Work to transform a historic monument in Liverpool city centre to represent the ongoing conflict in Ukraine could begin next week.
Culture Liverpool, the cultural division of Liverpool Council, has submitted proposals to the planning authority to surround the Nelson Monument in Exchange Flags with sandbags as part of the “Protect the Beats” art project. The artwork is part of the wider Eurovision Cultural Festival taking place in the city in the weeks to come.
New details have emerged as a decision on the project awaits to be confirmed. According to a design, access and heritage statement, the artwork has been designed to surround the lower half of the monument with sandbags similar to the way this was done in Ukraine at the start of the war with Russia to protect them. Screens and speakers will be set within the sandbags to show a film made with Ukrainian artists and musicians about the underground music scene that is continuing in the country through the conflict.
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Should the council’s planning department agree, construction of the temporary artwork will begin on Thursday and will be removed by Thursday May 18. The statement has been put together owing to the statue being a Grade II listed monument.
It was designed by Matthew Coates Wyatt and sculpted by Sir Richard Westmacott, to honour Admiral Horatio Nelson 1758-1805 who was killed while leading the English navy to victory against French Napoleonic forces at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The monument was Liverpool’s first major public sculpture and commemorates Nelson as a great English hero.
The statement said: “The proposed artwork has been carefully designed to sit comfortably against the grade II listed Nelson Monument. The method of construction and de-construction has been carefully designed in discussion with the council’s heritage officer to ensure that the temporary works cause no harm to the historic fabric of the listed building.
"Furthermore, due to the temporary nature of the artwork there are no long-term impacts upon the significance of Nelson Monument, the character and appearance of the Castle Street Conservation Area or the setting of the adjacent listed buildings; Exchange Flags and Town Hall. Once the artwork has been removed by May 18, the appearance and appreciation of all designated heritage assets will be fully restored.
"Any temporary harm caused by the artwork, screening part of the Nelson Monument is fully justified on the wider public benefits of the proposal.” To reduce the weight of the installation, reduce materials used and protect the listed monument, a wooden frame will be constructed around the monument against which one or two layers of sandbags will be installed creating the impression of a large body of sandbags against the monument.
A total of four TV screens will be set into the piece to show the film being created by Whispered Tales and collaborating artists in Ukraine. Around the monument a lower ring of sandbags will be laid out to create a barrier for the audience and to house speakers and lights.
Once the event is over, sandbags used will be transported to an “agreed location in or within a reasonable distance of Liverpool” and disposal of other material. The reusable parts of the wooden framework will be donated to a charity which uses reclaimed wood for community projects.
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