'Taylor Town' installations unveiled for Eras tour

Taylor Swift on stage in Stockholm as part of The Eras Tour Image source, Reuters
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Taylor Swift will be visiting the city of Liverpool in June for The Eras Tour

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Artists are embracing all things Taylor Swift in a creative city trail dedicated to one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.

Liverpool will become "Taylor Town" in preparation for the singer's three-sold-out shows as she brings The Eras Tour to Anfield Stadium on 13, 14 and 15 June.

From a moss-covered grand piano to a gold throne, local makers are working to complete installations on the "Taylor Trail" - part of city's offering - by 8 June.

One artist said she was now a "super Swiftie" after spending weeks creating the piano inspired by the singer's Evermore album.

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Rachel Smith-Evans has been creating the Evermore piano

The trail - brought to the city by Liverpool Council's culture team and social enterprise Make CIC - will include 11 art installations representing each one of Taylor Swift's albums.

Rachel Smith-Evans, from Thornton, has decorated pianos in the past but none as so grand as the one inspired by Swift's Cardigan track.

She told BBC Radio Merseyside: "I was absolutely over the moon when they asked me because the first thing I thought of was, 'I want to do the moss piano'.

'Her team will know'

The piano will be located in the Bluecoat Gardens and will be a "living installation".

"We've had bumblebees land on it, I've found ladybirds, so it's going to continue to grow hopefully and live on," added Ms Smith-Evans.

"I'm definitely a super Swiftie now. I wouldn't say I was one before but I am now."

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Bethan Flanagan will be running denim and tie-dye workshops in the Metquarter for fans

Kirsten Little, Make CIC’s co-founder, said fans would be "excited to see the trail".

Liverpool One, Royal Albert Dock, the Metquarter and eight other locations will feature the installations.

One location includes Liverpool's College Lane which will host a mural to celebrate the 34-year-old singer's latest album, The Tortured Poets Department.

Catherine Rogers, from Liverpool, said the mural had "come to life" because she had been listening to Swift's tracks while creating the hand-cut mural.

She said: "I get why people get so obsessed, because her lyrics tell a story."

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A serpentine gold-style throne will feature in the trail in celebration of the Reputation era

Local makers will also be holding craft workshops as part of the trail.

Bethan Flanagan will be running denim and tie-dye workshops in the Metquarter for fans who want to decorate their own Eras Tour outfits.

Claire McColgan, Liverpool's Director of Culture, said using "incredible art" as installations was the "right thing to do" to bring back "Eurovision sparkle".

"Her team will know what we are doing and it's important when you get an artist of her scale that the city embraces it."

The UK leg of The Eras Tour kicks off in Edinburgh on 7 June before going to Liverpool, Cardiff and London.

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