Writer Malcolm Lowry described Liverpool as ‘that terrible city whose main street is the ocean’. Born on the other side of the river Mersey in middle-class Wirral, Lowry’s relationship to the Merseyside of his youth informs his writing and Liverpool itself continued to hold tremendous significance for him, even though he lived abroad for most of his life and never returned.

On the occasion of the centenary of his birth, Liverpool’s contemporary arts space, the Bluecoat, is working in partnership with other organisations and a group of Lowry enthusiasts in the city, the UK, Latin America and Europe, to celebrate this momentous event with an arts programme examining Lowry’s life and work.

This festival will take place in the second half of 2009 (potentially taking in Dia De Los Muertos or the Day of the Dead, a holiday celebrated each November in Mexican communities, and the date on which his most famous novel Under the Volcano is set). The programme will centre on the Bluecoat, which re-opens in 2008, following a £12.5m redevelopment of its historic building, in time for Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture. The Bluecoat is situated in the heart of Liverpool, just round the corner from the site of the Anatomy Museum in Paradise Street that so horrified Lowry.
We are interested in hearing from UK and international artists who share our passion for Lowry and who create work that engages with his life and work. The following programme strands currently being developed indicate the range of contemporary art practice we are interested in:

• a major exhibition by UK and international visual artists responding to Lowry and the themes of Under the Volcano
• live literature events involving contemporary writers relating to Lowry’s novels, short stories and poetry
• a film programme, potentially including Volcano featuring Albert Finney and directed by John Huston, documentaries, artists’ films and a reflection of Lowry’s interest in German expressionist cinema
• a music component in response to Lowry’s passion for jazz and his own skills on the taropatch (ukulele)
• contemporary dance and live art events inspired by the Lowry legend
• an accompanying publication with commissioned essays and illustrations, published with Liverpool University Press
• an academic conference including a focus on aspects of Lowry and Liverpool
At this stage we are researching potential artists to work with and responding to this call does not guarantee inclusion in the programme.

Please send relevant information to Bryan Biggs, Artistic Director, the Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool L1 3BX, England, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it