The cranes are leaving!

The English word for the large, long-legged and long-necked birds of the order Gruiformes, and family Gruidae is the Crane. The lifting machine called a crane takes its English name from the shape of the long-legged and long-necked bird.

• Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. There are representatives of this group on all the continents except Antarctica and South America. Most species of cranes are at least threatened, if not critically endangered, within their range. The plight of the Whooping Cranes of North America inspired some of the first US legislation to protect endangered species. (Wikipedia)

The Crane has been the inspiration for mysterious ceremonies in cultures across the world, including dances based on their mating displays. The modern dance of the cranes is more likely to be found in the activity of construction. I seem to remember Stefan Szczelkun had some idea for a ballet of construction site cranes 20 or so years ago.

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AFTER



In Liverpool city centre, 42 acres, in the zone where Liverpool built its first dock, have for the last few years been a building site with cranes everywhere. Now that the main Grosvenor House commercial development has been completed many of the cranes have gone. Around this central zone there are construction projects still in progress, but the credit crunch will hit hard. At the edge of the city centre neighbourhoods like Kensington and Toxteth are full of streets with houses all boarded up. Lots of money was promised in boom time for re-generation, but what was it spent on? Moving people out? Where have they gone? What is going to happen now?



Posted by Philip Courtenay