Funds needed to save public art

The Superlambanana was designed to move around Liverpool

The futures of several pieces of public art in Liverpool, including the distinctive Superlambanana, are being decided by the city council on Friday.

Sculptures owned by the Liverpool Architecture Design Trust (LADT) are under threat after the organisation got into financial difficulties.

Councillors will decide whether to meet the trust's debts of more than £53,000 and take control of their assets.

If the council decides not to save the trust the art may end up being sold.

Funds withdrawn

Other sculptures affected include the Moores brothers on Church Street, the Irish famine memorial in St Luke's church yard and three sculptures from the 1984 International Garden Festival.

The Superlambanana currently lives outside the John Moores University Avril Roberts learning resource centre.

LADT was set up in 1995 as a centre of excellence for architectural design in the city.

Funding came from several sources, including Liverpool and John Moores universities, Arts North West, and Liverpool City Council.

The trust got into trouble when all its financial backers, apart from the council, withdrew funding in 2000.

Costs of keeping the training facilities up and running continued to increase and in 2003 the trust was put into voluntary liquidation.

The trust now has to clear its debts, by selling its assets.