggar's Opera' was written by John Gay in 1728 with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch.  Please see Wikipedia for more details.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beggar's_Opera

'Dead Dog In A Suitcase (and other love songs)' is currently on at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool.  Mr Punch and Judy plus their friends play a prominent role in the proceedings.  I do like Punch and Judy for the important role they have played in many cultures.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZomjRECjdo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N0YgC186PU

(Please see above links for some quite interesting promotional stuff for the show).

My endearing memory of today is the Road Fatality monument in one of the green spaces.  Haunting reminded of human frailty and endless risk taking.

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RoadPeace monument.  Very moving and sadly necessary.

Pretty good restaurant.

Everyman Theatre.  Very nice café area too!

Poster for 'Dead Dog in A Suitcase (and other Love Songs)'.

Sunset in Liverpool.