Moon landing in Liverpool for Tall Ships Regatta

A giant, 23ft replica of the moon is coming to Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral as part of an extensive programme of events across the city over the final bank holiday weekend in May. 

Created by renowned British artist Luke Jerram, the stunning “Museum of the Moon” uses detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface and includes a sound composition created by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award-winning composer Dan Jones.

The art work forms part of the “Changing Tides” creative programme curated for the Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta taking place on May 25-28.

Other programme highlights include a top secret, UK premier from European digital artists Visual Skin, which will be revealed in the week leading up to the event.

There will also be a spectacular performance by Wired Aerial Theatre and the chance to cast off your shoes and step foot inside a 50ft inflatable sperm whale created by Circo Rum Ba Ba.

A stunning new water ballet, The Sun, The Moon and the Stars, has been commissioned from House of Suarez and will be performed around the city centre and the Pier Head.

Wirral Council is also preparing to bring a fantastic creative programme of entertainment along the New Brighton waterfront and Hamilton Square in partnership with Culture Liverpool.

Local sculptor Faith Bebbington is creating a 15ft high cat made entirely out of milk bottles, which will go on display at the Albert Dock chasing her famous “Super Rat”, which hit the headlines after it appeared on a rooftop in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle in 2016.

She said: “When I was asked to create something to coincide with the Tall Ships coming back to the city I was thinking about the problems of rats on ships and the idea of creating a Ships cat came to me. The fact that the sculptures are also made from milk bottles was important too as there is a real focus on the problem of plastic waste in our oceans currently.”

Faith’s sculpture is not the only project which will focus on the topical issue of marine pollution. Artist Lulu Quinn has been commissioned to create a huge message in a bottle sculpture, constructed from thousands of recycled plastic bottles containing personal messages from local school children about the future of the environment.

On the final day of the festival, the bottle will be transported by one of Tall Ships for the Parade of Sail, which sees the ships head out of the River Mersey and on to Dublin for the second leg of the event. The bottle will eventually go on display in Bordeaux, France, where the Tall Ships Regatta finishes in June.

Claire McColgan, director of Culture Liverpool, said: “The Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta in 2018 takes place between Liverpool, Dublin and Bordeaux and our creative programme aims to unite these port destinations.

“We will showcase the very best in local arts and culture alongside artists from around the globe through an exciting series of commissions, installations, sculptures, exhibitions and performances.”

The link with Dublin and Bordeaux is further reflected in the programme with the Albert Dock acting as a stage for Celtic animation and entertainment and Pier Head hosting French inspired jazz and circus as part of the world’s leading wine event Bordeaux Fete le Vin (The Bordeaux Wine Festival) visiting Europe for the first time.

Commissioned by Culture Liverpool and part funded by Arts Council England, this exciting programme of international and local art works, installations, music, dance and theatrical performances is part of the Liverpool 2018 programme, celebrating ten years since Liverpool’s reign as European Capital of Culture.

Full details will be announced over forthcoming weeks. For more information visit www.tallshipsliverpool.co.uk

Liverpool Waterfront