This week our Culture Radar guest is Co-Director of the Liverpool Architecture Foundation CIC (LAF), Lizzie Edge.
Loved: I popped over to Tate Liverpool’s Brickworks exhibition at RIBA North (National Architecture Centre) at Mann Island on my lunch break the week after the exhibition opened. While TATE Liverpool is undergoing exciting redevelopment their partnership with RIBA North has provided a superb opportunity to explore the intersection between art and architecture. As a practising architect with an interest in art, I loved how brick, a common construction material has been utilised in artistic work on display at the exhibition.
Looking forward to: The Anish Kapoor exhibition! I have tried to avoid any spoilers on social media so that I can be really in awe when I step into the Liverpool Cathedral. What a space to showcase his work!
I am also looking forward to checking out the Queer Places: The exhibition at Unit 3 Design Studio, an exhibition of the growing archive of Liverpool’s LGBTQ+ Spaces: Past, Present & Future. It’s been running since June and was part of the Liverpool Architecture Festival 2024 programme, but I didn’t have time to go along to support the project during the festival period. The graphics and promotional materials, including the guide designed by artist Luke Fawcett, look fantastic, so I am eagerly anticipating learning more about Liverpool’s LGBTQ+ heritage.
Trivia: This year, the Liverpool Architecture Foundation reached a major milestone. Our third festival, the Liverpool Architecture Festival 2024 (#LAF24) took place in June. It engaged with over 4,000 people and included a dedicated space for a festival hub and a pop-up exhibition for the first time. The Architecture Showcase presented work from architecture practices based throughout the Liverpool City Region, providing a great opportunity to interact with the public. We are looking forward to achieving more significant milestones for the 2026 festival – stay tuned!