A Case History Sculpture

As you approach Hope Street from Mount Street and look up the hill you will notice a huge pile of crates or boxes, maybe they are stone slabs or debris left by labourers. As you get closer you will see they are in fact… stone cases.
Yes this is another public art installation that while not as fun or silly as the Superlamb Banana is just as intriguing and thought provoking on inspection. It represents Liverpool’s port culture as demonstrated through the comings and goings of famous people of the city.
Not particulalry moving it is still worth a look if passing this way.

I lamented the fact statues of great people seem to go unnoticed but with sculptures I seem to have the opposite opinion. There’s something about having all this stuff just scattered about that improves the city’s cultural identity. «Oh what’s that, you ask? Just some piece of artwork somebody laboured over for weeks probably. We’ve got loads of it round here. Can’t stop. Bye.»
A pile of luggage bearing the names of famous Scousers or people who travelled to Liverpool, the sculpture is an intriguing lump of Hope Street interest. It’s great to ignore but if I ever saw somebody looking at it, humming approvingly and stroking their goatee I’d ask them to leave.

You can’t deny that Liverpool is one of the artsiest, creative cities in the UK, let alone the North West. The art isn’t just limited to the galleries though — Liverpool the city is a canvas, it’s created a living artwork from a bombed out church, the very paving stones harbour etchings of the city’s monuments, and here on the corner of Hope Street, what looks like a pile of forgotten luggage is in fact a sculpture by John King.
Upon closer inspection there are bronze luggage tags, revealing the names of various famous Liverpudlians. While we were inspecting the cases, some nearby locals let us know that there was a board, a keycode if you will, allowing us to see just which case is assigned to who. Not only did we enjoy A Case History, we were once again treated to just how friendly Liverpudlians are. One of these gents then came up with a list of suggestions as to where we should check out, tourism-​wise; the insider’s track. When one of his friends chuckled at him he said, ‘I’m a Scouser, I gotta promote me city, haven’t I?’ This lovely guy and the sculpture itself exemplify just how strongly locals feel about their city and its rich cultural heritage. No wonder it was 2008 Capital of Culture.

Positioned outside Liverpool College of Art, A Case History is an intreguing sculpture that consists of stacks of concrete suitcases and bags. Some of them are stacked in a small group as if they’ve been abandoned at an airport or train station, others are stacked high and in a haphazard fashion that showcases their different shapes and colours.
Designed by the artist John King, the sculpture was installed in 1998 and is impossible to miss if you’re walking down Hope Street. Look closely and you’ll see, all 27 suitcases and the couple of guitar cases are labelled with the names of influential and legendary Scouse writers, composers, musicians, architects, photographers and political activists. Endearingly, alongside Lennon and McCartney you’ll find cases referencing feminist pioneer Josephine Butler and Merseyside poets Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten.