A massive glow-in-the-dark painting has been unveiled in the city centre at Liverpool ONE.
Commissioned as part of the The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) Live Labs 2: Decarbonising Local Roads in the UK programme, the painting has been installed at the intersection of Hanover Street and College Lane in Liverpool ONE.
Liverpool City Council is a key partner in ADEPT Live Labs 2, a three-year, UK-wide £30 million programme funded by the Department for Transport that aims to decarbonise the local highway network.
The Council is pioneering the use of smart road and highway technologies with a series of experiments across the city on roads, pedestrian crossings and cycle paths.
The hope is that these new technologies will reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality, alleviate congestion, and create more sustainable neighbourhoods.
The striking artwork, titled ‘Harmony’ created by the esteemed artist collective Reskate Studio, uses Luminokrom, a photoluminescent paint that can be used for highway marking on roads.
This material absorbs ambient light during daylight hours and emits a luminous glow during periods of darkness. The artwork undergoes a dynamic transformation from day to night, providing a compelling demonstration of the paint’s capabilities.
The paint absorbs natural or artificial light and glows in the dark for 10 hours without any power supply or CO2 emissions.
The artwork is part of Reskate’s Harreman Project – a series of glow-in-the-dark artworks across Europe.
The design represents the poetic connection between the arts, nature and innovation on the path to a more hopeful and sustainable future.
Reskate art collective aims to foster awareness, engagement, and proactive involvement in environmental stewardship through this public installation.
Comprised of artists Minuskula and Javier de Riba, Reskate is renowned for its site-specific murals and installations that integrate with their surrounding environments. Their work is characterised by a commitment to conveying meaningful messages through thoughtful aesthetic choices.
ADEPT represents local authority county, unitary and metropolitan directors across England. Live Labs 2 includes seven projects, grouped by four interconnected themes, led by local authorities working alongside commercial and academic partners.
Each project is testing new solutions to decarbonise construction and maintenance across the whole life cycle of the local highway network. The programme is overseen by an independent Commissioning Board, which includes the Department for Transport and other experts from across the public and private sectors.
Cllr Daniel Barrington, Cabinet Member for Transport and Connectivity, said:
“This is a great artwork that will bring lots of pleasure and fun to people who see it. It’s really striking how the piece changes from daytime into night, and lights up in an incredible way.
“It’s an exciting way of telling the story about ADEPT Live Labs 2 and how roads can become net zero contributors in the years ahead.
“I’d urge everyone to pop along to Liverpool ONE to have a look at an iconic piece of art.”
Donna Howitt, Place Strategy Director at Liverpool ONE, said:
“Supporting art and culture is at the heart of what we do at Liverpool ONE. This striking display now in place not only enhances the city’s landscape but will also sparks conversation on important topics while inspiring visitors.
Artist Minuskula, said:
“This collaboration with our city partners is a fantastic example of how art can highlight important themes like sustainability while making Liverpool an even more exciting place to visit.
“This is a site-specific work that belongs to our “Harreman project”, murals that feature glow in the dark paint. This mural is part a series of works, which represent youth’s worries that are often silenced. We’re very proud to be able to create a poetic and inspiring image that helps to make visible a better future.”
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