On the evening of the 29 April 2025, the Metal Liverpool team met once again with their Mystery Dreamers, a group of nine locals from a variety of backgrounds, to discuss the final stage of the Picton Play project over dinner.
Gathered around a table laid with long white sheets of paper, scattered with written prompts and questions projected onto the wall, the group conjured up some ideas about a lead artist brief for the Celebration stage. The group openly exploring who the artists involved would be, how they could support the artists along the project as well as suggesting places along the Wavertree high street for any site-specific interventions.
When discussing ideas about potential sites and creative ideas, the team came up with a variety of suggestions such as a sustainable fashion challenge – pulling together outfits from the ‘Love Wavertree’ shop and dressing some of the residents up to culminate in a fun fashion walk with a panel of judges.
Music as a source to bring people together was proposed – bringing the folk music out of the Edinburgh pub and onto the streets of Wavertree. Metal loves a good meal, even a foodie trail of Picton was put forward! Wavertree is lined with mouth-watering food spots, from Yannis, a traditional fish and chip shop, to Fozia’s restaurant where you can get a taste of Kashmir! Another idea was to have a gallery along the street: a walkway of art engaging the locals by asking them to display art in their windows.
Poetry emerged as a suggestion from the Mystery Dreamers, with an idea of installing snippets of poems along lampposts or shop fronts. As a collective hive mind, we explored ideas ranging from written expression to physical performance.
The Lock-up was a commonly suggested site, with the idea of a sort of act out in the lockup carried out by performance-based artists and actors.
“My favourite thing about everyday life in Picton has been all the talk about the ‘lock up’. I’ve been fascinated by the lock up since I found out about it when I was a teenager. I always mean to go and look round it on Heritage Day but never get round to it so am hoping to get a closer look as part of this project!” (Ruth Worthington – Mystery Dreamer)
The group felt that the artists involved in this final celebration should be warm, inquisitive, curious and open to the process of change. They should also be community minded people as the project explores the theme of community and connection.
To support the artists, the mystery dreamers felt it would be beneficial to gather stories from locations across the area and introduce them to local legends, capturing the magic in the mundane. For instance, the B. Jenkins & Sons Family Undertakers – Liverpool’s oldest independent funeral service, established in 1880 by the visionary Bethia Jenkins was put forward as a must know local legend. Still owned and operated today by the family Jenkins, a historically rich site that any artist coming to work in the area should know about! It was also suggested that a walkabout tour led by the mystery dreamers could be beneficial in supporting the artists, giving them an opportunity to meet locals, explore the area and familiarise themselves with the vibe and buzz of Picton.
