Liverpool children have cracking time decorating Eurovision egg

Inspired by the Ukrainian and Eastern European tradition of egg painting, Pysanka Eggs is a partnership between Liverpool City Council and Liverpool ONE.

Children from a primary school in Liverpool will see their artwork go on display this week in the run up to the Eurovision Song Contest.

Pupils from St Paul and St Timothy’s Catholic Infant School in West Derby and Anfield Road Primary have been working with visual artist MrASingh to decorate an egg which is set to be unveiled at Liverpool ONE on Thursday (30 March).

The project is part of EuroLearn, made possible thanks to generous funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund with additional funds from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Funding from Spirit of 2012 will also support EuroLearn as well as the future evaluation of Eurovision’s benefit to the city region.

The display features seven eggs, one for each city region plus one for Ukraine. The Liverpool egg is called Nadiya [pronounced na-dee-ya].

The display – which will be situated in Liverpool ONE – features seven eggs, one for each city region, plus an additional egg to represent Ukraine:

Sounds We Love by Nicola McGovern with St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School in Bootle (Sefton)
The Murdichords Caring Owl by Caroline Daly with Murdishaw West Community Primary School in Runcorn (Halton)
Nadiya [pronounced na-dee-ya] by MrASingh with St Paul and St Timothy’s Catholic Infant School in West Derby and Anfield Primary (Liverpool)
Peggy by Pamela Sullivan with Castleway Primary, Leasowe Primary, Eastway Primary and Hayfield School (Wirral)
Singing Nightingale Watch in the Meadow by Jo Eyles with St Joseph the Worker Catholic Primary School in Kirkby (Knowsley)
Vision by Ruta Staseviciute with Eccleston Lane Ends Primary School (St Helens)
Peaceanka by Ruta Staseviciute in partnership with Ukrainian Children’s Choir working with the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain

Jessica Barnes, Year 6 pupil from Anfield Primary School, said:

“I really liked doing the project. I liked how our designs contributed to the final egg design. I’m very excited and proud that everyone will get to see the egg and that I was a part of it, as not many people got chosen to be a part of the project. The thing that surprised me the most about the egg was the size of it – I didn’t think it would be that big.

“The pattern was detailed and I liked that the artist was able to describe why he did certain things. I loved working with the artist because I got to work with someone who was talented at what they do.”

Claire McColgan CBE, Director of Culture Liverpool, said:

“It’s incredibly exciting to see the culmination of the first EuroLearn project. It’s a special moment for children right across the region, as well as those in our Ukrainian community, to have their artwork on display in a public place which is set to welcome tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world.

“It’s been so heartening to see how the children have embraced the significant cultures and traditions of Ukraine, which are reflected in the designs, and for them to gain a greater understanding of belonging, unity and hope.”

Led by Liverpool City Council’s Culture Liverpool team, alongside a wide range of creative partners, this is the first time a host city has offered an engagement programme of this scale. The community activity was an integral part of the successful bid and one of the main reasons that Liverpool was chosen to host the song contest on behalf of Ukraine.