liverpool cityscape

By Catherine Jones on Jan 29, 08 11:56 AM

Have you been to see Ben Johnson working on his Liverpool Cityscape yet?
If you're expecting a Rolf Harris-style "can you guess what it is yet?" done in a day artwork you may be sorely disappointed.
It has taken Ben three years to almost complete the most ambitious cityscape he's ever attempted, and frankly there is still some way to go yet.
There's the little (or anything but) matter of the new Museum of Liverpool and the less than lovely Mann Island black blocks to go in, plus the Pier Head canal and a slice of Grosvenor.

Actually, I hear English Heritage bods came to have a little look at the work and were interested to see just how large the Museum of Liverpool looked compared to the Three Graces.
I was privileged to be given a close up view and tour of the work by Ben yesterday and I can tell you, people are going to be fascinated - he may well have underestimated the interest he's likely to get.
I asked him how he felt about "performing" before the public, because he is in a rather zoo enclosure style pen. I half expected to see a notice saying "please don't feed or torment the artist".
Apparently his studio in London is right next to that of Sir Peter Blake, and has a large window on to a communal courtyard that people tend to peep through.
He told me: "Peter has about 40 visitors a day and is good enough to tell them to have a look at what I'm doing.
"He's going to be coming to the big show when it opens."
I hear Sir Peter, who apart from being the creator of the Sgt Pepper album cover is godfather to Stella McCartney, has also made sure he's secured a ticket to Anfield when Macca plays there on June 1.

Anyway, back to Ben who, with the assistance of wife Sheila, will be at the Walker Art Gallery most days until March 7.
I hope a lot of people take the opportunity to see a Capital of Culture year artwork, and a legacy piece for Liverpool's future, taking shape before their very eyes.