Photos by Minako Jackson
Liverpool artwork of the week 2010-13. ‘Jelly on a Plinth – Memorials imagined for Liverpool’ by Lubaina Himid at Sudley House 27 March 2010 – 6 June 2010
This is fun, just talking about jelly makes people smile. Lubaina imagined a competition for architects to submit designs for 12 pavilions to be situated around the region. The drawings are on the wall of the gallery. She then created the pavilions using old jelly moulds, beautifully painted and arranged with tiny people at work or play – or even getting married! Its good to get up close and imagine it’s a real place.
UPDATE: Listen to our interview with Lubaina Himid on our podcast site
There are 30 jelly moulds at Sudley House but there are few others dotted around Merseyside including 3 in the window of Jackson’s art shop in Slater St and 1 at Lady Lever. Check out www.jellypavilion.info for the full list and more details.
The exhibition explores the challenges of commemorating the ongoing contribution of the people of the African Diaspora to the history, culture and fabric of Liverpool.
Jelly Mould Pavilions presents 30 Victorian ceramic jelly moulds, hand-painted and positioned on a diorama of a park, complete with to-scale model trees and people, with each mould representing a fictional monument. Illustrations on the jelly moulds are inspired by influential Black figures such as Martin Luther King, William Still, Dred Scott, Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass, all strong and unique figures in the civil rights movement . Lubaina’s inspiration also comes from brightly coloured textile patterns from all over the African continent.
Lubaina says: “I chose jelly moulds because the insides are beautiful and yet invisible. Although these jelly mould monuments will never be built, their purpose is to encourage the visitor to ask questions about the city’s history, how we can celebrate and commemorate the Black community or whether we do this already.”
