Liverpool’s Lunar New Year Celebrations 2024
“Crafted as a harmonious fusion between a historical landmark and cutting-edge immersive technology, our installation for 2024 seamlessly blends the rich heritage of the site with the enchantment of modern creative expression.”.
— Dennis Outten, Focal Studios
Focal Studios dazzled audiences with the story of ‘The Boy and the Pearl’ over 3 spectacular nights of projections at the Bombed Out Church.
The Bombed Out Church - Community Engagement
The grounds of the church were brought to life with a stunning audio-visual art installation developed by Focal Studios and The Bombed Out Church’s community engagement team. Inspired by traditional Chinese folklore, the story 'The Boy and The Pearl' was developed in collaboration with Pagoda Arts, the Bombed Out Church, and local artists.
Acting as the centerpiece for the garden, a 7ft high driftwood dragon sculpture depicting the wood dragon was crafted by local artist Judith Herring using pieces of up-cycled wood and driftwood. Reflecting the city’s wider CNY narrative, the dragon possessed a large, enchanting pearl, illuminated from within.
Building on the success of the Zhezhi Rabbit display for Lunar New Year 2023 and staying true to our commitment to harness creativity for positive change, we were excited to announce our collaboration with over 30 local schools and community members for 2024. Together, we created a surge of shimmering leaves to encircle the dragon sculpture, serving as the focal point of this enchanting installation.
Judith Herring
Judith Herring is a seasoned artist with a background in graphic design and illustration. For over two decades, she has graced galleries with her paintings and has recently ventured into installation art and furniture upcycling.
Inspired by coastal treasures gathered from New Brighton and Crosby beach combing expeditions, Judith crafts immersive stories using driftwood and found objects. Her contemporary furniture mirrors, lighting installations, collages, and quirky beach cottages reflect a unique blend of craftsmanship and narrative.
In a bold stride towards larger-than-life expressions, Judith’s commission to create a monumental dragon installation not only showcases her mastery of scale but also underscores her commitment to pushing the boundaries of artistic exploration.
“I find driftwood mesmerising; its natural crevices and scars and twisted forms seem to have a life of their own. To be able to use my imagination to create something new from this natural source is very satisfying. I try to get to the coast at any available opportunity to beach comb, collecting “treasure” is the best therapy in the world.
I cant wait to see my dragon in St Luke’s grounds being brought to life by Focal Studios’ immersive technology.”
—— Judith Herring
Ecological Impact
The Mersey Forest is a community forest and it's home to 1.7m people. We want as many of them as possible to enjoy the Forest - and to take part in planning and developing its growth.
In 2024, the year of the Wood Dragon in the Chinese zodiac calendar, it was only fitting that we enlisted the help of Mersey Forest to engage with our communities. They had worked tirelessly for over 30 years to create woodlands and green spaces across Cheshire and Merseyside.
The Forest was one of the leading environmental regeneration initiatives in the Northwest. Through community and partnership working, they had planted over 9 million trees – equivalent to five new trees for every person living within the Forest area.
The Mersey Forest team showcased some of their work in the area, highlighting the importance of creating woodlands and green spaces in and around our towns and cities and the benefits this brought to communities and the environment.
Get planting, folks!!
The Mersey Forest will be part of the celebrations at St Luke’s Bombed Out Church in Liverpool between Friday 9th February and Sunday 11th February
Friday – 3pm - 5pm
Saturday and Sunday 11am - 5pm.
Each day The Mersey Forest will be giving away 500 small trees for people to plant at home, if there is space. This is a great way for people to play their part in helping to grow the Mersey Forest and will be a reminder of their weekend celebrating the Chinese New Year.
There will be a Tree of Hope to capture peoples' thoughts and views on trees and woodlands in their community and where they'd like to see more. This information will feed into The Mersey Forest’s Plan, a strategic guide to the work they do with partners across Cheshire and Merseyside.
The Mersey Forest team will also be sharing the benefits of their Natural Health Service, which harnesses the power of the natural environment to improve both mental and physical health. The service offers activities such as health walks, mindful contact with nature sessions, horticulture therapy and practical conservation sessions.
