Go Penguins goes live in Liverpool

Go Penguins goes live in Liverpool on November 22

Oct 9 2009 by Catherine Jones, Liverpool Echo

PENGUINS will appear on the streets of Liverpool on November 22, the ECHO can reveal today.

More than 200 of the flightless birds will be installed in “colonies” across the city and beyond in the giant public art event.

Go Penguins is already almost double the size of the Go Superlambananas project which was one of the soaraway successes of Capital of Culture year.

So far 115 artists have been commissioned to create unique designs on the giant 5ft fibreglass penguins, while 93 schools – 86 primary and seven secondary – have also signed up to take part, making it the biggest schools’ art project in the UK this year.

Sally Ann Wilkinson, director of Wild in Art which was commissioned to create the penguin festival by Liverpool city council, said: “It’s fantastic to see everyone in the city coming together to work on Go Penguins.

“To have reached the level of support we have this far in advance of the launch is nothing short of brilliant. It’s bowled me over and it’s all down to the generosity of the people of Liverpool – sponsors, schools, artists and community groups.”

Colonies of 3ft school penguins will be installed in inside venues including St Johns Shopping Centre, Lewis’s, the Walker Art Gallery and the Metquarter.

Meanwhile 20 giant penguins will be decorated by community groups in the five council “neighbourhoods”, and there will be penguins in Wirral and St Helens.

A trail map will be available and a number of the models will be auctioned off for the Lord Mayor’s charities at the end of the event in January.

Council leader Warren Bradley said: “Go Penguin is really going to make a difference this Christmas.

“Everyone was looking to the city to see how we’d react to post-Capital of Culture.

“For Go Penguins to dwarf the involvement of Go Superlambananas says everything we need to know about Liverpool’s appetite for culture.”

Anyone who is interested in becoming a Go Penguins sponsor or wants more information should go to www.gopenguins.co.uk

Source:
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2009/10/09/go-penguins-goes-live-in-liverpool-on-november-22-100252-24888025/