For families or culture vultures looking for a day well-spent this Black History Month, The World Reimagined is bringing the 10 globes from its Liverpool City Region trail to Paradise Street at Liverpool ONE from 22 – 31 October 2022.
The groundbreaking free experience will explore themes ranging from Mother Africa to Still We Rise and Expanding Soul with an enormous range of interpretations and creative styles. The sculptures are an invitation for people, families, businesses, and communities to talk together about how they understand their history; how the past—particularly the UK’s relationship with the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans—shapes the future; and how to act for social change to make racial justice a reality.
Liverpool City Region’s sculpture trail has been created by the artists Fiona Compton, Caroline Daly, Nicola Constantina, Jioni Warner, Amy Bourbon, Kimathi Donkor, Sumuyya Khader, Amber Akaunu, Bryony Benge-Abbott and Catherine Chinatree.
Currently a trail across all six boroughs of Liverpool City Region, the globes will now come together at Liverpool ONE for the end of Black History Month to allow visitors a unique opportunity to view and enjoy all 10 large scale artworks at once.
As people visit the Globes, they will also be able to explore an online collection of short, accessible stories that bring this history and its modern day impacts to life. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this unique collection features contributions from historians, museums and heritage organisations, including Professor Kehinde Andrews, the British Library and Know Your Caribbean.
Supported by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the Globes will be at Liverpool ONE over the half term holidays. For parents looking to introduce their children with the history and cause of racial justice, The World Reimagined also offers free online resources for artistic and creative activities they can do at home to start the conversation. The resources build on its Learning Programme that has been delivered in more than 200 schools over the last year, which saw more than 35 schools across Liverpool City Region create their own smaller Globe sculptures.
With community organisations across Liverpool City Region also hosting their own events and creating Globes as part of the programme, The World Reimagined is one of the largest art education projects for racial justice the UK has ever seen. Bringing together art, education, activism and community, it captures a unique moment in time to examine a shared history, helping audiences to better understand what it means to be British.
“It has been so exciting to see how people have responded to the globe trails. Over half term, we want to make it as easy as possible for people to feel the collective power of these incredible, thought-provoking and inspiring works of art. They invite us to understand it is not ‘Black history’—it’s all of our history. And all of us have a role to play in the work of making racial justice a reality. So we hope you will visit the Globes when they are all together at Liverpool ONE”
Michelle Gayle, co-founder of The World Reimagined
“We’re honoured to host all 10 of The World Reimagined Globes, that have been on display across the Liverpool City Region, at Liverpool ONE. We are committed to supporting projects and initiatives that help to create stronger, more resilient and vibrant communities. Hosting the globes in the city centre, during what’s expected to be a busy half term, will serve as the perfect finale for Black History Month and help to encourage conversations on an important topic for our city.”
Donna Howitt, Place Strategy Director at retail and leisure destination Liverpool ONE