The artists exhibiting at Bluecoat, as part of Liverpool Biennial, explored the intimate connections between humans and nature.
Visitors saw Jadé Fadojutimi’s vibrant abstract paintings which explore how bodies and nature are in constant flux, mesmeric documentary style films by Laura Huertas Millán and Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, plus intricate sculptural works by Roland Persson, Kathleen Ryan and André Romão, which point to new ways of connecting with the natural world. Plus a colourful mural along out wall on Blundell Lane, based on edible weeds found in Liverpool by Jorgge Menna Barreto.
We also had Bluecoat Platform, an outdoor artwork in our front courtyard, designed by artists Simon & Tom Bloor with children from Bluecoat's Out of the Blue afterschool arts club. Bitowski DJ'd around the sculpture, where we ran a series of fun activities for families to get involved with throughout the evening.
We gave out free activity packs from our front courtyard, for children to create their own sculptures or join in from home by following along with artist Laura Pullig as she showed them how to make their own Platform from scrap materials.
We also premiered a trailer from a new film Elements by Liverpool artists Amber Akaunu & Elliss Josef on our website, that we then showed in full later in the year.
Elements explore a pre-colonial time, when our ancestors lived in harmony with the four elements. Elements reflects and explores the connection that descendants of Africa will always have to Fire, Water, Earth and Air. Energetically, this translates to action, emotionality, grounding and intuitiveness. This short-film is an uncovering of how such connection is prevalent in 2021, especially as the global pandemic majorly facilitated a shift in our sense of self. Furthermore, it's a call to those who are spiritually searching within the materialistic led society we’ve been conditioned within for centuries.
The film is is narrated by Josef’s words about connection to Fire, Water, Earth & Air and was filmed by Akaunu in various locations across North West England and Wales in August 2020.
LightNight photographs by Brian Roberts.