Liverpool Panoramas
Audio description
Medium
Permanent pen on balsa wood
Date:
2009
Dimensions
H 10cm x W 92cm x D 2cm (each piece)
Framed collection of 5: 86cm x 108cm
Project/Commissioned by:
Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary, Bluecoat Liverpool, supported by Tate Liverpool/Shape
Exhibited
Bluecoat Studios, Liverpool
Sale status
Available
Links to other web pages
www.sallybooth.co.uk/BluecoatWindows
www.sallybooth.co.uk/projectArchive
Contact link for sale and commission
www.sallybooth.co.uk/contact.html
Full description
A set of five long thin horizontal strips of balsa wood, drawn on in black permanent pen, showing panoramic views of Liverpool and its docks.
Sally made these images outdoors on long wintry walks in and around Liverpool docks whilst on a residency at The Bluecoat.
The use of balsa wood came about because she wanted something light and portable to use on site that would not blow away in the wind or be too glary. She came upon a bundle of raw balsa wood in the bargain bin at Rennies Art Shop in Liverpool. This chance find became an ideal medium for the purpose. It was stable if a few strips were secured together with a rubber band so it was not too bendy, and the long strips seemed to perfectly reflect the wide angle and filmic panoramas in and around the North Dock and Birkenhead.
Sally made many drawings on several linear walks along the docks, sometimes using indian ink, and sometimes, for immediacy when drawing out on the road, just permanent pen. The drawings have been displayed individually or in rows of 3, 4 or 5 drawings together, one above the other. Sometimes she has mixed the series up. The order can be swapped around and can be interchangeable with other images.
This particular collection of 5 permanent pen drawings has been made on raw balsa. The thin strips have been mounted on chunkier pieces of balsa wood to add rigidity and durability, and are displayed in rows.
The balsa is light, creamy coloured wood with a delicate, faint horizontal grain. It has a pleasant softness and a bit of "give" as the pen moves across it. The thin strips are quite fragile and easily split.
Each strip shows a new panorama of Liverpool, often panning out over a great distance.
The top strip was made looking out of a high apartment in Liverpool. It shows the Liverpool skyline with simplified outlines. From left to right we find the iconic buildings of St John's Tower - tall and thin with a circle like a polo mint at the top, (home to the local radio station) and the "wigwam" shape of the Catholic Cathedral. Just past the centre of the picture is a large black crane, which dominates the skyline, and is the tallest structure on the horizon. Behind it sits the distinctive upturned T shape of the Anglican Cathedral with its black outline drawn again in red - the only colour in the picture. Underneath the three iconic buildings sits Liverpool 1 and the River Mersey beyond.
The next three panels were done on a day's walk from Birkenhead to New Brighton on the other side of the river. They trace Sally's walk past industrial ventilation shafts, tops of suburban houses, wire fencing and wrought iron structures near the Ferry Terminal. The middle one has a path disappearing off into the distance, fence to either side. On her walk, Sally saw men fishing, sitting on seats while curved rods dropped casually over railings into the Mersey, and a view back over to Liverpool on the other side. Towards New Brighton the walk bends and curves and tiny wind turbines can be seen in the water faraway in the distance.
The bottom panel is interchangeable. In the framed collection, Sally shows another panorama of Liverpool, with the Anglican Cathedral almost leaning out of the left side of the picture, and views of the Liver Buildings and Liverpool1. In another combination Sally has displayed a panel showing a dilapidated café building (long since closed), gas pipes and wind turbines on North Dock.
All these pictures were done in the winter. The line is spare and shapes are often outlined or simplified. Sally often turned her head or body to include a wider angle in each picture and emphasise the big skies.
