Art in Liverpool ONE

Jessica Slack

In March 2021 Jessica was commissioned by Liverpool ONE to create two floral-inspired wall murals for Peter’s Lane and for Chavasse park.

Following the success of this first commission, Jessica created other two pieces for the winter season.

Artist Bio

Jessica Slack is an abstract artist based in Liverpool. Jessica’s work is mostly inspired by colour and nature; her fascination with the power of colour and how it can evoke emotions when least expected leads to bold and vibrant abstract pieces. In her own words… 

“The shifting nature of the environment, from the changing seasons to the contrast between urban and rural landscapes is constant inspiration to me. The aim of my work is to capture feelings of joy, wonder and freedom – reflected in the bold use of colour, texture and abstract mark marking you see in my work.” 

Jessica has exhibited work in various exhibitions within the UK, been selected to feature in a book showcasing 50 inspiring female artists and most recently, was a Director’s Award Finalist in the Signature Art Prize and won the Bethlehem Card Commission Prize. 

Jazz Stan

Jazz was commissioned by Liverpool ONE to create a mural for Valentine’s Day 2022 on College Lane. 

Jessica Arrowsmith Stanley, AKA Jazz Stan, is a Liverpool based mural artist who works with a mix of media in a diverse range of styles and sizes.

A fusion of fine art technique and contemporary sensibilities underpins her aesthetic, resulting in bold, engaging works. The work has recently expanded to include elements of abstract expressionism, working with more natural tones and automatic mark-making to communicate the artist’s perspective more clearly.

Jazz’s commissioned works vary from large scale murals to original canvases in colour schemes and styles catered to the clients’ preference. Prominent public works are in situ from the across the Northwest to London and Dubai.

Comics Youth, Safe Space

Comics Youth is a charity founded in 2015, a creative community organisation led by young people, for young people, with the aim of empowering them across the Liverpool City Region to flourish from the margins of society.

In September 2021, Comics Youth installed two murals in Liverpool ONE for Youth Mental Health Day.

The vinyls were part of a trail called “Safe Spaces”: combining an art exhibition across public spaces with a guided podcast produced by young people, the Safe Spaces Trail aimed at providing a calming and empowering tour around Liverpool City Centre, across locations that instil a sense of safety and belonging, particularly at a time when re-entering public spaces could bring with it new elements of anxiety due to the global pandemic, lockdown, and other societal concerns.

Richard Woods, Holiday Home

In August 2021, Liverpool ONE hosted Richard Wood’s “Holiday Home” installation as part of Culture Liverpool’s ‘Very Public Art’ project.

Very Public Art was a series of installations and activations across the summer of 2021, each one a showcase for local communities and creatives to tell stories. Eight brand new commissions were dotted in locations across Liverpool as residents and visitors went out exploring the city again.

British artist Richard Woods was born in Chester in 1966 and graduated from the Slade School of Fine Art, London in 1990, where he trained as a sculptor. His work is influenced by British architecture, creating an interesting mix of art, architecture, and design. He often puts a twist on the cult of home DIY and uses cartoon-like, bold patterns and vibrant colours.

Recent projects include installations at Frieze London, Wander Art in London, a major architectural commission for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, and the interior of the Comme des Garçons flagship store in Osaka.

“Holiday Home” was modelled on an everyday British bungalow with bright and bold features, giving it the perfect ‘holiday home’ feel. It was scaled to a third of the size of an everyday British bungalow, making it doll-like but with an architectural feel. The artist, who is known for replicating recognisable objects with vibrant colours and prints, was inspired by his 1920’s childhood home interior and interests in home renovation, DIY culture, and notions of taste. The neon colours, and black lines which he is particularly keen on, trademark his cartoon style and it is this cartoon appearance that separates the house from the real world in which it sits.

Linder, Bower of Bliss

“Bower of Bliss” was a major public commission by British artist Linder for Liverpool Biennial 2021.

The mural, installed on College Lane, referenced the ‘bower’ as a womb, a place of safety and a place to rest, a garden sanctuary which brought nature into the centre of the city with a lush floral backdrop rich in blossoming life, aiming to capture the spirit and the joyous moment of the city reopening after the lockdown. The new photomontage work was inspired by the act of transformation and the daily life of women in Liverpool throughout history.

Passers-by could look at the mural or interact with it by taking a photo or a selfie with or of the mural – becoming a shared memory for many, a way of connecting.

Linder Sterling, commonly known as Linder, is known for her photography, radical feminist photomontage and confrontational performance art. She uses photography, photomontage, and performance to critique past and contemporary gender roles, specifically the representation of women. As part of her investigations into women’s history, Linder researches archives and develops displays championing underrepresented voices.

Bebbington, Rainbow Runner

Faith Bebbington studied sculpture at Winchester College of Art, set up her Liverpool studio in 1993 and now works nationally creating public artworks and exhibiting her sculpture. She also devises themed and issue-based art projects in partnership with local schools, communities, and cultural organisations such as Culture Liverpool and Dadafest.

Faith’s artistic practice initially stemmed from having cerebral palsy, a disability that made her curious about how people and animals move, exploring this through figurative sculptures playing with balance, the process of falling, and capturing sequences of movement whether human or animal.

“The Runner” was originally commissioned as part of Liverpool Discovers public art trail across the city.  It was originally painted neon yellow and sat atop an old weigh bridge at Kings Park on The Strand in 2011. Its livery was then changed to neon orange as a Rise commission for its display in the Leeds Liverpool canal basin area for The Mersey River Festival in 2019.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Faith wanted to reimagine the work, painting each of the seven life-size figures a different colour of the rainbow, which has become a symbol of hope and strength during the crisis. This new colour scheme was a way to acknowledge the extraordinary time we have been living in and particularly thanking essential and key workers. The “Rainbow Runner” was born!

The temporary installation on the Hilton roof was organised in October 2020 by dot-art and funded through Liverpool City Council’s Without Walls project, which was designed to fill the streets with cultural content and encourage audiences back into the city centre after the COVID-19 crisis.

School’s competition, dot-art

dot-art Schools is an interactive, online, inter-school, art competition, taking place annually and culminating in a public exhibition of the winning artworks and prize giving.

Schools submit photographs of students’ artwork and a judging panel of respected arts professionals shortlist the top three entries from each school. The public vote online for their favourite shortlisted entry, and the entry with most votes from each school wins a place in the exhibition. The overall winners and runners up are selected by a guest judge and announced at the prize giving ceremony.

The artworks are displayed every year in a public exhibition, and were a collective mural in Liverpool ONE.

Tabitha Jussa, Agency of Women

In March 2020, a vinyl backdrop designed by Tabitha was installed in Liverpool ONE, inviting visitors to use it as a selfie backdrop and share their selfies with the hashtag #scouseselfie.

Tabitha Jussa is a Liverpool-based artist working within photography, with a keen focus on socio-political issues.

Tabitha’s work offers a different approach to documentary photography, bridging the gap between contemporary and traditional photography. Her knowledge and skillset of film and printing includes darkroom techniques stretching back to the earliest days of photography, alongside digital processes. Tabitha Jussa has received several awards and commissions for her work, exhibiting nationally and internationally. She was the recipient of the Liverpool Art Prize 2014 Judges and People’s Choice award.

“Agency of Women” was Tabitha’s first artist-in-residence commission for the National Trust and Hardman House, funded by Arts Council England. The project celebrated the female leadership behind the success of Liverpool’s cultural sectors. By exploring the archive of formal portraiture taken by Liverpool society photographers E. Chambré and Margaret Hardman in the mid-20th century, Tabitha used contemporary portraiture to highlight the creative women blazing a trail in the city today.

Taking E. Chambré Hardman’s hand colour-tinted portraits as a starting point, Tabitha reflected on today’s use of our own portraits, specifically the ‘selfie’, and how this is made possible through mobile phone photography and filters.