VIDEO: Liverpool remembers The Blitz this weekend

It is the 75th anniversary of the May Blitz in Liverpool this weekend and of course St Luke’s Church (or as we know it, the Bombed Out Church) will become the focal point.

We went to see the stunning displays before they open to the public later on this evening. Watch the video above.

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Out of the Darkness is set to transform St Luke’s Church this weekend as a sound and light display takes over the bombed out church, marking the 75^th anniversary of the May Blitz.

Taking place each evening from 9-10pm, Friday 6 to Sunday 8 May, projections will be beamed on three large screens placed in the windows facing Hardman Street and a rolling ten minute film will run throughout the hour which will feature dramatic archive footage and images and be accompanied by a haunting soundtrack of drones, and first-hand accounts of those terrifying nights.

Schools and community groups across Merseyside have taken part in making more than 2,000 stained glass lanterns which will illuminate the inside and outside of the building, representing some of the lives that were lost during one of the country’s worst bombing periods of the Second World War.

Along with the lanterns a house, which is the third of the size of a terraced property, will be installed in the gardens which will symbolise the fragility of houses during the Blitz. There will also be six professional performers who are part of the Unity Theatre will enact emotive scenes such as parents saying goodbye to their children as they are evacuated, women waving farewell to their loved ones and recreating moments when the bombs started to fall.

Liverpool’s Director of Culture, Claire McColgan, said: “It was important we do something to mark this pivotal date in the city’s history, and Out of the Darkness is particularly poignant as May 6 marks 75 years since St Luke’s was hit by an incendiary device.

“The lanterns which have been created are stunning and will add a hauntingly beautiful element to the evening. Because of the way the audio and visual elements will work, visitors will be able to take the different aspects in at their own pace and not only reflect on what was such a turbulent time for the city, but also think about the resilience the people of Liverpool showed during this time.

“I encourage as many people as possible to come along to Hardman Street and make the most of this very special, thought-provoking event which will show one of the city’s striking landmarks in a whole new light.

“The church is part of the fabric of the city and with the half a million pound investment by the city council, in partnership with Historic England, we are committed to continuing to use the space so people can be reminded of the horrors of war and the bravery of the people of Liverpool.”

The event has been commissioned by the city council and is being created by innovative artists METRO-BOULOT-DODO (MBD) who specialise in designing art experiences which transform buildings into emotive and engaging spaces for the audience.