“Taxi to LJLA” Public Art takes off at Airport

Liverpool John Lennon Airport is delighted to reveal that part of the Tate Liverpool’s Turner Prize 2007 exhibition is to be displayed in the Airport terminal.

Although not an artwork by one of the Turner Prize nominees, ‘The Taxi Project’, displayed alongside the Prize nominees, was a much-loved part of the exhibition. The working black hackney cab had been on display at Tate Liverpool, Albert Dock and was specially adapted to accommodate a large display screen and surround sound in the passenger section of the cab. The film displayed within showed what people on the streets of Liverpool thought about the city hosting the Turner Prize 2007 and becoming European Capital of Culture 2008

The owner of the taxi, Bill Kelly of W A Kelly Taxis, based in Lockerby Road, Liverpool, was also delighted that this project was moving on to the Airport to be seen by a wider audience.

Neil Pakey, Manager Director at LJLA, said: “Putting the taxi on display alongside the yellow submarine and our major exhibits by Harry Goodwin, Paul Saltzman, Tom Murphy, John McFaul and Portuguese artist Rigo helps to cement our commitment to the Capital of Culture year and to public arts in general.

We do hope passengers take the opportunity to arrive at the airport early to enjoy the exhibits on display.
It’s with thanks to Tate Liverpool and Bill Kelly that we are able to display The Taxi Project.”
Andrea Nixon, Executive Director of Tate Liverpool said; “We are delighted that the taxi has moved to the Liverpool John Lennon Airport, following its spell at Tate Liverpool. The Taxi Project has proved to be popular, capturing the buzz around both the Turner Prize and European Capital of Culture, but also reflecting the rich variety of voices in the city.