The Welcoming is about migration, a subject pertinent to many Liverpool residents who are either descended from migrants or are migrants themselves. However, the experience of new arrivals in the city, refugees and asylum seekers, is not always positive, given the negative attitudes towards them fuelled by some sections of the media. Humberto Velez is working with a group of young refugees and asylum seekers to create a symbolic public welcome for them, reminding the audience of its personal connections with migration and challenging Liverpool to think about the welcome it extends to these recent arrivals. Taking place on an incoming boat, at the Pier Head and at the Albert Dock, The Welcoming will celebrate the Mersey docks and their importance in the context of migration to the UK and the rest of the world. People from the city, in occupying these spaces, become an integral part of the artwork. Velez wishes to encourage discussion about racism, immigration and integration, youth and social inclusion, use of public spaces, communities, history, rituals and fiesta. In the context of Liverpool Biennial, The Welcoming also seeks to blur the distinctions between high and low art, using the public realm to negotiate between community participation and the art world, between local people and cultural policy-makers. Beccy Jones

Project Credits Commissioned by Liverpool Biennial International 06 Supported by Northwest Regional Development Agency Riverside Housing