Liverpool Biennial and Royal Albert Dock Announce Major Project Featuring Hundreds of Schoolchildren from Across Liverpool City Region

The monumental outdoor work, an ‘action’ presented as part of the Inside Out Project (a global participatory art initiative founded by French artist JR), will be presented at Royal Albert Dock from 30 July. Titled ‘Think of Us’, the piece will be composed of hundreds of black and white portraits of Year 6 children from across Merseyside, printed as posters and pasted around the perimeter of the dock at water level. An audio accompaniment and online learning resource, which invites every Year 6 pupil in Merseyside to participate from home or in school, will also be presented alongside the work. Both will be available on biennial.com.

Throughout May and June, the Liverpool Biennial team will be working with educational partners across six boroughs, supporting the engagement of children across a broad range of schools and other educational settings, empowering them to explore how they interact with and understand the world. Workshops will focus on three core themes: ‘Portraits and Identity’, ‘Reclaiming Public Spaces’ and ‘Art and Social Change’. Following the workshops, each child will have their portrait taken and be invited to record a short verbal response, which will be used to create the audio element of the artwork.  

The project has been devised to empower the region’s schoolchildren who, at the transitional stage of Year 6, are starting to seek out more independence and develop self-awareness ahead of moving on to secondary school.   

Dr Samantha Lackey, Director, Liverpool Biennial, said:  

“We’re proud to be partnering with Royal Albert Dock to present this striking artwork that creates excitement, drives visitors to the area, and enables children from across the region to see themselves at the heart of their city.  

We know that across the region, our children and young people experience significantly higher levels of deprivation and child poverty compared to the national average, which presents challenges for their development. We believe that this ‘action’  – part of the Inside Out Project, will give the children involved the agency to articulate their hopes and aspirations for the future.” 

Helen Legg, Director of Tate Liverpool and Chair of Royal Albert Dock, said: 

“JR’s Inside Out project has already inspired over half a million people across the world and we are excited to be collaborating with the Biennial to bring it to the City Region.  

The Dock will be a stunning environment to show the portraits created by the school children, and it will be wonderful to see and hear them take over one of Liverpool’s iconic locations. Liverpool is renowned for its public artworks, and I’m sure this larger-than-life installation will inspire the young people and visitors in equal measure.” 

Further details on the project will be announced when it is unveiled in July.