A capital idea

Liverpool started its cultural journey back in 2000, and if you look around the city now it’s hard to believe how much has been achieved in the past ten years. The waterfront has been completely transformed; better shopping facilties are in place; and a new museum and arena are on the way. In 2000, when we started preparing to bid for the title of European Capital of Culture, the city’s leaders saw the title as rocket fuel for regeneration; a chance for all sectors to work together to make a difference. It is a sad indictment of Liverpool’s decline over the years that our main aim at that point was just to get on the shortlist. The confidence in this city was at an all-time low; we’d forgotten what we had. Winning the title actually came as a real shock, but looking back dispassionately, it shouldn’t have done: we delivered a great bid that spoke for a city. We really wanted it and had a clear vision of what it would achieve. There was no huge marketing campaign but in the words of Sir Bob Scott, we knew that the title was “a scholarship, not a prize”.

KEEPING CITY SPIRITS HIGH
Bidding, however, turned out to be the easy part. When you bid, you say “yes” to everything. The moment you win you have to start saying “no” – and that’s really hard. The expectation in and of the city was at an all-time high. Many promises had been made and in reality, there were only three people in place to deal with everything. In 2003, in the afterglow of winning, we didn’t really listen to the experiences of other cities who had undertaken the same journey. We just nodded and thought “we won’t make those mistakes”. But of course we did. Those mistakes are well documented. But with dramatic changes in leadership, under a cloud of low expectation and national suspicion that Liverpool would shoot itself in the foot yet again, we delivered the most successful European Capital of Culture ever.
The rollercoaster Liverpool went on to create the programme was all-consuming, and sometimes you felt you were at odds with everyone. In the ‘crisis year’ of 2006, the cultural sector worked with Fiona Gasper (now Chief Executive of the Royal Exchange) and myself to devise an incredible programme. Behind the rhetoric and high drama, there was a programme of depth and meaning, a community with a clear rationale. There was also a series of Liverpool commissions and grants that enabled people to truly participate in the year at grassroots level – and, of course, blockbuster events like Artichoke’s mechanical spider. Liverpool’s work had a sense of place – it wasn’t an imported festival, but came from the desire of hundreds of artists, hungry to make their mark. The ambition was huge and was supported by countless backstage staff, city planners, police and volunteers. It’s the strength of those relationships and the wider team that delivered 2008 that have made our legacy so strong. It was a programme of cultural events delivered by the city as a whole. In Liverpool, we were and are lucky that non-cultural organisations ‘get it’. They understand the value of culture. The Primary Care Trust this year alone has invested thousands in culture and the arts organisations sit on all the major regeneration groups in the city.

LESSONS AND LEGACY
But that was our story. The key thoughts I’d like to pass on to Derry/Londonderry, which is about to start this journey, is legacy. The real legacies, after the fireworks have faded, are about how cultural organisations in the city become a true part of the city’s decision-making. Two years on from our reign as European Capital of Culture, for instance, and we are getting ready for one of our legacy festivals ‘On The Waterfront’; two major cultural events celebrating all things maritime as well as the very best of international outdoor dance. The artistic and participation programme need to have equal billing – an education programme should not just be there to support the main event. Events that drive economic impact are fine (and needed in this current climate), but the goal must be to inspire confidence and aspiration in a new generation, those who believe in their city. Finally, take risks: welcome mistakes as an opportunity and make the journey interesting and your own. In my sensible head, the eight years I have had as part of this city’s transformation have included adrenalin-fuelled, emotionally charged moments I would never want to go through again. But then I look at the Liverpool skyline and think ‘I had a very small part to play in the history of this great place’ and I feel a bit envious of the city that has that journey to come.