The final piece in the UK’s largest multi-city street art project, in support of the @GetItRight campaign, is unveiled today in Liverpool with a giant design that celebrates Liverpool’s dynamic creative and digital industries.
Fittingly adorning two 20m x 20m walls of the art deco former Littlewoods building, which is undergoing a £25m transformation into new state of the art film and television studios, the design, is inspired by four of the city’s hottest new talents across music, digital and TV.
The artwork is the fourth and final piece in the UK’s largest ever nationwide street art project which has seen 788 hours of painting and over 850 cans of spray paint used to cover a combined wall space of almost 1,400m sq.
The project was commissioned by the consumer education initiative Get it Right from a Genuine Site which aims to raise awareness and respect for the value of the UK’s creative industries.
The artworks in Birmingham, Cardiff, Bournemouth and now Liverpool, each tell the unique story of the creativity that is helping shape the cultural identity each city now and in the future.
In Liverpool, the mural pays homage to the burgeoning film and television industry, with dramatic references to the SFX capabilities of the city. Liverpool’s heritage and current position in the gaming space is also included, with a nod to the cult game WipEout, dreamed up by Liverpool based studios Psygnosis.
Also featuring are bold flashes of some of the Liverpool’s freshest talent:
- Musician and producer Lapsley whose fans include Sam Smith and Adele, and who recently played at Coachella festival
- British actress Katherine Rose Morley who recently starred in BBC hit drama Thirteen as well as Last Tango in Halifax
- Musician Louis Berry, a rock & roll singer from Kirkby who was named ‘One to watch’ by Liverpool’s GIT awards in 2015
- Digital entrepreneur Leon Rossiter who founded Instinctive Co. and who represents the ‘young digital’ face of Liverpool
The mural has been painted by globally renowned, street artist ‘Replete’ and Liverpool talent ‘Beta’.
On seeing the mural completed for the first time, British TV drama actress Katherine Rose Morley said, “Liverpool has so much to give to the creative industry, and I’m hugely proud to be a part of a campaign that’s rooting for local creativity.
@GetItRight is promoting an important message about how everyone should value the creativity on their own doorstep and beyond. There’s so much diverse creative work that happens in this city, and this artwork celebrates each and every person involved. The @getitright campaign stands for creating a community that believes in getting creative work from legitimate sources, so that the work can continue – and that’s why I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Lapsley adds “Liverpool has a rich creative heritage and a thriving creative scene that we should be actively celebrating. Yes, The Beatles were born here, but there’s so much more to this city that many are unaware of. I’m constantly inspired by the talent that keeps coming through on a daily basis – just look at the people on the wall – there’s musicians, digital artists, actors. This campaign is hugely important in raising awareness of the importance of saving our creative industries and supporting talent.”
Louis Berry commented “This project is very impressive and I’m so grateful to be a part of it. Music runs through the city’s veins – it is part of what we all live, love and breathe. I create music because it is my passion. And it’s so refreshing to have a campaign in support of the time and effort you put in to making what you love.“
Leon Rossiter said “Supporting creativity isn’t always as obvious as staying faithful to your favourite musician or watching your favourite TV programme over and over again. What we create is a part of the bigger picture – our art is created in studios and behind closed doors but is hugely important in developing the digital creative industry. We’re so excited about this street art and can’t wait for people to see it!”
Marianne Grant, Senior Vice President at the Motion Picture Association and audio-visual sector spokesperson for Get It Right from a Genuine Site commented: “The mural unveiled today in Liverpool is another example of the most creative and inspirational home-grown talent that we have here in the UK collaborating with some of the best creative minds in Liverpool. We want to raise awareness of diversity of creative culture. We also hope to inspire young people about why creative industries of all types in our own communities are so integral to society and the economy – and to encourage them to explore and realise their own creative potential. ”
Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive, BPI and music spokesperson for Get It Right from a Genuine Site, said: “By creating these murals unique to the individual cities, we want people to value the importance of connecting with the films and TV, music, games, books, magazines and sports they love within their own communities; by doing so they invest in creating more great content and in the development of new artists and ideas that, in turn, lead to greater choice for everyone to enjoy.”
Luciana Berger, MP for Liverpool Wavertree said: “The mural on the iconic Littlewoods building is a beacon of creativity that showcases the fantastic talent our great city has to offer. I’m delighted the collaboration has produced a piece of art that proudly references our musical, digital creative, film and TV talent that are essential to our future success and prosperity. It sends a clear message – creativity is alive in our city today. There are exciting times ahead.”
Michael Denny, Senior Vice President Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios Europe commented, “The mural is such a great idea to highlight Liverpool’s amazing creative talent over the years from a diverse range of art forms, and highlighting the launch of this important campaign to raise awareness to all why and how we must all play our part in protecting creators’ rights and their ability to keep on creating. “Wipeout” was created here in Liverpool over 20 years ago as an iconic PlayStation launch title, and it has since had many more incarnations on subsequent PlayStation platforms, always showing off new aspects of the game and the platforms themselves. Sony Interactive Entertainment still has a strong presence here in Liverpool and we can’t wait to celebrate the unveiling of the mural in the City along with all the other great creators.”
Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, said: “We’re really looking forward to bringing back to life what is an iconic and fascinating part of Liverpool’s heritage. The city has always been a hotbed of creativity and it is vital we continue to support the business sector so they continue to thrive in terms of job creation and growth. The partnership with Creative Content UK aligns perfectly with the city’s future vision for this site.”
Tim Heatley CEO Capital & Centric, said: “So much of what we do as a business revolves around UK creativity. This artwork encourages young people consider the importance of supporting the films, music, games, books and sports that we all love. The subject of illegal downloading creates a polarised view amongst young people, but this artwork asks them to make a choice; do they support the UK’s creative industries or not? Purchasing from legitimate sources helps new artists and ideas that we all benefit from, that’s the point we want to make.”
The launch of Get it Right from a Genuine Site marks the first time a cross section of the creative industries have come together to champion creativity. Those interested in finding out more about the campaign can visit www.getitrightfromagenuinesite.org
