The Rainbow Runner

The Rainbow Runners sculptures Photo: Dot-Art Splash of colour adds

hope to the city

By PAUL McAULEY

Next time you’re grabbing a coffee or window-shopping in Liverpool ONE, you may set your eyes on an amazing new sculpture situated on the roof of the Hilton Hotel. Installed as a thank-you to essential and key workers, the Rainbow Runner, by artist Faith Bebbington, is available to view until January 2021.

The temporary installation was planned by Dot-Art and funded through Liverpool City Council’s ‘Without Walls’ project. This initiative strives to fill the streets with cultural content to encourage audiences back into the city after the Covid-19 crisis.

Having had three various incarnations so far, Faith touched upon how this form differs from the rest.

‘I wanted to link it to the symbol of hope

“I suggested simply re-imagining the runner in new colours synchronicity as there are seven figures and seven rainbow colours so it made sense,” she said. “Plus, I wanted to link it to the symbol of hope which the rainbow has become during this challenging time. I was delighted when it was accepted by the council.”

Originally commissioned as part of ‘Liverpool Discovers’ Public Art Trail back in 2011, the Runner was painted neon yellow and could be spotted at the Leeds Liverpool canal at Mann Island. Fast forward years later and The Runner could be found at the World Heritage waterfront as part of The Mersey River Festival, this time coated in Dayglo orange to signify the life saver rings mounted close to the water.

With a wealth of sports being associated with Liverpool, it would prove a challenge to depict them all in one artwork, hence the focus on a sequence of movement that relates to many sports – running. As well as being a sport in its own right, running is common to many competitive sports from football to gymnastics to tennis. With this in mind, Faith recalled the inspiration for The Runner.

“I discovered an amazing fact - Liverpool had a pivotal role in the modern Olympic movement. Between 1862 and 1867, Liverpool held an annual Grand Olympic Festival. Devised by John Hulley and Charles Melly, these games were the first to be wholly amateur in nature and international in outlook,” she said. “The programme of the first modern Olympiad in Athens in 1896 was almost identical to that of the Liverpool Olympics. The Runner recognises the impact of the Liverpool Olympics, and celebrates the achievements of all Liverpool Olympians and athletes.”

Now adapted, the new vibrant colour scheme is a nod of acknowledgment to the essential and key workers, a topic that Faith feels very passionate about.

“I’m pleased and proud to have the opportunity to publicly acknowledge and thank the NHS and other key workers who are so crucial to our lives,” she added. “Personally, I am eternally grateful to the NHS staff as they helped me survive lung cancer in 2014. The Runner piece was created three years before that, using fibreglass resin which was my main medium for many years but rather unhealthy to work with. Surviving cancer was a creative turning point for me as I stopped working with fibreglass and began to focus on more environmentally friendly options instead, particularly waste plastic milk bottles. I see this piece as a reminder of my past practice but also a bridge linking to the way that I work now.”

Not wanting to give much away, Faith hinted where and when you could see her next project.

“It’s still under wraps so I can’t say too much about it, but I’m currently working on an illuminated sculpture which will include a tap donation point to raise money for charity. This will be on display in a major London train station in the run up to Christmas,” she said.