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Liverpool to Munich : ArtLab1 : Villa Waldberta

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Introduction	Penelope by Jorge Pardo was commissioned as part of Liverpool Biennial 2002 and unlilke most Biennial exhibits is now a permanent feature in Wolstenholme Square in Liverpool City Centre. Penelope refers to Homer’s Odyssey in which Ulysses’ wife faithfully awaited her lost husband’s return from the Trojan War. The story of Penelope speaks directly to Liverpool’s history as a port. Penelope continued to put off her numerous suitors by saying she had to finish weaving a robe and unravelling the day’s work each night. So the story is both about conjugal faithfulness and about pursuit and thwarted desire, appropriate to the sculpture’s location in a square swarming with crowds of revellers at night. The swirling and lively lines in space echo Penelope’s weaving and unravelling as well as providing a powerful visualisation of the rhythmic interweaving of sound to create music. Finally, the twisting steel stems are a reminder that the Rope Walks area takes its name from the process of plaiting ships’ ropes by laying them out in the street.

Introduction

Penelope by Jorge Pardo was commissioned as part of Liverpool Biennial 2002 and unlilke most Biennial exhibits is now a permanent feature in Wolstenholme Square in Liverpool City Centre. Penelope refers to Homer’s Odyssey in which Ulysses’ wife faithfully awaited her lost husband’s return from the Trojan War. The story of Penelope speaks directly to Liverpool’s history as a port. Penelope continued to put off her numerous suitors by saying she had to finish weaving a robe and unravelling the day’s work each night. So the story is both about conjugal faithfulness and about pursuit and thwarted desire, appropriate to the sculpture’s location in a square swarming with crowds of revellers at night. The swirling and lively lines in space echo Penelope’s weaving and unravelling as well as providing a powerful visualisation of the rhythmic interweaving of sound to create music. Finally, the twisting steel stems are a reminder that the Rope Walks area takes its name from the process of plaiting ships’ ropes by laying them out in the street.