Liverpool 2011

These are my 11 highlights of my recent trip to Liverpool where I met up with Bux.

#1 Meeting Bux, always have a great laugh together trawling round Liverpool with Bux, spotting the wonderful and obscure. Whether it be graffiti or locals, she makes me laugh and is a Liverpool Girl.

Banksy Rat? The display I'm pointing to says "FUNK"

Eddie Lizard and me!

#2 The best cup of tea. Made by Mr Bux.

#3 Girl collapsing at my feet at the train station. She was ok in the end.

#4 Broken train ticket machine that made us miss our train. Later found out we could have got on without a ticket!

#5 Shocked and impressed by large rooms in Fact and Volcanic projections.

#6 Impressed by the food as usual in Egg, veggie restaurant where we both had Bolognaise, rice, pasta and salad.  Then both felt bloated afterwards from eating a little to much.

How much food for £5

Inside Egg

Egg head on the stairs

View From The Egg Window

#7 In awe of the incredible talent that was Magritte at his exhibition on show at Tate Liverpool.  The £10 entry fee is well worth it to see all him masterworks, including, films, sketchbooks, posters, sculptures, graphics and of course those most famous paintings "this is not a pipe" and "the recklace sleeper!" Who Bux thought was actually me!  Sourcing and collecting the images from around the world, must have taken years. A lot of thought had gone into the hanging of the pictures too. Paintings that were similar or had some significance where put together, the layout wasn't simply determined by a chronological order.  The humour of Magritte was on show for all to see.  As with the Picasso Exhibition last year the Tate gives you both barrels and you are left feeling overwhelmed by information.  A return pass to come back the following day would be a good idea for shows such as this.  It's impossible to take it all in a single viewing.  The Tate should be commended for pulling all the work together and putting on such a spectacle.

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#8 View Two Gallery. Watch this space to see if I can get some of my work exhibited there.

#9 Getting mistaken for a Liverbird Egg in the Liverpool Museum.  In the foyer was a Punch and Judy style mock up of the Liver Builder, perched on top was a woman dressed as a Liver Bird - she was entertaining the crowd of about 50 people in the foyer.  we walked into the area and I heard "eh arr you look like one of my eggs!" everyone looked around.. and I thought oh my god, she's talking about me, next thing.. "Yeah, you, you're head looks like one of my eggs, can I come and sit on it!" Everyone looked at me and started laughing! It always happens to me. I did see the funny side but I'm sure I was red with embarrassment; Bux said it was very ‘eggciting.’

Liverpool Museum.....

The museum itself was architecturally interesting with a massive spiral staircase paying homage to Frank Lloyd Wrights Guggenheim Gallery, although externally the building has more in common with the Oslo Opera House and not FLW's organic building.

Staircase inside Liverpool Museum

Inside the exhibition spaces were interesting yet, to me looked like the idea of showing Liverpool was lost in all the whizz bangs of gadgetry.  It felt like a team of recent graduates from a Museum and Exhibition Degree had been asked to design it and they'd done so using every trick in the book.  I can see how it would appeal to younger audiences, but I once you've been and seen the exhibits I wonder would you go back again. 

The building had only just opened so there were many locals in there and tourists, I hope they utilise the space wisely because it felt to random an experience to me.  This was completely different from the well planned and thought-out Magritte exhibition next door.

I think the best attraction within the museum was undoubtedly the view from the giant windows at either side. Both Windows look out over the Mersey, north and south to the Three Graces and the Albert Dock.

#10 Inside the Liver Building.  This weekend saw the Centenary of the Building and to celebrate the whole of the dock area was being transformed by lights, performance, music, and art. Giant paper fish sculptures where hung above the water, a performance stage was being set up, and residents were milling about eating ice cream in anticipation.  The Liver Building itself had opened its door to the public and was hosting an exhibition of its history.  From the elaborate marble staircases, and Edwardian panelled board rooms to the 60's refurbishment, the whole building was documented and presented.

Marble Stairs inside the Liver Building, Liverpool.

View from inside the Liverbuilding looking up through the skylight at the 60's revamp of the building.

#11 The Locals: with the exception of Geordies, I think Liverpudians are the friendliest people in the country.  On the train three scallies in their late 50's where sat opposite two girls in their early 20's.  The three men where flirting with the girls, but not in a seedy way in a friendly jokey way. After about 5 minutes of chatting one of the men motioned his friend to sing to the girls.. So he starts singing ‘L'amour‘ loudly in the compartment. We were sat there laughing along with the girls and the two other guys, after he'd finished there was even applause, then one of the men said "Go on John, give her a bit of Frank!".  We bore witness to a great rendition of "under my skin" the two girls by this point (and the rest of the passengers) were in fits of laughter.  As his station pulled into view one of the men said, thank you very much girls, same time next week.  The other man said to everyone else "thanks you and goodnight!"  

Overhearing scousers chatting at the dockside, I was looking down into the watery dock and watching some tiny jellyfish when I heard a couple chatting:

Man: hey la, u seen all those jellyfish in there?
Woman: (looking in) oh yeah it's amazing how they survive with all that rubbish in there..
Man: (takes a drag of his cigarette, then casually flicks it into the water) aye la, I know!!

Smoking Jellyfish in here!

Another mad local managed to find us in the Liverpool Museum.  Whilst playing a music quiz in one of the exhibition spaces we realised we were playing against 4 other people, one was a middle aged woman. She was shouting out all the answers when she got one right, and asking me random questions about the quiz.  These people seem to be attracted by me, maybe my head is like a lightbulb for them and they are the moths banging against it. This woman was no exception she shouted to this couple who were also playing, "Hey do I know yous? you were here yesterday?" The couple completely confused shrugged no.  She then told everyone that she'd been playing the quiz all morning! To which I said to Bux "and she was here yesterday too, else how would she know if that couple where here then! "