Liverpool Biennial review – AI seagulls, gladiatorial football and big trouble in Chinatown

From the vicious acoustics of match days to supernatural moments in a church, this year’s best pieces reflect the emotional bedrock of this roaring, soulful cityI narrowly avoided being “relieved on” by a seagull in Liverpool. Another critic pulled me aside just in time. But then again, she pressed the button to release the airborne poo – fake, I think – in the first place. This is Kara Chin’s funny installation in a cinema recreating the seediness of the seaside with squawking AI seagulls on video screens, chaotic electro-assemblages resembling mutant arcade machines and a floor covered with guano. Liverpool is not by the sea but close enough that seagulls provide a chorus as you walk between Liverpool Biennial art events in museums, galleries, warehouses and community centres.I can’t see the Liver Birds on the skyline without remembering the first time I visited this city as small child, seeing my aunt off on a voyage across the Atlantic, from docks that then loomed with massive ships. Proustian memories of the biggest city I knew as a child return with a vengeance in a raw warehouse space where Turkish artist Cevdet Erek has created a homage to the noise and intensity of soccer crowds. He loves football and loud music. I meet him there and he enthuses about attending Anfield as research, and being inspired by a track on Pink Floyd’s Meddle. Flashbacks of matches with my dad surge. Continue reading...

Comments

Culture

Disney composer Alan Menken: ‘I won my first Oscar, then Howard Ashman told me he was dying’

Independent

Comments

Similar News

Tom Grennan lights up Liverpool for Radio 1's Big Weekend

Culture

Disney composer Alan Menken: ‘I won my first Oscar, then Howard Ashman told me he was dying’

Adam Scott fans are saying the same thing about Severance star’s age after he goes viral on TikTok

In the Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial, an ex-girlfriend testifies about abuse and control

Olympics under pressure to strip Khelif of boxing gold medal after leaked lab report

Anthropic unveils models for U.S. intelligence and defense agencies

Montreux Jazz Festival unveils Spotlight Stage lineup including rising British star Luvcat

Addison Rae’s debut album proves her evolution from influencer to pop heavyweight is complete

'Courageous' acting student awarded cash prize by Jean Armour Burns Trust

Chilling future of a Britain where women can't carry a pregnancy to term

WWE x AAA Worlds Collide 2025 UK start time for YouTube live stream

‘You’ll never replace Cilla’: Blind Date fans reveal true feelings about reboot

Fans of iconic 70s band blast ‘awful’ biopic casting of Nick Jonas as rock legend

Billy Joel reveals he attempted suicide twice after betraying his best friend

Beyoncé praised for ‘effortless’ recovery from wardrobe malfunction on Cowboy Carter tour

Blake Lively makes playful flower arranging offer to fans amid Justin Baldoni legal battle

‘Really upsetting’ ITV axe will devastate show that’s been on for 26 years

Clarkson’s Farm fans convinced they spotted ‘editing error’ – but there’s more to it

Billy Joel shares first message with fans since brain disorder diagnosis

‘He threatened my career’: 22 actors who didn’t get along with their directors

Martin Scorsese supported after admitting he no longer goes to the cinema

Venue boss warns Edinburgh Festival Fringe may become a 'one-person show' event

Atomic Kitten star Natasha Hamilton, 42, mistook skin cancer for mosquito bite

Rik Mayall festival a fantastic success - organisers

Springsteen performs harmonica duet with 12-year-old fan

BBC Radio host Bryan Burnett announces break from show after ‘incredibly rare’ cancer diagnosis

Loose Women cuts live studio audience amid ITV budget cuts

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter show is a bewildering bombardment of entertainment

It's quaint the things you find in some people's bathrooms...

The multi-million pound projects transforming Edinburgh's cultural landscape

Donald Trump and Elon Musk get bizarre reality TV offer after public spat

Is 'Ballerina' an en pointe entry in the John Wick universe?

The Pride month vibes are off, but there's still hope.

2025 Tony Awards Predictions: Best New Musical, Best Leading Actress and More

Musk threatens to decommission SpaceX capsule, a key space station link, after Trump attack

Jonathan Bailey reveals big way Wicked 2 differs from stage show

Wicked 2 director Jon M Chu confirms Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will each have a brand new song

Dakota Johnson blames Madame Web flop on people ‘who don’t have a creative bone in their body’

Disney composer Alan Menken: ‘I won my first Oscar, then Howard Ashman told me he was dying’

Beyonce rides into town for London leg of Cowboy Carter tour

Blue Plaque honour for Bradford theatre pioneer

BBC Radio presenter takes break for cancer treatment

'Belfast adopted me when making How to Train Your Dragon' - Gerard Butler

Robbie Williams: ‘My dad doesn’t look after himself – he should have had help long ago’

Why Taylor Jenkins Reid’s new queer love story inspired her to come out

Private Japanese lunar lander crashes into moon in failed mission

Judge halts Trump's order blocking foreign students from Harvard

Tom Cruise awarded Guinness World Record for death-defying scene in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Wicked: For Good trailer released with new songs and first glimpse of Dorothy

Beloved Summer House star announces exit ahead of season 10

Love Island USA: Meet the cast as one islander exits early after racist comments resurface

Fight like a girl? Ana de Armas on twisting phrase for a new meaning

The true story behind A Widow’s Game is even wilder than the Netflix film

Ryan Reynolds acquires a new sports team — this time with Hugh Jackman

‘Draco Malfoy is back’: Tom Felton to reprise Harry Potter role after 14 years

Olly Alexander lands West End role after leaving record deal

‘And Just Like That …’ Season 3, Episode 2 Recap: Textual Relations

Russia Launches Broad Assault on Kyiv and Other Cities in Ukraine

Beyonce enjoys the rain as she kicks off London stint of Cowboy Carter tour

Cowboy Beyoncé dazzles nearly sold-out stadium

Fans drive huge Nintendo Switch 2 launch; others play the waiting game