The Bluecoat has a long relationship with deaf and disability arts organisation DaDaFest who have been based in their building since 2008. As part of their 40th birthday year, this archive exhibition will chart the various festivals, events and exhibitions hosted at the arts centre.
Open Sat 8 – Mon 31 Mar, 11am-5pm
Free entry
Launching DDFI40 on International Women’s Day, ‘Hand Ships Sail’ is a poetic conversation in British Sign Language (BSL) – the vital, visual and versatile language of British deaf communities.
Two deaf women share their dreams for the future as they look out over the night sky. Intriguing and sensual, the projected artwork begins with giant hands resembling ships at sea, rocked by waves. The sailing hands represent the lifelong voyage all deaf people must take, navigating discrimination in the hearing world. The Cunard is one of Liverpool’s Three Graces, part of the iconic waterfront and famous for its nautical history as the original headquarters of the Cunard shipping line.
Cathy Mager is a deaf and Bristol-based artist and curator, specialising in immersive and monumental art installations in unusual spaces. She is founder and director of Spectroscope, an arts collective that has pioneered sign language projection mapping for the BBC, Bristol Light Festival, Science Gallery London and Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art. Previously, she has directed public realm artworks and exhibitions for Bristol Beacon, Forestry England, Southbank Centre, Arts on the Underground and Historic Royal Palaces.
Access: BSL is integrated into this performance. Captions and audio description will also be available.
About DDFI40:
DaDaFest International returns 8th-31st March 2025 to celebrate DaDa’s 40th Anniversary and this time they are coming with ‘RAGE: A Quiet Riot’.
DDFI40 will showcase work by disabled artists that captures all shapes and sides of rage. From the internal quiet frustrations and righteous rage, to overt injustice and activism, DDFI40 will explore disability rights, disability arts, access, ableism and ‘Rage’ in an explosion of creativity.
Matt’s practice explores dreams, reality and anxiety. His work sits between video games, live performance and visual art, having previously created artworks for performances, live art events and festivals. As a disabled artist making work about his lived experience, Matt’s practice draws upon autobiographical material to create interactive artworks.
Matt is a recipient of FACT’s 2024 Digital Artist Residencies programme, produced in partnership with DaDa and Lucid Games. For this residency, supported in partnership with DaDa, Matt has created a new digital artwork about myalgia encephalomyelitis (M.E.) and chronic fatigue.
About DDFI40:
DaDaFest International returns 8th-31st March 2025 to celebrate DaDa’s 40th Anniversary and this time they are coming with ‘RAGE: A Quiet Riot’.
DDFI40 will showcase work by disabled artists that captures all shapes and sides of rage. From the internal quiet frustrations and righteous rage, to overt injustice and activism, DDFI40 will explore disability rights, disability arts, access, ableism and ‘Rage’ in an explosion of creativity.
The final screening of the season will be Abi Palmer’s Slime Mother.
The film combines spoken word with languorous panning shots of slugs sliding, twisting and suspending from branches. A narrator’s voice guides us through a ‘slug-god world’, recounting memories of a childhood spent hating slugs, pouring salt and flicking them away, to a new perspective of worship, love and coexistence. Palmer’s words, combined with beautifully composed film work, transforms the slug from a hated body into the divine.
Tue 4-Sun 16 Mar, 11am-5pm. Free entry.
‘Mars’, Luke Jerram’s mesmerising art installation, moves into a new orbit at Norton Priory Museum and Gardens in Runcorn from now until Sunday 9 March – its first ever appearance in Merseyside and Cheshire.
Following the success of ‘Museum of the Moon’ in October 2021 and ‘Gaia’ Earth in January 2024, ‘Mars’ is the latest of the UK artist’s spectacular planetary installations to be displayed in Norton Priory’s impressive visitor centre atrium.
Measuring six metres in diameter, ‘Mars’ is a touring artwork featuring detailed NASA imagery of the Martian surface. Visitors will be able to view the installation from a variety of different angles, including an intimate viewing experience looking down on the Red Planet from the centre’s mezzanine balcony.
Against the stunning planetary backdrop, more than 30 different ‘out-of-this-world’ events will offer a wide range of fantastic experiences for both adults and children. TV’s famous Clanger models are rocketing in for special adventures in their own Space Garden and youngsters can enjoy dozens of exciting intergalactic craft sessions, Space Rover Lego building, storytelling, games, activities and music at weekends and over February half term.
Liverpool String Quartet and Cheshire’s Constabulary Band will delight concert audiences with magical musical journeys into outer space and Liverpool Astronomical Society will be hosting a special public Astronomy Day on Saturday 15 February.
Space-inspired comedy shows, storytelling, myths and legends, and talks on the Solar System and the Space Rover’s search for life on Mars will take audience minds ‘to infinity and beyond’, while more spiritual experiences on offer include meditation, yoga and healing gong baths.
During the six-week installation, normal museum opening times will move later in the day to allow for nighttime viewings. Special ‘Night at the Museum’ tickets are available, offering reduced price visits between 5pm and 7pm, and the wider museum will be open between 12 noon and 7pm for the duration of Mars’ time at Norton Priory. During the February half-term, opening times will be extended by two hours to cover 10am – 7pm.
Families are invited to explore the magic of Mars at the museum, with free child entry for standard museum visits (charges for children will apply for special events). Usual entry prices for visits between 12 noon and 7pm apply, with free entry for members of Norton Priory Museum and Gardens. Special discounted rates apply for ‘Night at the Museum’ viewings (5-7pm), and special events will be available at a range of prices.
For more information about visiting Norton Priory Museum and Gardens, Mars special events or book advance tickets, please visit www.nortonpriory.org.
For details of the Mars at the Museum event programme, there is a dedicated page on Norton Priory’s website: https://www.nortonpriory.org/events.php?category_id=17
Featuring dot-art Artists Charlotte Weatherstone, Kirsten Todd & Mariana Potetenko, ‘ICONIC WOMEN’ carries us through Women’s History Month which celebrates the contributions of women around the globe to events in history and contemporary life.
The portraits you will see will bring a rush of film names, songs and dates to mind as the women in this exhibition have driven progress through scientific efforts, in the sports industry and changing the views of women in the media and culture. From local legends to the world stage, they each show characteristics of excellence, channelling their talents and strength to rise; a rising tide raises all boats.
Kirsten Todd
Specialising in portraits, Kirsten works mainly in acrylics and aims to capture, vibrancy, energy, strength, balance and beauty within the people she paints. Her latest series of portraits ‘Rise of the Divine Feminine’ highlights the rise of feminine energy within us at this time of great change, celebrating the strength of womenkind. Kirsten’s portraits in this exhibition focus on the ground-breaking and fiercely original women of predominantly the entertainment world, from Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry, Tina Turner and her electrifying stage presence to Lauryn Hill’s vulnerability, authenticity and talent for musical storytelling.
Mariana Potetenko
“As a Ukrainian artist who made Liverpool my home in 2022 after the war in Ukraine began, I was deeply moved to be part of this exhibition dedicated to the famous women of this city. The process of creating these portraits allowed me to connect with the city on a deeper level and to celebrate the women who have left an indelible mark on its history. My selection includes women from diverse backgrounds and fields, each of whom represents a unique aspect of Liverpool’s rich heritage.”
Instantly recognisable faces like Cilla Black and Kim Cattrall are painted in vibrant strokes alongside new some names you will remember after you leave the exhibition, such as Louise Kenny, a pioneering professor in women’s health and cancer survivor, who has made significant contributions to medical research, improving lives and advancing science.
Charlotte Weatherstone
Charlotte studied Graphics at Liverpool John Moores University and is an illustrator, designer and mural artist based in Liverpool. “This series of illustrated and mixed media portraits is a tribute to some of the most iconic women in the music industry during their early or breakthrough years. PJ Harvey, Siouxsie Sioux from Siouxsie and the Banshees, Grace Jones, Courtney Love from Hole, and Björk. These artists have influenced and inspired me at different stages of my life, not only through their groundbreaking music but also through their bold live performances, candid interviews, revolutionary fashion and, most importantly, their unapologetic attitude.
For me, attitude is what defines a person, it is the force that shapes how they navigate the world, take risks, and make their presence felt. Using my signature linear style, I sought to distil their spirit into a visual form using simple yet expressive mark making tools which reflect the raw energy, complexity, depth of these women. Each have taught me how to embrace boldness, defy convention, and remain authentic in the face of adversity.”
All artworks are for sale.
Join them for the Private View of the exhibition on Thursday 13th February from 5pm-7pm.
All welcome, but please register here: iconic-women-dot-art.
The dot-art Gallery can be found at 14 Queen Avenue, Castle Street, Liverpool, L2 4TX (just 5 minutes’ walk from Liverpool One).
Opening times: Tuesday – Saturday, 10am-6pm
The exhibition runs 14th February – 29th March 2025.
The Atkinson is set to host a vibrant new exhibition, Floribunda, celebrating the diversity of flora from the North West through contemporary art and craft.
Opening in February 2025, the exhibition will showcase a stunning collection of works by HAND GROWN, a group of 10 Wirral-based female artists, offering a fresh take on the timeless creative theme of representing nature. Floribunda aims to challenge the viewer’s perception of plants including fungi and lichen that we may overlook in our own neighbourhoods.
Shiraz Bayjoo’s film Ile de France explores the diverse landscape and history of Shiraz Bayjoo’s home country, Mauritius. The artist uses moving image to examine the impact of colonialism which remains visible across the island today.
You’ll see the country’s rugged coastline, French graffiti found in early settlements, sugar plantations overgrown with plants and vines and thick forests.
Shiraz Bayjoo is a contemporary multi-disciplinary artist working across painting, photography and video. Often using material stored in personal and public archives, Bayjoo explores cultural memory and postcolonial nationhood by tracing the history of people and places.
This is Laura McCann’s second exhibition in “The Many Faces” series, commissioned by Liverpool charity Sahir.
The photographs feature individuals from Sahir’s “Many Hands” group, all of whom have had to leave their countries of birth because of strict laws and attitudes against LGBTQ+ people. This year marks Sahir’s 40th anniversary and Laura also wanted to highlight how things have altered in the UK over that time. To do this Laura has juxtaposed the portraits of the Many Hands group with artists from the city’s drag scene.
She hopes the stark contrast illustrates that change is possible and that there is liberation in living authentically. Laura never uses flash, extra lighting or excessive editing, she does this to primarily put people at ease during their shoot but also to celebrate them as they are in reality.
This project was made possible by The National Lottery Community Fund.
A unique opportunity to dig deeper into the history of the Bluecoat!
They’re interested to hear your own Bluecoat stories and how you’d like to make use of the archive, including online through their Library.
Explore the history of Liverpool’s oldest city centre building and the UK’s first arts centre, through a selection of photos, slides, posters, programmes, architectural plans, and more.
Sat 15 Feb & Sat 14 Mar, 11am-4.30pm
Free, drop in