The Great Promenade Show is a series of outdoor art installations set on the 2 km sea defences along Blackpool's south shore.
The works were commissioned by Blackpool Council from both established and emerging artists to animate the promenade and offer a creative attraction to the town's residents and 11 million annual visitors.
The vision for the artworks is that of an outdoor gallery or a visual variety show, a programme of 'acts', each one reflecting an aspect of Blackpool's diverse character.
The artists
- Waterwings - Bruce Williams, 2001. Laser cut stainless steel
- The Wind Looks Like This - Stephen Hurrel, 2002. Aluminium poles
- Life as a Circus - Sir Peter Blake, 2003. Bronze casts, steel base plates
- Desire - Chris Knight, 2001. Corten steel slabs with stainless steel spikes
- Glam Rocks - Peter Freeman, 2001. Sprayed concrete rendered with marble-lite and fitted with stainless steel and glass light points.
- They Shoot Horses Don't They - Michael Trainor, 2002. Steel framework, fibreglass shell and mirror squares.
- The High Tide Organ - John Gooding, 2002. Concrete base, corten steel reflector clad in copper sheet, polyethylene inlet pipes, zinc organ pipes.
- The Frankenstein Project - Tony Stallard, 2001. Steel, glass and neon.
Artist selection
In 1999 the art service approached over 50 artists and designers, inviting them to submit a proposal for the scheme. Following an exhibition of proposals from twenty-nine artists in May 2000 where the public were able to 'vote' for their favourites, ten were selected to be developed further and then installed permanently on the Great Promenade Show.
Funders
The scheme has been funded by Blackpool Council, Blackpool Challenge Partnership, Lancashire Tourism Partnership, South Shore Hospitality Group, North West Development Agency, Education Business Partnership Link, Birse, and NESTA (The National Endowment for Science, Technology & The Arts).
Contact
For further information, contact us via email: artsdevelopment@blackpool.gov.uk or telephone: Lynne Pattinson, arts development officer on 01253 478238.