Go Superlambananas! was an art exhibition that took place in Liverpool, England, during the city's European Capital of Culture celebrations in 2008. Based upon Taro Chiezo's Superlambanana, which had been located in Liverpool since 1998, the exhibit consisted of 124 two metre high replicas, which were located throughout Liverpool and the surrounding areas. Each mini-Superlambanana was individually designed by local community groups and artists, with a range of public and private sector organisations providing sponsorship funding. The mini-Superlambananas were on display for ten weeks, from June to August 2008.
Background
The Go Superlambananas! art exhibition was developed and based upon the Superlambanana sculpture that has been located in Liverpool since 1998. The sculpture is a cross between a banana and a lamb, designed by Manhattan-based Japanese artist Taro Chiezo for the 1998 ArtTransPennine Exhibition. Superlambanana's design is also heavily influenced by the history of Liverpool itself, as historically both sheep and bananas were common cargos in the city's docks. The original sculpture weighs almost eight tons and stands 17 feet tall. Throughout its history the sculpture has been located in various areas throughout the city and on occasions even further afield. It currently stands on Tithebarn Street, outside the Liverpool John Moores University Avril Robarts Library/Learning Resource Centre.
History The Go Superlambananas! exhibition was developed by the Liverpool Culture Company (LCC), led by its Creative Director Phil Redmond, in partnership with the Wild In Art. As part of the city's Capital of Culture celebrations, the LCC were eager to develop a cultural event in which local people could be involved not just in its consumption, but also its production.Shaw (2008), p17 The eventual idea settled on, was to build upon the Superlambanana artwork, which had over time come to be recognised as a symbol of Liverpool in itself.Shaw (2008), p9 As a result, 124 mini-SuperLambananas were created, each of which acted as a blank slate, on which various groups throughout the city could develop and design their own cultural contribution the city's celebrations.
Auction At the end of their ten-week run, the mini Superlambananas were auctioned off for the Lord Mayor's charities, with each having a guide price ranging from £3,000 to £8,000. The first of two auctions was held at St George's Hall on the 9 September 2008 with 68 Superlambananas up for sale. In total they sold for £550,000 or approximately £7,800 each, well above estimates. The highest bid on the night was £25,000, paid by the Chairman of National Museums Liverpool for 'Mandy' Mandala Superlambanana, designed and created by Cheshire artist Patricia Lee, whilst Phil Redmond, creative director of the Liverpool Culture Company, purchased four lots for a total of £55,000. Other notable purchasers included comedian John Bishop, playwright Fred Lawless and Big Brother star Craig Phillips.Superlambanana auction raises £550,000 for charity A second, internet-based auction took place on 16 September 2008 with 25% of the proceeds going to charity.
Exhibits 124 replica Superlambananas were created as part of the exhibition. Each one was designed and sponsored by different organisations and subsequently located throughout the city and in some instances further afield.
Liverpool City CentreShaw (2008), p28-180Shaw (2008), p186Shaw (2008), p198Shaw (2008), p230Shaw (2008), p246-248Shaw (2008), p266
Name Artist(s) Sponsor(s) Location 24hoursuperlambanana Debbie Ryan '08 Business Connect Clayton Square Art Vandelist Artvandelay.com PS Collective East Village, Duke Street Atlambtic Companion Nicola McGovern Atlantic Container Line Prince's Dock B of the Baa Phil Costello Northwest Regional Development Agency Exchange Flags Baa Baa Braille Sheep Jola Kurzeja-Ryan; students from the National Blind Children's Society Merseytravel Liverpool Lime Street station Baa-ve New World Sally Olding Liverpool Vision Liverpool Town Hall BackBitternBanana Sophie Bower; Kathryn Pattullo Liverpool School of Art and Design, Liverpool JMU Metropolitan Cathedral Banana Rock Christine O'Reilly Wilson Aggregate Industries The Strand Beryl Sebastian Youndaddaction; Liverpool Youth Advisory Group; Sophie Backhouse; Ian Town Youngaddaction Liverpool Clayton Square Bloomin' Lamb Banana Lower Lee School Woolton in Bloom; Woolton Educational and Recreational Trust Woolton Street Cargo Phillip Marsden St George's Hall, Liverpool City Council St George's Hall Chops Alix Dryden Northwest Regional Development Agency Exchange Flags Commercial District Skyline David Flanning Liverpool Commercial District Partnership St Paul's Square Deerlamboltnana T.J. Dolan Wild In Art East Village, Duke Street Ewes Water Wisely Lisa Parry; Christian Ewen United Utilities Albert Dock, City Centre Fire Cracker to Martian Skies Laurence Payot Utility Bold Street First Past the Post Pamela Holstein Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and Industry Old Hall Street, City Centre Flora Rosalind Hargreaves Northwest Regional Development Agency Exchange Flags Friendship Forever Jessica Gardiner; Benjamin Small St John's Shopping Centre St John's Shopping Centre Green Lamb Ed Butler; Julian Taylor Holiday Inn Holiday Inn, Lime Street Herd Days Night Mark Jones Maghull Developments Hope Street Homer Kim Tan; Creative Services; Liverpool City Council Liverpool Mutual Homes; Fusion 21 Wellington Column, Lime Street, City Centre I love Granadaland Laura McCreesh; Mike Badger ITV Granada Metquarter, City Centre Kenny the Superlamb Barbara Galt; Children from Kensington City and North Neighbourhood Management Services Hall Lane, Kensington Koppy Graham Berry; the Apple Agency Adidas LFC Shop, Liverpool One, City Centre Lamb-bassador Anna Povall; Benjamin Small World Firefighter Games 2008 Echo Arena, City Centre Lambline Rachael Ward Merseytravel James Street station, City Centre Lamsa Katriona Beales; Finoon Saleh The Bluecoat Society Bluecoat Chambers Light Exposure, Light Emission Smiling Wolf Balfour Beatty The Strand, City Centre Loop of Life Mike Curtis Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts Crowne Plaza, Prince's Dock, City Centre Mandy Mandala Superlambanana Patricia Lee; Arts in Regeneration; residents of Granby, Toxteth and Dingle South Central Management Team; Liverpool City Council Formerly Princes Boulevard, later Museum of Liverpool Mona Charlotte Brown English Cities Fund St Paul's Square, City Centre Monument to the Superlambanana Andrew Jackson Public Monuments and Sculpture Association World Museum Liverpool, William Brown Street Our George Liverpool O8 Volunteers; KECS Creative Community Arts 08 Welcome; Liverpool Culture Company St George's Plateau Our Working Community Holly Langley North West TUC Wellington Column, St George's Plateau Pete Price's Super Laugh Banana Pete Price; Phillip Marsden Liverpool Daily Post; Liverpool Echo Metquarter, City Centre Petite Fleur Helen Marie-Gilmour Metquarter Metquarter, City Centre Portraits Clair Freeman WT Jenkins Albert Dock, City Centre Purple Sky at Night Alex Jackson Wrenco Hope Street Push Me Pull Ewe Phillip Marsden; Ben Cook Sayers St John's Shopping Centre Reflectana Annabel Wakefield Kier Construction Debenhams, Liverpool One, City Centre Rocksy Ben Cook Northwest Regional Development Agency Exchange Flags, City Centre Roy G Biv Olivia Simpson DCT Civil Engineering The Strand Savio the Superlambanana Kerry Hunt; Savio High School Alliance & Leicester St Paul's Square, City Centre Sgt Pepper Liverpool Hope University fine art and design students Hard Day's Night Hotel Blakes Restaurant, North John Street, City Centre Super 'WiFi' Lambananafon Jon Wood; Gareth Shuttleworth; Chimp Creative BT/Fon Echo Arena, City Centre Superabbeyroadbanana Vince Cleghorne; Kensington Youth Inclusion Project Kier North West Brownlow Hill SuperChaiseLongueBanana Leanne Wookey; Team a go-go; Julian Taylor; J&A upholstery Bruntwood Radisson SAS Hotel, Old Hall Street, City Centre Superchromebanana Stephen Heaton; Lawn Creative; Lloyds Autobody Jurys Inn Kings Waterfront, City Centre Superconnectedlambanana Alison Little BT Openzone Wireless Broadband British Home Stores, Lord Street SuperCottonwoolbanana Kate Bedford Bruntwood Cotton Exchange, City Centre Superfitbanana Shape Design Lifestyles Fitness Centre Millenium House, Whitechapel Superfive-a-daybanana Vince Cleghorne; Kensington Junior Youth Inclusion Project National Museums Liverpool Walker Art Gallery, William Brown Street Supergrassbanana Stephen Heaton; Lawn Creative; Julian Taylor Hill Dickinson Lawyers Old Hall Street Superkalazarbanana Ektor Diaz; Rod Dillon Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Pembroke Place Superlamba-x-ray and child Dominic Foster; Ashlea Haynes; Liverpool Hope University fine arts student Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust Liverpool Women's Hospital Superlambananaleaves Alison Little Brock Carmichael Architects; BCA Landscape and Project Services Cotton Exchange, City Centre Superlambananatree Amanda Oliphant Virgin Trains West Coast Liverpool Lime Street station Superlambgranada Mark Nuttall ITV Granada Liverpool One, City Centre Superlambswoolbanana Ian Town Wild in Art 08 Place, 36-38 Whitechapel SuperLawbanana Clare Gammond; Jeanne-Marie Kenny Hill Dickinson Lawyers Old Hall Street, City Centre SuperLewis'sLamb 152 Lewis's Visual Team Lewis's Lewis's Department Store SuperLightBanana Lisa Rostron; Lawn Creative; Julian J Taylor 2020 Liverpool St George's Hall Superlordmayorlambanana Brian Hanlon Liverpool City Council Liverpool Town Hall, City Centre SuperLoveBanana Anna Benson Liverpool Registration Services Cotton Exchange, City Centre SuperPlazaLambanana Kate Bedford Bruntwood The Plaza, Old Hall Street, City Centre SuperRoyalambanana Kate Bedford Bruntwood Queens Arcade, Castle Street, City Centre SuperSgtPepperYellowSubmarineBanana Paul McKay Alliance & Leicester Albert Dock, City Centre SuperStudentlambanana Jeanne-Marie Kenny University of Liverpool Brownlow Hill SuperWagBagBanana Nook and Willow; John McNally Liverpool City Central Business Improvement District Houghton Street, City Centre Sushi, Lamb Tempurabanana Table 5 now!! Linda Barlow Sapparo Teppanyaki Echo Arena, City Centre The Best of British Mark Garrod Cains Cains Brewery The Loving Lamb Annemarie Read Greater Merseyside Learning Providers Federation Berry Street The North End Claire Stringer; Trinity RC Primary School Vauxhall Neighbourhood Council NSPCC, Great Homer Street The Rope Walker BDP; Shape Design BDP St Peter's Square Top Banana Finch and Candida Boyes Rumford Investments 20 Chapel Street, City Centre Twinkle The Langhorne Family Malmaisson Malmaisson, Prince's Dock, City Centre Twinny Lambanana KECS Creative Community Arts European Year of Intercultural Hope Street United Lambanana Lisa Parry; Rachel Teare United Utilities Albert Dock, City Centre Working Towards the Future Mike Badger; St Matthew's Primary School; St Mary's Primary School Portemps People Development Group Church Street Yellow Superlambanana in a cage 2008 Uniform Uniform Arthouse Square Zip Janice Egerton Liverpool Hope University The Cornerstone Building
North LiverpoolShaw (2008), p182Shaw (2008), p188-196Shaw (2008), p200Shaw (2008), p204-216Shaw (2008), p238Shaw (2008), p268