Museum of Liverpool themes and displays
Facade of LIPA (the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts)
by Neil Buchanon
Our City is a project that celebrates special and little-known places on Merseyside.
We are inviting members of the public to submit artwork that illustrates and tells us something about a place in Merseyside that is important to you - for example a place that you know from childhood, or go to relax, explore or think, or somewhere that you want to tell other people about.
We want you to showcase these special places across the region in a creative and dynamic light, using a variety of mediums, such as drawing, painting, photography and digital art. Each piece of work needs to be accompanied by a short description of where it is and why it is special. You can write about what you see, describe textures, smells, and colours, and tell us how it makes you feel.
Neil Buchanan, the artist and former presenter of 'Art Attack', was the first person to take part. He said:
"I am starting off the 'Our City' project by creating a slot cardboard model of my 'special' place in Liverpool - LIPA. I went to school there when it was the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys. In fact, it was in the art room there that I was first inspired to create Art Attack - so it really is a special place for me."
The project will run from October 2008 until 2011, when the work will be shown on a digital map in the History Detectives gallery of the new Museum of Liverpool.
If you have a Flickr account you can submit an image of your special place to the Our City group. Please include a short piece of writing about why you chose the place in the description field. Make sure you geotag your work, so that it can be included on the Our City Flickr group map.
Those of you who are not Flickr members will be able to send us your images via this website soon.
For further information about the project and how you can get involved please email Lizzy Rodgers.
The Museum of Liverpool will be the largest newly built national museum in Britain for almost a century. Opening in 2010/11 it will be a fantastic family day out and an exceptional learning and community resource. The museum is the major physical and cultural legacy of 2008, Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture.
History Detectives, the museum's hands-on gallery, is aimed at helping local people understand their place and its past. The focal point of this area will be an interactive map featuring artwork produced by local people as part of the Our City project.
Our City is a joint initiative between National Museums Liverpool and the Liverpool Culture Company.