Appliqué Flag & Rope, 2021

As part of the 'Statues Redressed' project artists, designers and members of the community came together to reimagine and redress some of Liverpool's most iconic statues, this unique project was produced by Sky Arts in 2021. 

Accompanying the project was a feature length documentary Statues Redressed, which follows the artists exploring the statues and investigating their histories. Each were tasked with creatively questioning 'the role of statues in modern times as part of the ongoing debate around who and what should be immortalised as public monuments'. 

As an attempt to open up conversations about the stories and voices that are omitted from history, the giant bronze statue of William Gladstone from 1904 situated in St Johns Gardens was reimagined and wrapped in a pan-African flag. This was a direct response to the fact that William Gladstone’s family fortune came from plantations and slavery. 

Photos by David Edwards

Of Which We Proudly Claim, produced with support from Sky Arts & Culture Liverpool