It seems so common place now, a part of Liverpool’s ever growing claim as the powerhouse of culture within the U.K. but go back a few years and The FACT centre at the top end of Wood Street as many of its visitors have come know, appreciate and love was not there. If not for the fore sighted vision some of the great films and art installations that have been shown there in the last ten years may not have even come to the city in the first place.
As Professor Mike Stubbs and his loyal team previewed some of the incredible highlights that were to come to the FACT building as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations this year, it was also possible to look through some of the milestones that the centre has achieved since it was first opened to the public in 2003 when it showcased a major Isaac Julien exhibition.
With over 3,500,000 visits to the FACT centre to see exhibits, great films and screenings, including an exclusive screening by Quentin Tarantino of the film Death Proof and visit by Lord David Putnam for the second Roy Stringer lecture in 2009, it is no wonder that the team at FACT pulled out all the stops to celebrate this amazing and much needed creative hub in the heart of the city.
With over 47 exhibitions presented, 3,200 films shown and the astonishing total of 427,960 cups of coffee drank in the café; it is no small wonder that FACT retains its public popularity within Liverpool.
As part of the 10th Anniversary celebrations the team unveiled some of the exhibitions that will take place in the redeveloped area of the Ropewalks part of Liverpool, these include a much anticipated The Art of Pop Video which opens on March 14th until May 26th, the AND Festival (Abandon Normal Devices) in October, a Science Fiction Festival during February 2014 and Hacky Birthday on February 25th in which F.A.C.T. are inviting people to hack or creatively re-programme the building in a family fun day. Activities include traditional party games with a technological twist and the final match of the Battle of the Bands Ping-Pong tournament.
Iona Horsburgh, the Executive Director at FACT, was also on hand to answer any questions on what was coming up, when asked about how she felt about the iconic building and FACT she said, “FACT is an amazing organisation to work for. It operates in such diverse fields; from innovative projects in the local community through to internationally renowned artists work being shown in the building and ambitious research projects exploring new opportunities. I feel exceptionally privileged to work with such creative people in such a forward thinking city.”
More details of what is happening during the year will be on the FACT website.
Ian D. Hall