096360/Z/11/Z: Pigs Bladder Football

Project Summary:Through mutually creative and scientific experiments, artist John O'Shea and Prof. John Hunt at Liverpool University's Clinical Engineering Unit, will cultivate a uniquely captivating sculptural object a "football" grown from living cells. The challenge - to "culture a football" using techniques of bioscience - is at the centre of a programme of artistic enquiry sharing tangible, playful artefacts with a curious public. "Pigs Bladder Football" re-connects traditional techniques and lost knowledge using cutting-edge scientific processes evoking the medieval origins of our national game. The voices of young people are brought into the project at a very early stage through engaging a youth sports team in a series of specially devised hands-on workshops -transforming actual pigs bladders into footballs. The numerous creative outcomes will be presented publicly within the Abandon Normal Devices festival (part of the Cultural Olympiad).

Grant Holder:Mr John B O'Shea

Organisation:Abandon Normal Devices

Financial Year:2010/2011