New psychedelic mural brightens up Dovecot 

From a horse in space to an Edward Lear-inspired long-legged fish, Liverpool’s most surreal mural by renowned street artist John Culshaw has been unveiled at Dovecot Parade.

Drawing inspiration from the fantastical world of sleep, the public artwork was designed in collaboration with the Dovecot and Knotty Ash community.

Commissioned by Culture Liverpool and supported by the UK’s Shared Prosperity Fund and Councillor Harry Doyle’s Local Neighbourhood Fund, the mural was born out of a series of workshops run by Dovecot Dreamkeeping Society – a fictional organisation dedicated to preserving the memories and dreams of the people of Dovecot and Knotty Ash.

John Culshaw, who was born and bred in the area, is behind some of the city’s best-known public artworks including one dedicated to Nelson Mandela in L8 and his take on the Liver Bird on the side of The Wedding House, on Great George place

Working alongside performance artist Izzie Major and theatre producer Sonia Chapman, John embedded himself into the community, delivering workshops to schools and community organisations including Dovecot Primary, Knotty Ash Primary, Brookside Retirement Home and Deaf Active. John also ran an outdoor workshop which gave residents the opportunity to paint their design ideas straight onto the wall.

Phase two of the project, coming soon, will include a jam butty mine – a nod to Knotty Ash’s most whimsical son Ken Dodd – and a train hurtling towards a psychedelic vortex.

Dovecot Dreamkeeping Society was commissioned by Liverpool City Council’s Culture Liverpool team as part of its Creative Neighborhoods programme, an ongoing programme of collaborative projects and creative interventions that engage with communities and neighbourhoods throughout Liverpool, and include artistic residencies, development of public art, events and creative engagement workshops. Other projects include the award-winning Flower Street murals in Kirkdale.

The Dovecot Dreamkeeping Society project culminated with Dovecot Day of Dreams, a family fun day which saw walkabout performances and performance trails featuring weird and wonderful characters created in collaboration with over 300 community members.

Artist John Culshaw said: 

“As an artist working on home turf, this project has been particularly special. I’ve really enjoyed working at grass roots level with the community to capture their dreams and aspirations.

“Through the power of drama and art, the workshops unlocked some amazing ideas to enable me to shape the mural. This wall depicts strange and changing landscapes to show how in dreams we find ourselves moving from one place to another without ever knowing we are moving and also represents how our surroundings can feel strange and familiar at the same time.

“I’ve incorporated the current landscape into the design so for example the arches provide the perfect frame to use as windows into the residents’ dreams and there is a fantastic ornate door that I’ve kept as a feature, which gives the mural a wonderful 3D effect.”

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