Tony Phillips: Above Us Only Sky?

Above Us Only Sky?
Tony Phillips

Multiple locations between Bluecoat and the Bombed Out Church

Tony’s art trail, ‘Above us only sky?’, surveys the development of the aeroplane through a series of historical events, from 1903 to the present. Consisting of 19 hand-painted panels and a fresco, the trail removes the aircraft from its mundane present-day context and elevates it as a symbol in a style reflective of religious imagery, allowing for a new kind of objectivity on the subject.

This form also reflects humanity’s increasing preoccupation with, and glorification of technology, and in turn alludes to the duality of human progress – with the aircraft becoming synonymous with both the ecstasy of adventure and the horror of warfare.

The trail, beginning in the Bluecoat courtyard on School Lane, and leading up to the Bombed Out Church and back, seeks to link two vital parts of Liverpool’s heritage: two important institutions in the socio-cultural regeneration of the area, with St Luke’s acting as living testament to the themes revealed in Tony’s images.

The ‘20th Century Chapel’, a series of murals within St Luke’s, depicting the events of the last 120 years, forms part of the trail and builds upon the narrative disclosed by the history of flight.

Follow Tony’s interactive map on the website, or the walking trail below

Bluecoat is Liverpool’s contemporary arts centre, a working home for artists, and a place where audiences can experience art in new ways.