Graffiti

You see so much of it around these days, well "tagging" where someone with no imagination sprays a couple of initials to leave their mark. This I would say is tantamount to vandalism. However, I do have an appreciation for someone who has taken their time and been a little more creative.


I took the first photo a couple of months ago and the following day it had been painted over, the building behind it is now being demolished so I do wonder the point of wasting man hours and paint for boxes which will undoubtedly be repositioned!



I was until recently unimpressed with the craze of stenciling because I felt it was a quick win for a graffitist and put them in the category of taggers. I am slowly being won over by the imaginative work and places there are appearing.

LIGHTS...Camera...Blog

Liverpool University has done some work on its Engineering Department building on Brownlow Hill. This is another of those gems that I saw as I walked along and now occasionally when I am on my way home will walk the long way around to the station to have a look at it!

It looks as though the building has had a lighting structure slipped onto the top, the building alternates colour every few seconds and the video below intimates it can be set up for more complex displays. I have also taken some additional photos at the bottom of this post.

The video posted on Vimeo of the light show describes the remodeling of the Sheppard Robson building.

Liverpool Department of Engineering from Sheppard Robson on Vimeo.

"Sheppard Robson has completed a luminous, glass clad engineering laboratory for the University of Liverpool, a two-storey ‘Active Learning Lab’ with an outer skin of reflective and fitted glass panels that illuminate Liverpool’s skyline.

The Active Learning Lab is part naturally ventilated, floating above the existing 1960’s two-storey podium building below. The lab offers extensive views west towards the city centre, south across to the iconic brutalist Metropolitan Cathedral and north across the University campus."

Source:

Liverpool Christmas Lights Switch on (2009)

Well you know Christmas is on its way when the selection boxes start to appear the week kids return to school in September! Gladly other Christmas milestones are a little more time appropriate, such as the annual Christmas light switch on.

This year Liverpool 1 will be leading the way and having their own switch on a day before the city's own event on the 19th November 2009.

18th November - Liverpool 1 - where we see the opening of Santa's Ice Palace and an evening of activities for more information please follow this link.

19th November -Liverpool City Centre - There is no official "switch on" however the city will become illuminated by the presence of the Snow Princess and as she walks through the city the lights will come alive, there will be no advertised time as to when this will begin as they do not want crowds to follow her around. There is no big celebrity pushing a button this year, however this particular spectacle sounds much better! Additional activities will go on throughout the city such as the unveiling of the Nativity story in Rapid Hardware and the Unveiling of the Christmas tree. This will be part of what has been named the "Winters Trail".


Go Penguins!

This year Lewis' will be displaying 7 of the community penguins, I am not sure if they will be permanently there however they are on display on the 19th November a sneak peek before the official launch on the 22nd.

How to progress?

Now that one of the busiest and most intense periods of my job has passed for another year I am able to make a concerted effort and post stories to my blog on a more regular basis!

Yesterday was such a horrible morning weather wise, my train had been delayed by about 30 minutes and as I walked from Lime Street to work I cut across an area designated for water pipe replacement. As I approached one of the excavations, rain hurtling down and workman stood emptying this hole, I personally thought it was a prime example of futility, I wondered what next, shouting at thunder?

I haven't been wasting my time completely, I have been looking up and around and wondering what should actually constitute a posting, should it be an examination of grand architecture, posts about the bits of tat I see around me or a glimpse of some of some of the things that amuse me as I wonder around this fantastic city? So I have decided... all of them! I do hope you will continue to visit even if ever post doesn't interest you!

I have also realised the further I wonder from work the longer the lunch times I will have so I think there will have to be some planning involved, trawling of the internet for the short lived oddities. I noticed the other day on the edge of Liverpool 1 there was a large art project and I must check that out!

Well a few thoughts have been expressed and I have set myself a challenge of posting a Liverpool Interest at least once a week. See you within 7 days!

Not what I expected

.

The first post to my blog may seem to have religious based themes, however, it is more about preconceptions than any religious message. In fact I am almost tempted to post another message and pre-date this one.

However I digress from the story...

Walking up Mt Pleasant I noticed they were demolishing an old building on Benson Street, Oraham Ltd, Climax Works (something to do with timber). After that it appears to have been turned into a gym, Tony's Gym.


View Larger Map

The demolition of the building was two thirds complete and I was being be nosy I wanted to see what was behind the building, alas they hadn't knocked down the back wall yet. Walking on the opposite side of the road, all that separated me from the flying debris was a wire fence with holes big enough to post my head through. Further down I noticed a heavy set bloke, he stood facing the de-construction site in the usual builders attire, hard hat, florescent jacket, steel toe capped boots and skin crisped by regular toasting from the sun.

He handed a leaflet to a couple ahead of me and I assumed he was drumming up trade "if you like what you see here we can knock down any structure you desire". As I was handed my very own leaflet my hand automatically took one from him and walked on, I reached the end of the road, a safe enough distance to look clam and collected and not over eager! I found I had been given a small 4 page leaflet on God, there went all my preconceived notions of this builder.

This helps set the tone for this blog, you may have an idea what Liverpool and the people are like and a simple act of being passed a leaflet can turn things on its head!

Musical accompaniment on this adventure: Blitzen Trapper - Furr

Update: The full leaflet has been request. With a bit of photo merging it is here.