The monumental outdoor work, an ‘action’ presented as part of the Inside Out Project (a global participatory art initiative founded by French artist JR), will be presented at Royal Albert Dock from 30 July.
Titled ‘Think of Us’, the piece will be composed of hundreds of black and white portraits of Year 6 children from across Merseyside, printed as posters and pasted around the perimeter of the dock at water level. An audio accompaniment and online learning resource, which invites every Year 6 pupil in Merseyside to participate from home or in school, will also be presented alongside the work. Both will be available on biennial.com.
Throughout May and June, the Liverpool Biennial team will be working with educational partners across six boroughs, supporting the engagement of children across a broad range of schools and other educational settings, empowering them to explore how they interact with and understand the world. Workshops will focus on three core themes: ‘Portraits and Identity’, ‘Reclaiming Public Spaces’ and ‘Art and Social Change’. Following the workshops, each child will have their portrait taken and be invited to record a short verbal response, which will be used to create the audio element of the artwork.
The project has been devised to empower the region’s schoolchildren who, at the transitional stage of Year 6, are starting to seek out more independence and develop self-awareness ahead of moving on to secondary school.
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