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Alsop's Cloud to rise again

Alsop Cloud

Will Alsop's Cloud

Plans for an alternative to Liverpool's 2008 Capital of Culture celebrations will include a massive scale model of Will Alsop's rejected Fourth Grace – known as the Cloud.

Will Alsop is in talks with a group planning to hijack festivities surrounding Liverpool's 2008 Capital of Culture celebrations.

Alsop confirmed that communications firm October had approached him with a plan to create a massive scale model of his ditched Fourth Grace scheme – known as The Cloud.

October is acting on behalf of Liverpool art promotor the A Foundation, which, along with several other groups, is planning an alternative to the Capital of Culture celebrations. Plans include segregating off  the northern part of the city with a 'Berlin Wall-style barrier – complete with checkpoints.

The action is in protest at what many regard as the elitism of the festivities.

Alsop said: '[October] approached me a couple of weeks ago and I would be very happy to be involved. There is nothing that would give me greater pleasure.'

October director, John Egan, said that a number of firms, galleries and businesses including dance clubs Cream and Large Portion, had signed up to what he described as an alternative 'edge festival'.

Although the hub of the protest is likely to be the city's Stanley Tobacco Factory, owned by the A Foundation, the model of the Cloud, which Alsop said would 'probably be made out of canvas', would be too big to fit inside the factory.

Alsop said 'I would like to build a significant size model.'

The Cloud was to have been built on the city's docks alongside the famed Three Graces but was ditched in 2004 after Liverpool City Council raised concerns over costs.


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Reader Response

Added: Wednesday, 16 January 2008 13:16 GMT
David Swift, Liverpool, United Kingdom

Concerning the whole of the World Heritage site,when have the people of Liverpool been allowed to have their say? I am not referring to a few elitist pressure groups promoting plans to make a quick buck for developers. The reality of the (dubious) public ballot was that the Cloud came a miserable 4th out of 4, and yet still got the blessing of the planners. Of course, the real question was not put to Liverpudlians, do you really want massive developments alongside the Pier Head buildings? That these developments are going ahead is a cause for great regret which I am sure will be expressed in due course.
UNESCO's advice to proceed with caution has been ignored, and may yet lose us WH status


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Added: Thursday, 13 December 2007 12:59 GMT
wayne colquhoun, liverpool, United Kingdom

Will some-one put Alsop out of our misery...please.. we have had enough of this.
Jon Egan bless his little cotton socks is a paid propaganarist and was responsible as a paid hand for Liverpool Vision(sic) in foisting upon us the the diabolical idea to develop the central core of Liverpools world heritage site. He was then employed by Neptune developments to massage the idea of developing Mann Island with the three grotesques scheme instantaniosly bringing a Unesco mission that nearly had us on the Unesco "at risk register" tit now apears he is being paid to bludgen another precarious scheme through and has come up with a clever marketing tool of a alternative 2008.

Wayne Colquhoun LPT


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