Sculpture aims to capture 'playful spirit' of former Wirral art college (From Wirral Globe)

Sculpture aims to capture 'playful spirit' of former Wirral art college

3:30pm Thursday 1st November 2012 in News By Craig Manning

A SCULPTURE capturing the spirit of a former Wirral art college is to be unveiled as part of the site’s redevelopment.

The artwork, 'Just wait for me', will stand on the former site of Liscard Hall in Central Park, Liscard, and will be unveiled on November 17.

It is the result of a year-long collaboration between Wirral Council, local artist Brigitte Jurack and young people from schools and youth organisations across Wallasey.

Liscard Hall was famous, for many years, as Wallasey school of Art and was recently demolished.

The statute, which received support from the Arts Council of England, captures the playful spirit of the former art school, showing two young people piggy-backing.

A third seated figure, watching the scene, will be added early next year.
The space around the sculpture is being redeveloped by Wirral Council with new seating, staging and flooring areas for young people.

On the day, a project display will be held in the Cricket Pavilion, including some small wax figures made by young people from Wallasey Youth Hub, St Mary's Catholic College and Weatherhead High School.

Brigitte said: "I have really enjoyed working with the young people of Wallasey.

"They have had so many great ideas for Central Park and I hope more of them become reality.

"I have put some of their ideas for new seating and ramps on the website and perhaps we could stage an annual piggy back race to raise some money for some of these wonderful proposals.

"In my research I was amazed at how important the Wallasey School of Art was. It had a big national reputation and a real sense of fun and experimenting.

"I think the piggy-backing figures capture some of that bravado and playfulness. I called it ‘Just wait for me’ as the young people are waiting for friends or the next stage of their life."

Alison McWatt, head of art and design at St Mary's Catholic College said: "It has been such a fantastic opportunity for the students to see the sculpture when it was made in Brigitte’s studio, to inspect the models, to discuss the ideas in more detail and to learn about the complicated process of casting."

Rebecca Elliott, media arts specialism manager at Weatherhead High School: "The students felt really privileged working with an internationally known artist on the project for Central Park."

Brigitte Jurack has a studio in Birkenhead and has lived in the Wallasey area for ten years.

She lectures in sculpture at Manchester Metropolitan University and has exhibited her work widely including The British School of Athens, Bluecoat Gallery in Liverpool and galleries in the Ukraine, Japan, Australia, Germany, Dublin, Oslo and Brazil.