Light at the end of the tunnel: illuminating culture in a post-covid world

The dark monotonous days that turned into months, then years during the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily disrupted our way of life and stripped our communities of the shared joy of cultural events.

Liverpool’s River of Light makes culture accessible, providing the ‘Unexpected Twist’ the city needed.

In 2019 The Fifth Sector began work in conjunction with and supported Culture Liverpool, creating a cultural strategy for the city that would span over the next 10 years as of the end of consultation in March 2020. Like many others, the impact of the pandemic drew in on the city of Liverpool, amplifying all the struggles and inequalities within our society. As The Fifth Sector’s consultation showed, culture plays a crucial role in addressing the existing divergence and major provocation our society was about to face in 2020. The River of Light presents ten outdoor illuminated art installations that use the Liverpool Waterfront as a gallery.

Representing continuity with regards to Liverpool’s response to cultural consultation, it also combats the issues of unequal access and opportunity the pandemic highlighted. Installations such as these exemplify the essential role culture has in the recovery from COVID-19. The works are interactive, allowing onlookers to walk through and see the art from their own personal perspective whilst being able to share it with those around them.

The artworks featured light and sound from local, national, and international artists, brightening and enriching the city for just over two weeks. Although not directly linked to the River of Light, the installations embody precisely what the sector’s cultural compact and recovery plan detailed. Championing equal access in making this a free outdoor cultural event suitable for the post-covid world whilst many are still uneasy about attending indoor events.

Liverpool Pier Head

The visitor economy is an integral part of Liverpool’s infrastructure, cultural events such as these hold monumental importance for tourism as well as the local community. New figures however have shown that although the pandemic continued to have substantial effects on tourism in 2021, there are signs of steady recovery across Liverpool. Findings from the latest independent research commissioned by the Visitor Economy team at Growth Platform, show that visitor numbers had dropped from 66.27m in 2019 to 26.14m in 2020, however, last year they rose to 42.15m.

Exchange Flags Liverpool

Creating spaces for art that anyone can attend and enjoy was an integral part of The Fifth Sector’s switch in focus when the lockdowns hit. Strategy prioritised recovery and participation in culture for the post-pandemic world. One installation featured within the River of Light entitled ’Evanescent’ by Atelier Sisu, explored the fragility and temporality of the natural world. The global pandemic presented exactly that; a new understanding of fragility had emerged. With this accentuated how delicate the ecosystems of our lives really are, thus reinstating how important it is to recognise and celebrate moments of beauty within our communities, as within an instant it can be all taken away. Cultural identity is more precious now than ever now that we have lived through a world where it simply did not exist.

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