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Liverpool 2008
Cultural plan for Liverpool 2008
Alone the plan shows two important ingredients of Liverpool's approach to this one special year of 2008: British humor based on underplaying rather than overplaying things and to take communication, including cultural diplomacy, very serious. These ingredients are best embodied in someone like Bob Scott. He was in 2010 chairman of the selection committee set up by the European Commission to facilitate the designation process of future European Capitals of Culture.
Beatriz Gracia and Bob Scott at 25 years of ECOC in Brussels, March 23 - 24 2010
The success of Liverpool '08 has been told in many variations, but certainly the most pronounced one has been the study produced by Beatriz Gracia and her team about the impact of the designation of the City of Liverpool the be the European Capital of Culture in 2008. She calls it appropriately putting numbers into context in order to link quantitative date with an ability to tell a more comprehensive story. The aim of this cultural impact research was to show how this one year changed the image of Liverpool and as a direct result altered some of the major dispositions towards Liverpool as known to have existed both inside and outside.
On its official website, it was stated right from the start that a great deal of effort shall be made to transform Liverpool from being a black hole, at best a down ridden port to become a thriving cultural and economic viable city which knows how to make best use of its vast resources:
"A centre of maritime, cultural and sporting excellence, Liverpool’s successful bid to be crowned European Capital of Culture 2008 is underpinned by its unrivalled architecture and heritage, including its world-famous waterfront, itself named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This cradle of the industrial world will also be playing a key role in Britain’s Year of the Sea 2005, when Sea Liverpool hosts the beginning of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
The magnificent architecture of the waterfront is complimented by more listed buildings and monuments than any other UK city outside London reinforcing the city’s reputation as a place of true aesthetic excellence.
Liverpool is arguably best known for The Beatles and their unique legacy can be seen all over the city. Places like Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields are established on a popular tourist trail which attracts thousands of fans from around the world.
Just like its maritime trade in the 19th century and The Beatles in the 20th century, the European Capital of Culture title and World Heritage Status have helped put Liverpool on the international map, so why not come and discover what makes this destination a place you’ll never forget."
For more information see« The Legacy: Innovation, Reproduction or Exhaustion? | Bid of Liverpool »