28 Oct 21 — 09 Apr 23

Radical Ancestry

In 2021 and 2022 we are exploring ideas of belonging. Radical Ancestry is a programme of exhibitions, projects, residencies, and events that look at how our sense of self is shaped by the histories, geographies, biology, and culture we inherit, and question how technology can help us to explore a new way of thinking and experimenting with who we are.

Developed over a number of years in collaboration with curators and artists, Radical Ancestry is made up of mostly new projects which reimagine notions of belonging. These artworks challenge categorisations, resist fixed interpretations, and redefine the ways we connect with and express our ever-changing identities.

Major new commissions include works by Larry Achiampong & David Blandy, Yarli Allison, Korakrit Arunanondchai, Zinzi Minott, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind, Ebun Sodipo and Rae-Yen Song.

Yarli Allison In 1875 We Met At the Docks of Liverpool 於梨花埠遇上 2021 Image by Drew Forsyth

Korakrit Arunanondchai & Alex Gvojic, Songs for living, 2021

Breakwater Fermented Flower 2021 Image by Rob Battersby Installation view at FACT WEB RES

Larry Achiampong and David Blandy Dust to Data 2021 Image by Rob Battersby Installation view at FACT 7

“zoe” (2021)

As part of major exhibition Future Ages Will Wonder, "zoe" (2021) is an installation environment with yarn, cloth, cotton, photographs and furniture recreating The Hunterian Museum and its collection.

by Miku Aoki

Miku Aoki zoe 2019 2020 Image by Rob Battersby Installation view at FACT WEB RES

A Tree+++ 记因・基亿 (2021)

As part of major exhibition Future Ages Will Wonder, A Tree+++ 记因・基亿 (2021) is a dye-sublimation print on fabric suspended from a rig in the centre of the FACT building.

by Boedi Widjaja

Boedi Widjaja A Tree 记因基亿 2021 Image by Rob Battersby Installation view at FACT WEB RES

Nanyang (2019), Jawa (2019), Root Word (2021)

Part of major exhibition Future Ages Will Wonder, Nanyang (2019), Jawa (2019), Root Word (2021) are three backlit Duratran prints displayed on LED lightboxes. Each a unique visual writing system that tells a personal story about the artist's lineage.

by Boedi Widjaja

Boedi Widjaja Nanyang 2019 Jawa 2019 Root Word 2021 Image by Drew Forsyth

(Im)possible Baby, Case 01: Asako & Moriga (2015)

(Im)possible Baby, Case 01: Asako & Moriga (2015) is inspired by biotechnology and design solutions. The installation contains speculative design works considering the ‘traditional’ family unit.

by Ai Hasegawa

Shared Baby (2011/2019)

Shared Baby explores our beliefs in family and relationship structures, such as monogamy and kinship.

by Ai Hasegawa

Cigarette Cards - Ethnic-Chinese Seafarers in Britain 1900s (2021)

Set of 8 lightboxes displaying watercolour paintings inspired by vintage cigarette cards.

by Yarli Allison

Yarli Allison Cigarette Cards Ethnic Chinese Seafarers in Britain 1900s 2021 Image by Rob Battersby Installation view at FACT WEB RES 2

Dear Child, Guess Where This Is (2021)

This miniature diorama forms part of a multimedia installation exploring intergenerational grief and loss, telling the stories of Liverpool's lost Chinese sailors.

by Yarli Allison

Installation

Dear Child, Guess What I've Seen Sailing (2021)

This hand-written letter forms part of a multimedia installation exploring intergenerational loss and grief and tells the story of Liverpool's lost Chinese sailors.

by Yarli Allison

Yarli Allison Dear Child Guess Where This Is 2021 Dear Child Guess What Ive Seen Sailing 2021 Image by Rob Battersby Installation view at FACT WEB RES

Book of genealogy (2021)

This work features a sculptural lightbox displays photographs taken during his first visit to his ancestral hometown, alongside 20 encoded Chinese characters depicting the generational names recorded in his family’s book of genealogy.

by Boedi Widjaja

Boedi Widjaja Book of Genealogy 2021 Installation view at FACT Liverpool WEB RES Rob Battersby 14

A tree rings, a tree sings 树龄°述铃 (2021)

Responding to his family’s multiple migrations during his early life, Boedi Widjaja’s work considers the limitations of language, and the arbitrary nature of its formation.

by Boedi Widjaja

Boedi Widjaja A tree rings a tree sings 树龄述铃 2021 Image by Rob Battersby Installation view at FACT WEB RES

1620 (2020)

In 1620, Trisha Baga deploys approaches used in sci-fi filmmaking and speculative fiction to explore the mythology of Plymouth Rock.

by Trisha Baga

Trisha Baga 1620 2020 Image by Rob Battersby Installation view at FACT WEB RES

Dust to Data (2021)

Dust to Data tracks through the colonial history of archaeology, to current parallels in the data mining of DNA and social media image banks.

by Larry Achiampong and David Blandy

Fermented Flower (2021)

UK-based South Korean artists, Breakwater, confront the racist roots deeply embedded in the field of botany, which stem back to the Victorian era

by Breakwater of Youngsook Choi and Taey Iohe

Primordia (2022)

Primordia is an immersive online work that invites you to explore three worlds inspired by Kerolaina’s research into Goddess worship

by Kerolaina Linkeviča

Online
Game

I'll be back! (2022)

Created for her FACT Together 2021 commission, Hope Strickland presents I'll be back! (2022) explores Black metamorphosis alongside institutional collecting practices and colonial violences

by Hope Strickland

Harton Moor (2022)

Harton Moor is an animated guided tour of a 1970’s council estate in South Shields, presented as an idealised architectural model set against the personal narrative of a child resident, Jessica.

by Erin Dickson

Still from Harton Moor 2022 Erin Dickson 1

Orun-rere - Swarm Prototype 4 (2022)

SWARM is a social experiment: a radical reprogramming of the senses to remove binary thinking from sight and listening. A game where communication directly affects the environment, our bodies and our future.

by GLOR1A

Online
Game

GLOR1A Orun-rere - Swarm Prototype 4 (2022)

≈≈aaaaaahmaaaaaa≈≈ (2022)

In a new commission for FACT, Rae-Yen Song offers a glimpse into a world constructed from inherited memories of a distant maternal grandmother.

by Rae-Yen Song

Rae Yen Song aaaaaahmaaaaaa 2022 Installation view at FACT Image by Rob Battersby WEB RES30

As If No Misfortune Had Occurred in the Night (2022)

Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind have developed a new film installation featuring an Arabic-language opera, performed by Palestinian soprano Nour Darwish. Presented as a single aria, the opera revolves around loss, mourning and inherited trauma.

by Larissa Sansour, Søren Lind

Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind As If No Misfortune Had Occurred In The Night 2022 Installation view at FACT Image by Rob Battersby WEB RES 1

Songs for living (2021)

In Songs for living, the ghosts of our ancestors reconnect with life in a desire to heal following personal loss and ecological upheaval. Artist Korakrit Arunanondchai collaborates with cinematographer Alex Gvojic to create a collage of visual languages and musical styles which weave together stories of grief, transformation, and spiritual power.

by Korakrit Arunanondchai, Alex Gvojic

Korakrit Arunanondchai and Alex Gvojic Songs for living 2021 Installation view at FACT Image by Rob Battersby WEB RES 25

Fi Dem V - A Redemptive Song (2022)

Zinzi Minott's work explores both the histories of the Windrush Generation, and broader histories and experiences of Blackness, migration, and living in the diaspora. This new work, which is part of an ongoing series, has been developed in response to Liverpool.

by Zinzi Minott

Zinzi Minott Fi Dem V 2022 Installation view at FACT Image by Rob Battersby WEB RES61

Following the Gourd (2022)

Following the Gourd by Ebun Sodipo was developed in collaboration with young LGBTQ+ people online, led by a small group of Black trans people: The Cartographer’s Committee. The work exists both as an online platform, and at FACT as an installation.

by Ebun Sodipo

Ebun Sodipo Following the Gourd 2022 Installation view at FACT Image by Rob Battersby WEB RES51

Dark Circles (2022)

Developed during her FACT artist residency, Tessa Norton presents a new multimedia installation exploring the ambiguity of Anglo-Indian identity; which, though a product of Empire, was marginalised within it.

by Tessa Norton

Tessa Norton Dark Circles 2022 Installation view at FACT Image by Rob Battersby WEB RES41

Lotus Root (2022)

Sian Fan combines movement, the body and 3D animation to explore the interdependency between people and technology. Lotus Root is an installation exploring ancestry and identity in the digital age.

by Sian Fan

SOCIALS 1080px 72dpi FACT My God My Sanctuary July 2022 Rob Battersby 8

Deity (2022)

Sian Fan is an artist based in the UK who works across sculpture, performance, film and animation to consider the ways in which virtual and image technologies affect our physical experiences. Deity is a digital performance that combines live motion capture with physical movement.

by Sian Fan

SOCIALS 1080px 72dpi FACT My God My Sanctuary July 2022 Rob Battersby 2

Birthday Garden (2022)

Yaloo is an artist from South Korea who uses digital media and technology to create interactive artworks. In Birthday Garden, Yaloo invites us into an immersive underwater garden inspired by coming- of-age stories and symbols of Korean culture.

by Yaloo

FACT My Garden My Sanctuary July 2022 Rob Battersby 5

When the moon dreamed of the ocean (2022)

Josèfa Ntjam is an artist, performer and writer whose practice combines sculpture, photomontage, film and sound. This installation reexamines history in the aftermath of colonialism and the Transatlantic slave trade. It references counter-cultural movements and non-Western histories that symbolise ideas of resistance, transformation and freedom.

by Josèfa Ntjam

Josèfa Ntjam When The Moon Dreamed of the Ocean 2022 Installation view at FACT Liverpool Photo by Rob Battersby

When Our Worlds Meet (2022)

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley creates artwork that archives the experiences of Black Trans people, and communities who can be otherwise underserved. In an immersive installation and new video game, Danielle opens access to worlds designed with The Bandidos, a group of young people from Liverpool.

by Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley

Danielle Brathwaite Shirley When Our Worlds Meet 2022 Installation view at FACT Liverpool Photo by Rob Battersby

The Earthly Realm is Out of Balance (2022)

The Earthly Realm is Out of Balance is a research-driven, choose-your-own-adventure game featuring a custom-built chatbot that needs your help. By engaging with the work, you help build an archive which is premised on a healing, collective, and nuanced discussion around belonging.

by April Lin 林森

April Lin The Earthly Realm is Out of Balance

Highlights

28 Oct 21 — 20 Feb 22

Future Ages Will Wonder

24 Mar 22 — 19 Jun 22

Let the Song Hold Us

Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind As If No Misfortune Had Occurred In The Night 2022 Installation view at FACT Image by Rob Battersby WEB RES 9

21 May 22

Arabic Opera Performance

21 Jul 22 — 09 Oct 22

My Garden, My Sanctuary

16 Feb 22

FACT

FACT presents a special screening of The Bang Straws by filmmaker Michelle Williams Gamaker, followed by a live Q&A with Future Ages Will Wonder curator Annie Jael Kwan.

Exhibition

Let the Song Hold Us

24 Mar 22 — 19 Jun 22

FACT

An exhibition of new immersive artworks that explore how music and song bring together the family and collective histories we inherit. Featuring Korakrit Arunanondchai, Zinzi Minott, Larissa Sansour, Søren Lind, Tessa Norton, Ebun Sodipo and Rae-Yen Song.

Performance

Let the Song Hold Us Opening

24 Mar 22

FACT

Join us to celebrate the opening of a brand new exhibition, Let the Song Hold Us. With free drinks, a first look at the exhibition and a performative activation of Ebun Sodipo’s newly commissioned artwork.

Https cdn evbuc com images 239610699 55446935535 1 original

Families, Workshop

Do Something Saturdays: Ebun Sodipo

26 Mar 22

FACT

Join us and artist Ebun Sodipo for a special edition of popular family workshop, Do Something Saturdays.

Tour

Curator Tour: Let the Song Hold Us

26 Mar 22 — 26 Mar 22

FACT

Join for a special guided tour of works featured in exhibition Let the Song Hold Us.

Workshop, Families

Do Something Saturdays

09 Apr 22

FACT

Bring your family along to Do Something Saturdays and kickstart your weekend with free and fun activities inspired by our current exhibition.

Workshop, Families

Do Something Saturdays

09 Apr 22

FACT

Bring your family along to Do Something Saturdays and kickstart your weekend with free and fun activities inspired by our current exhibition.

Tour

Artist Spotlight Tour with Rae-Yen Song and Tessa Norton

09 Apr 22

FACT

Meet Rae-Yen Song and Tessa Norton as they unpack the themes and research behind their new artworks in exhibition, Let the Song Hold Us.

Talk

Artist Talk + Q&A with Zinzi Minott

14 Apr 22

FACT

Join exhibiting artist Zinzi Minott in conversation with Maitreyi Maheshwari, Head of Programme at FACT, as they unpack Zinzi’s practice and the most recent iteration of her Fi Dem series, commissioned as part of exhibition Let the Song Hold Us.

Workshop

Do Something Saturdays: The Imaginists Society

23 Apr 22 — 24 Apr 22

FACT

Are you ready for our winter season of Do Something Saturdays? We have a whole load of new activities waiting for you!

Workshop

Do Something Saturdays: The Imaginists Society

23 Apr 22 — 24 Apr 22

FACT

Are you ready for our winter season of Do Something Saturdays? We have a whole load of new activities waiting for you!

Workshop, Families

Do Something Saturdays

23 Apr 22

FACT

Bring your family along to Do Something Saturdays and kickstart your weekend with free and fun activities inspired by our current exhibition.

Workshop, Families

Do Something Saturdays

07 May 22

FACT

Bring your family along to Do Something Saturdays and kickstart your weekend with free and fun activities inspired by our current exhibition.

Workshop, Families

Do Something Saturdays

21 May 22

FACT

Bring your family along to Do Something Saturdays and kickstart your weekend with free and fun activities inspired by our current exhibition.

Performance

Arabic Opera Performance

21 May 22

Offsite

Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind present a live performance of their breathtaking new Arabic-language opera. Performed to an audience for the first time by Palestinian soprano Nour Darwish, you are invited to immerse yourself in an unforgettable operatic experience at the brand new state-of-the-art Tung Auditorium.

Workshop, Families

Do Something Saturdays

04 Jun 22

FACT

Bring your family along to Do Something Saturdays and kickstart your weekend with free and fun activities inspired by our current exhibition.

Performance, Talk

Windrush Day Celebration

22 Jun 22

Offsite

Join us at Merseyside Caribbean Centre for a Windrush Day celebration. This year marks the 74th Anniversary of the arrival of MV Empire Windrush at the Port of Tilbury.

Exhibition

My Garden, My Sanctuary

21 Jul 22 — 09 Oct 22

FACT

My Garden, My Sanctuary is a collection of new, immersive artworks by Yaloo and Sian Fan - two artists using creative technology to tell stories of ancestry and self-discovery in a hyperconnected world.

Yaloo Seaweed Garden 2019 ACC ACI Photo by Sarah Kim Courtesy of the artist 1

Special Event

10 Sep 22

Every Saturday, excluding September 3, 2022 September 17, 2022 October 1, 2022

FACT

Back by popular demand, Do Something Saturdays returns to afternoons - giving you more time to explore and play!

Families, Workshop

Do Something Saturdays

24 Sep 22

Every Saturday, excluding September 3, 2022 September 17, 2022 October 1, 2022

FACT

Back by popular demand, Do Something Saturdays returns to afternoons - giving you more time to explore and play!

Performance

K-Pop Celebration

24 Sep 22

Join us to celebrate all things K-pop!

Special Event

The Hardy Lotus

25 Sep 22

FACT

Join Carrie Chan and Sufea Mohamad Noor for The Hardy Lotus, a communal meal documenting the experience of East and South East Asian communities in the UK.

Exhibition

Lucy Hutchinson

28 Sep 22 — 20 Nov 22

FACT

Lucy Hutchinson presents a new body of work which explores the relationship between printmaking, witchcraft, and biotechnology.

Families, Workshop

Do Something Saturdays

08 Oct 22

15 Feb 23

FACT

Jerwood Arts / FACT Fellow, Ashley Holmes presents a special performance as an outcome of his residency at FACT.

Special Event

Educators Evening

08 Mar 23

FACT

Calling all educators and facilitators! Join us for an insightful sharing session and learn about how we engage with schools and young people across the Liverpool City Region.

Projects

The Imaginists Society

Latest articles

Text

FACT Journal #1 - Radical Ancestry (2021-2023)

FACT’s new online journal is an open-access contemporary art journal that delves into FACT’s artistic programme with essays, images and perspectives from curators, artists and scholars.

23 Nov 23 by Jess Fairclough

Text

Activity Sheet: Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley & Josèfa Ntjam

Discover an underwater world and a video game created with young people from Liverpool. Download our family friendly activity sheet to explore a free exhibition featuring works by Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley and Josèfa Ntjam.

29 Nov 22 by Jess Fairclough

Do Something Saturdays Family Friendly Kids Laptops

Video

Watch: K-pop Dance Tutorial

Become a K-pop dance sensation! Learn a fun K-pop dance routine alongside The University of Liverpool's K-pop Society.

22 Aug 22 by Jess Fairclough

Sian Fan Deity 8 2022 Installation view at FACT Liverpool Image by Rob Battersby

Text

Activity Sheet: My Garden, My Sanctuary

Discover an underwater seaweed garden, learn a K-Pop dance and unlock interactive Instagram filters in this family-friendly activity sheet. Specially designed for families to explore our exhibition, My Garden, My Sanctuary.

01 Aug 22 by Jess Fairclough

LightNight: Ritual, 2019. Photo by Rob Battersby.

Virtual Tour

Virtual Tour: Let The Song Hold Us

Explore a virtual tour of Let The Song Hold Us. An exhibition of new immersive artworks that explore how music and song bring together the family and collective histories we inherit.

18 May 22 by Jess Fairclough

Text

Activity Sheet: Let The Song Hold Us

Explore our current exhibition, Let The Song Hold Us with your family in real life or online!

16 Mar 22 by Jess Fairclough

Ebun Sodipo and The Cartographer’s Committee, still from Following the Gourd (2022). Courtesy of the artist.

News

Jerwood Arts FACT Fellows Announced

Jerwood Arts and FACT are delighted to announce the 3 creatives who will receive the Jerwood Arts / FACT Fellowship

07 Mar 22 by Josh Barrow

Audio

Podcast: Gaining Ground with Larry Achiampong and David Blandy

Welcome to the third and final episode of our podcast series, Gaining Ground, hosted by our curator-in-residence, Annie Jael Kwan. In this episode, Annie chats with artists Larry Achiampong and David Blandy whose work is on display at FACT for exhibition, Future Ages Will Wonder.

18 Jan 22 by Gina Schwarz

Larry Achiampong and David Blandy Dust to Data 2021 Image by Rob Battersby Installation view at FACT WEB RES 3

Audio

Podcast: Gaining Ground with Breakwater of Youngsook Choi and Taey Iohe

Welcome to the second episode of our new podcast series, Gaining Ground, hosted by our curator-in-residence, Annie Jael Kwan. In this episode, Annie chats with artists Youngsook Choi and Taey Iohe of Breakwater whose work is on display at FACT for exhibition, Future Ages Will Wonder.

07 Jan 22 by Gina Schwarz

Breakwater Fermented Flower 2021 Image by Rob Battersby Installation view at FACT WEB RES 3

Virtual Tour

Virtual Tour: Future Ages Will Wonder

Explore a virtual tour of Future Ages Will Wonder, a major group exhibition that presents an “alternative museum” of artworks that use science and technology to question our past and offer new ways of understanding who we are and where we belong.

29 Dec 21 by Jess Fairclough

Yarli Allison Cigarette Cards Ethnic Chinese Seafarers in Britain 1900s 2021 Image by Drew Forsyth

Audio

Podcast: Gaining Ground with Yarli Allison & Boedi Widjaja

Welcome to the first episode of our new podcast series, Gaining Ground, hosted by our curator-in-residence, Annie Jael Kwan. In this first episode, Annie chats with artists Yarli Allison and Boedi Widjaja whose work is on display at FACT for exhibition, Future Ages Will Wonder.

09 Dec 21 by Jess Fairclough

Text

Blog: Exploring Liverpool's old Chinatown in Future Ages Will Wonder

Future Ages Will Wonder, a major exhibition of works by nine UK and international artists is now open at FACT. Explore an ‘alternative museum’ that includes a reconstruction of Liverpool’s old Chinatown and tells the stories of its lost Chinese sailors who were abruptly repatriated following World War II.

24 Nov 21 by Josh Barrow

Audio

Listen: A Short Conversation on Mistrust and Deceit

In this podcast, artist in residence Andrius Arutiunian is joined by curator and writer Alessandro Vincentelli, to discuss visual and aural mistrust within the post-internet reality.

16 Sept 21 by Josh Barrow

Audio

Listen: Meditation for a Falling Whale (and other social animals)

In this podcast, artist in residence Yambe Tam delivers a guided meditation of her new work Deep Dive (2021).

16 Sept 21 by Josh Barrow

Audio

Listen: Three Generations in One Fleshy Body

Ebun Sodipo and Keiken have collaborated to create an audio piece that invites you on a journey: offering a full-body experience through your imagination.

16 Sept 21 by Josh Barrow

Audio

Listen: In both trickles and floods

Reaching across time zones and geographical regions, artist in residence Angela YT Chan and curator Annie Jael Kwan, have co-created an experimental audio work that explores their shared fascination with liquidity.

16 Sept 21 by Josh Barrow