An interview with Katie Lips about The Bold Street Project, Metro, Wednesday 27 June 2007.
Archive for the 'Exhibition' Category
The Bold Street Project in Metro
Published by June 28th, 2007 in Bold Street News, Cultural History of Bold Street, Exhibition and Work in Progress. 0 CommentsThis fine Golden Eagle sat above a magnificent onyx fireplace in the Reception Lounge at Radiant House, now the home of HMV and Argos.
Prior to this it graced the facade of the Woolright building which occupied the site of Radiant House and over the years the eagle been the subject of much rumour. In many mythologies, the eagle represents the sun, the fountain of “radiance” and many believe this is the reason for it’s pride of place within Radiant House.
The eagle is at least 150 years old and will be landing for the exhibition open to the public this Saturday.
Reading Richard Branson’s autobiography, Losing My Virginity today, we discovered that in March 1972, one of the first Virgin Records Stores ever was opened on Bold Street.
Apparently, the shop was the place to be seen for the teenagers of Liverpool, as a place to smoke marijuana and to lounge about upon the pillows provided. When this got out of hand, a doorman was enlisted to remind customers that Virgin was a shop, not a nightclub. If anyone has any photographs of the Bold Street Virgin store, has any stories to tell us about it, or even if you knew that doorman, we’d love to hear from you at boldstreet@fact.co.uk
Here is a CCTV shot of FACT’s Media Lounge with The Bold Street Project exhibition build in progress. Michelle Wren’s Bold Street collage model will fit in and around this carousel/bench construction with all the digital content in the windows and doorways of the model and an AppleTV video jukebox at the side (Tuesday 1.47pm).
The unveiling of a new piece if public art by local artist Robin Riley for Bold Street is reported in The Daily Post on 19 September 1960: “The draperies fell and there was the sort of silence in which everyone was wondering what to say … a child let out a howl … and a man with a beard said ‘Dreary old Liverpool strikes again’.
There is an emergency meeting of the Bold Street Association and “the statue itself is given police protection” before being removed after only three days. Interestingly, at the time Councillor Maguire of Crosby comments that he “would have liked it put on the Blundellsands sea front” … currently home of course to Anthony Gormley’s 100 iron figures.
Reproduced from John Willet’s “Art in a city” with thanks to Bryan Biggs at Bluecoat who is currently writing a foreword to a reprint of this seminal early 60’s book to be published by Liverpool University Press.
Perhaps it was inevitable, but we at FACT are still excited to discover that the Beatles played on Bold Street! In 1962 the Fab Four played twice in the slightly dingy surrounds of The Odd Spot Club at number 89, which apparently doubled as a casino. More photos of this can be found here.
Image by Alan Swerdlow.
I was given this photograph by my colleague Tony Dash. It is un-dated and credited to Dave Fobister. This fantastic study in handbags and furs shows the proper zebra crossing at the bottom end of Bold Street, the long gone shrubbery at The Lyceum and is also noteable for the fact that they are all crossing unperturbed by both signals declaring WAIT.
This is “Man ascending Bold Street” by Liverpool photographer Sean Halligan, taken in 1990 and we have just purchased the rights to use this fantastic image in the Bold Street Project Gallery Guide. The flyposters provide a cross-section of the Liverpool scene at the time - Spontaneous Cattle Combustion, Pele, St Helens prog-punk band Poisoned Electrick Head and Scorpio Rising - some of which will be included in the exclusive Bold Street iTunes playlist. More info on many of these bands here: http://www.link2wales.co.uk/lpool/
Bold Street, 2001
Published by June 1st, 2007 in Exhibition, FACT and History of Bold Street. 0 CommentsLooking through some old CDs of images today and came across this image taken on 26th January 2001. It shows Christians next to what is now Ropewalks Square, linking Bold Street to FACT.
“If you worked on Bold Street, you were someone”
Published by May 29th, 2007 in Exhibition and Work in Progress. 0 Comments
The quote above is taken from an interview with Myra Smith who worked in JG Mann Ladies Hairdressing Salon between 1947 -1954. Myra gave a colourful account of her time working with the highly glamourous and sometimes famous clientele of the time. She spoke about the hairdressing at the time and how it has changed significantly, in particular shampooing techniques!
Do you work in a hairdressers? Has the industry changed?
Did you get your hair cut at JG Manns?
Get in touch.
Bold Street was awash with red shirts last Wednesday (May 23rd) as Liverpool took on AC Milan in the Champions League Final. The street was buzzing from early in the morning until late at night as football fans from all over the world converged to cheer on the reds. A great atmosphere! Pity about the result!
In response to a question about 77 Bold Street, formally Cafe Berlin, the current occupier is YUMS Restaurant, server of Korean foods.
Mmmmmm. all you can eat!
Doreen Preston gave an insightful interview about her work in Clay & Abrham pharmacy which was located at 87 Bold Street. As a 19 year old in 1945, Doreen describes a very different Bold Street to the one we know today, she gives vivid descriptions of fleets of nannies with silver cross prams parading the children of the wealthy.
Doreen’s interview will be available in full very soon.
FACT’s Collaboration Programme is beginning a major new three-year programme of events and presentations using the city’s Bold Street as inspiration, subject, venue and metaphor. As one of the most important and historical streets in the city, Bold Street has a vast and rich story to tell. Its future looks uncertain as the Grosvenor project is drawing business to the other side of the city, suggesting its has passed its peak; deep in contrast with its past when Bold Street was regarded as the ‘Bond Street of the North’ notorious for its wealthy clientele.
tenantspin will help launch the programme with a new commission in the Media Lounge in June, working with Liverpool artist Michelle Wren and Amsterdam-based Social Media Evangelist Katie Lips from Kisky Netmedia to develop a diorama of Bold Street that includes a growing archive of still images, moving image content, live blog and a series of short film micro-commissions.