Saturday
Sat. 08-11-2008: Requests at the Liverpool ‘08 desk and leisure
At the Liverpool ‘08 desk…
This morning we went out the official Liverpool ‘08 information centre for some practical information about the events. The modern, multimedia based (touchscreens everywhere!) information desk is situated in the heart of Liverpool One, the new shopping centre we wrote about earlier. Besides informing about the Capital of Culture there’s also a lot of merchandise you can buy out here.
We hear stories about all the great events and impresive numbers, but we also understand there are several projects mainly focussing on helping out deprived areas and creating jobs. One of those projects is Merseywise, which plays an active role in run down areas such as Croxteth.
Obviously, the lady behind the desk is very enthusiastic about all the events. She even claims that all the events of this year were a success.
We ask the girl about the ten best visited events:
- Exposition on Gustav Klimt
- Turner Prize
- LA Machine (the big spider / opening act)
- Exposition on Le Corbusier
- Super Lambananas
- MTV Awards
- Liverpool Sound
- Concert of Simon Rattle
- Matthew Street Festival
- Liverpool Unites
Are there any similarities? We learn that open, public and big (size, money, activity) events score best. Big names (Liverpool Sound featured sir Paul McCartney, the MTV Awards had a lot of popular superstars) makes an event succesful for sure. (Pop) music and easy-to-grasp public art are mainly represented on this list. Of course the definition of ‘culture’ is much broader than the content and atmosphere of these 10 events, but this is what works in Liverpool.
Crossing the Mersey!
In the afternoon, after a few days of long and hard work, we take some time to ourselves. When visiting Liverpool, one should definitely cross the river Mersey on the world famous ferry, so that’s precisely what we did! On the other side, in a small village called Birkenhead, the only (cultural) attractions are situated at the ferry dock itself! There’s not much to see or do after 50 meters or so. The ferry dock consists of a huge indoor playground for kids, a space expo centre (currently showcasing Doctor Who props) and an aquarium (not open yet).
