Sculpture Tom Murphy revealed that the inside of his statue, to be entered by a huge umbilical cord, would have exhibition halls, a marine life gallery, a well filled by the tide, stairways and escalators; all rising to the head with it's huge eyes, under a globe clasped in the giant's hand, which will give tourists a magnificent view of the river, Liverpool waterfront, the Wirral coastline and North Wales.
The proposed completion date coincides with the 800th anniversary of Liverpool being granted its Royal Charter by King John, and would lead into 2008. But the idea is for the 180ft high structure to be located on the other bank of the Mersey at New Brighton.
Wirral Borough Council has codenamed Tom's great ambition, the Poseidon Project. The council sees the statue as part of its wider Neptune redevelopment proposals for the New Brighton area, which would involve £70m of investment and create an estimated 500 jobs. The work would run from next year until 2007.
But the statue is by far the most ambitious part of that programme.
The North West Development Agency is already enthusiastic about the idea, noting its Coastal Resorts Strategy: "An interesting idea has been developed for a beacon attraction at the mouth of the Mersey at New Brighton... A 180ft statue of Poseidon - representing the quintessential maritime nature of the idea and the importance of the sea to the sub-region.
"Like the Statue of Liberty, it would have internal access and an exhibition space. The proposed statue does appear to have more chance than normal of being truly iconic especially if it could be positioned as a twin to the Statue of Liberty. The interior could be used, for example, to tell the story of, and record the names of, people who emigrated to the New World through Liverpool."
To Tom 54, he sees the statues rise from the Mersey as a personal dream.
As a man with a proven record, with sculptures such as John Lennon and Bill Shankly under his belt, he recognises that the cost of at least £15m could be a problem. But he points out that the cost of Cloud, the controversial Fourth Grace proposed for the Liverpool waterfront, is estimated at £200m.
Tom said: "The idea for it to be a catalyst for the whole region - expression of our belief in what has happened here in the past and what it promises for the future.
"When people enter the giant's globe, it will be like a bubble with everything transparent, giving the sensation of walking in space.
"The Mersey is our greatest natural asset - gateway to the world, so it needs a great monument."
(Extracts from The Daily Post Article by David Charters)
Tom Murphy
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by scouserdave
Bookmarks