Month: July 2022

Being Human is a new exhibition at Liverpool Cathedral that opened this week on Wednesday 27 July and runs until 30 August. Created by the internationally renowned artist and sculptor Peter Walker, the exhibition explores the meaning of being human and what makes us who we are through multiple artworks located around the Cathedral, themed around connection, creativity, identity, and reflection. Inspired by Michelangelo, a sculpture entitled Connection will be at the heart of the exhibition, offering a contemporary twist on a Renaissance masterpiece.

Peter Walker is the artist behind Liverpool Cathedral’s previous Peace Doves artwork installation, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors. He has created numerous artworks including sculptures, paintings, drawings, installation pieces, and Son-et-Lumiere for large-scale public art events, as well as for collections at the British Embassy in Paris, Chester Cathedral, and University Church in Oxford, among others.

Being Human at Liverpool Cathedral is available to visit until 30 August. The Cathedral is open daily between 10am and 6pm. You don’t need to book to visit the Cathedral, and viewing the installation is completely free:

https://www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk/visiting-us/being-human/

Bartletts Solicitors are proud to be long-term supporters of Liverpool Cathedral, with Thomas Bartlett, a direct ancestor of the firm’s owners, leaving a bequest for the construction of the array of 13 bells for the new cathedral which was then being built in 1912.

Recent press reports have highlighted the difficulties faced by council and housing association tenants when dealing with bed bug infestations at home. Some have been forced to temporarily abandon their properties for weeks on end, while still paying rent, utility bills and council tax, despite their homes being uninhabitable. Local councils and housing associations have been criticised for their failure to help tenants deal with bed bug infestations quickly and effectively. Pest control treatments to eradicate bed bugs are the landlord’s responsibility, and they must engage contractors to fumigate infested properties at the earliest opportunity once the issue is reported to them.

One of the problems tenants face with bed bug infestations is the fact that the tiny insects are tough and resilient, and adept at concealing themselves, reproducing (they can breed all year round) and surviving, meaning eradication methods need to be efficient and thorough to ensure a property is completely bed bug free. Bed bugs can live in clothing, mattresses, linen, bed frames, furniture and many other concealed locations, only emerging at night to look for food,  making them difficult to identify. Bed bugs can also be easily transported from room to room and house to house, and a single home infestation can therefore quickly result in neighbouring properties becoming infested. This is another reason why local councils and housing associations need to act as quickly as possible once they are made aware of a bed bug infestation. 

Both local council and housing association tenants have the legal right to sue their landlord for bed bug bites, any physical repercussions, the associated stress and trauma, and the financial costs of an infestation, including the possible expense of temporary relocation while the problem is dealt with. Sometimes a property is infested with bed bugs before a tenant moves in, but more often landlords fail to address infestations reported to them by tenants within a reasonable time frame, leaving them legally responsible for the negative consequences. 

Our firm has particular expertise in suing for bed bug bites, and has successfully represented hundreds of clients in these specialist claims over the years. You can find out more on these pages:

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/accidents-at-home/suing-a-landlord-for-bed-bug-bites.html

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/bed-bug-claims/compensation-for-bed-bug-bites.html

Refractive Pool: Contemporary Painting in Liverpool is a new exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery which opened in April this year and runs until January 2023. It was borne from the Refractive Pool project which began life in 2019, and has since used events, a book and online resources to explore contemporary painting by Liverpool-based artists, and the diversity of painting styles and art being created in the city today.

The project’s work has culminated in this exhibition, for which Liverpool-based artists Josie Jenkins and Brendan Lyons have selected the work of 21 local artists, with the intention of providing an overview of the community of painters based in the city. A Refractive Pool book is also being released, featuring paintings by 40 local artists, which will also provide a snapshot of Liverpool’s current artistic community, and highlight creative collaboration between the different disciplines of painting, photography and poetry.

The Refractive Pool: Contemporary Painting in Liverpool is the climax of the project’s research into local artists, including meeting many of them in their studios, and getting a feel for who is making paintings in the city and what styles and techniques they are using. Located at the Walker Art Gallery – ‘the National Gallery of the North’ – the exhibition provides a unique opportunity for the younger generation of would-be painters to draw inspiration, and for the rest of us to appreciate the vibrancy and diversity of painters and painting in Liverpool today:

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/refractivepool