Liverpool Plinth artist Alan Dunn explains meaning behind prize-winning ‘chair’ sculpture

Alan Dunn has been unveiled as the winner of the inaugural Liverpool Sculpture Prize and his artwork Ascension has been installed at the Plinth on Liverpool Parish Church for twelve months. His winning piece takes a component from a famous public artwork in the city and repurposes it to talk about loneliness within society.

Dunn told LiverpoolWorld: "Twenty-seven years ago, myself and another artist created a work for London Road called Ray + Julie. It was meant to last for six months before the trams came and London Road would be gentrified. At the time we saw Ray and Julie as a couple that lived in London Road, a little bit down and out maybe. We made two chairs, they're based on Charles Rennie Mackintosh chairs in the Glasgow School of Art, which is where me and the other artist met and fell in love so it's a nice personal story."

The Glasgow-born artist has been based in the Liverpool City Region since 1995, the year he co-created the RAY + JULIE sculpture with Brigitte Jurack. The sculpture, consisting of two chairs, was originally commissioned by the Furniture Resource Centre. The original RAY + JULIE artwork existed for 27 years.

Nobody ever knew who RAY + JULIE were, but in this new work they are separated, RAY at the plinth and JULIE left behind on London Road. Alan said of the work: "I hope it's not a sad piece. I hope this is like liberation for both of them. They've been together for 27 years, and things happen. They've got a life, they've got an afterlife."

Alan's work was chosen by a panel of judges from the art world and Liverpool's business and civic communities from submissions from artists across the UK. The new Liverpool Sculpture Prize, created and managed by Liverpool BID Company and Liverpool Parish Church, is open to any sculptor working and living in the UK.

The winning artwork is installed on The Liverpool Plinth - a space that showcases sculptures for a 12-month period on Chapel Street in the city centre. The art space was first set up in 2018.

• Watch the video above to hear more from artist Alan Dunn and to see more of his Ascension sculpture on the Liverpool Plinth.