Power Plant Calderstones Park

LIVERPOOL is to boast another exclusive art installation that promises to capture the imaginations of all who set foot in a city park after dark.

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Beginning on Wednesday, Power Plant will take over Calderstones Park for some ?magical botanical activities?, in which sound and light will be used to create an imaginary, ghostly world of glitchy insects, dramatic weather, mechanical plants and the sound of the earth?s energy.

The gardens and greenhouses will be transformed by 20 different installations, and audiences are invited to wander around the enchanting and mysterious space.

Power Plant has been installed in other cities after being founded in Oxford, but its visit to Liverpool will be its biggest outing yet.

Producer Simon Chatterton of the Contemporary Music Network, which has worked in partnership with the Culture Company on the project, said: ?It is hard to describe, but it is very much an experience for people to get immersed in.

?This is a special one-off in Liverpool, a bigger version of what we have done before, with lots of new pieces, looking at the idea of the history of Liverpool?s lost botanic gardens.

?It?s not a cerebral, chin- scratching installation, it?s like stepping into another world.

?It?s suitable for everyone from children and family groups to people with an interest in music and sound.? continues...

Liverpool Daily Post

It's a pity the money isn't spent on moving the 'Calder Stones' from the arse end of the park from a disused greenhouse and putting them in the main area of the park encased in something for all to see.

A STRANGE nocturnal world of sound and light came to one of Liverpool?s most beautiful and historic public parks last night as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations.

Power Plant, at Calderstones Park, comprises a total of 26 installations by different artists, each inspired by the Victorian gardens in which they are set.

The show, which continues until Sunday, is one of the largest audio visual installations ever to come to Liverpool.

An estimated 400 people turned up for the first night of the show last night.

From the start, the visitor is assailed by a bizarre variety of sights and sounds, with haunting whistles, singing balloons, lampshades set up by park benches, and sparkling flowerbeds.

Apart from the light created by the installations, the park is in complete darkness, adding to the mysterious and sometimes eerie atmosphere of the night-time setting.

The exhibition, put together by the Contemporary Music Network, has toured various cities after being founded in Oxford, but the visit to Liverpool is its biggest outing yet.

Producer Simon Chatterton described it as a ?botanical garden of the imagination.?

He said: ?Calderstones Park is a fantastic venue for this event, with the quiet, ambient sound making it a perfect setting.

?All the artists are really excited about working here. Liverpool is a city that prides itself on its parks.

?Seeing the park at night gives it a different feel, and the installation works on many different levels.

?For people who are interested in arts and music, you can find a whole world in every installation. But it?s also wonderful for a family that wants to come out to the park, as it is a very magical place to be.

?The aim is to surprise and sometimes scare you, but in a nice way.?

At the centre, the glasshouse is a slowly pulsating beacon of light, casting monstrous shadows of foliage and vegetation, accompanied by deep rumblings aiming to conjure the subterranean movements of the earth?s crust.

Mr Chatterton continued: ?Their installations are inspired by plant and animal life, gardens, and nature.?

POWER Plant continues until October 12, from 7.30pm to 10pm. To book tickets, visit liverpool08.com or powerplant.org.uk

alanweston:LDP