About the installation:

In our new Kids & Families Gallery space on Level 1 you are invited to interact with the To wear your heart on your sleeve installation made by artist Lily Golightly, commissioned by Liverpool Powerhouse.

Lily has made four oversized cloaks that act like cubby houses for you to play in. Each one expresses a big emotion - there is a cloak for love, joy, anger and sadness. You are encouraged to go up to each cloak to see Lily's paintings on the outside and then to venture inside each cloak and sit down on custom made pillows. Each cloak is paired with a worksheet available at the colouring in/activity stations to help you unpack its imagery and meaning.

At the dress-up station you can try on some costumes made by Lily and two oversized shoes that are the perfect size for babies to sit in. Reflect on how our emotions shape us at one of the colouring in and activity stations. Draw your feelings on your own cloak and answer some questions about the emotions represented in the exhibition and then take home your work or add it to the wall of cloaks and emotions!

Statement from artist Lily Golightly:

'Some of my first memories are tied to clothing and dressing up. When I was younger, I had a pair of red spotty shoes that I wore even when my feet were too big. I remember lying in bed, holding a toy ring in front of my eyes watching the light create rainbows through it, and I knew it was magic.

When I was a shy teenager, dressing up gave me a way to look out at the world without being entirely seen. This exhibition features four oversized cloaks, wall paintings, oversized accessories, and a dress-up station. I created the cloaks to function almost like cubby houses, each representing a different emotion. You’re invited to step inside these big feelings and take a good look around. On the outside, they’re intricately painted; inside, you’ll see raw hems and paint splodges; there’s both a shadow and a light side.

The cloaks and accessories are so big because I remember how massive feelings felt when I was younger. Once, when I was having a hard day, I said to my Dad, “I am so sick of feeling things so deeply!” And he said “But Lily that is also your most beautiful quality”. It stuck with me for a long time and inspired me when I was making these works, even the more difficult emotions can be beautiful. I hope you can enjoy being inside of these big feelings.'

Installation view of the 'Sadness' cloak in To wear your heart on your sleeve by Lily Golightly, exhibition photographs by Chantel Bann Photography.