 The SLB is currently to be found on Wapping, outside ship chandlers Joseph Lamb and Sons. The shop's owner, Trevor Jones, reckons: "It must be the most photographed object in Liverpool. "There are always loads of people around it, with bags and camera equipment, because you can get it in shot with the buildings in the background." So has all this attention helped business at all? "No," he says, "they only ever want to use the toilets!" Certain criticism of the sculpture suggests that some people may think that the lavatory would be the best place for this Japanese genetic hybrid. It has been plagued by the usual attacks on money spent on modern. Cries of 'shouldn't the money be spent on the hospitals?' and, 'what on earth is it supposed to be anyway?' have been heard more than once. Of course, public art will never please all of the people all of the time. No-one could have produced a sculpture that everyone would sing the praises of. But accusations that the money was mis-spent are wide of the mark. The sculpture cost roughly £70,000 in the first instance, paid for by the commissioning exhibition.
 LADT were left a dowry of £10,000 to cover 10 years maintenance, but careful and clever management of the funds mean that Tony Woof is hopeful that only the interest need be spent. "We use New Deal for the upkeep at the moment, and we hope that the money given will remain intact." Perhaps re-painting the SLB would have been a poetic punishment for the two people taken to court for writing graffiti on it whilst it was in Williamson Square, or the person who attacked it with a hammer at its next home. But the sculpture has been the subject of concern as well as scorn. The Trust received several concerned enquiries when SLB was stripped down to its bare bones for a recent spot of maintenance. "People seemed really sad, until we reassured them that it was only a temporary measure and was for its (the SLB's) own good," says Tony. So, like all good art, the SLB has received some extreme reactions. "It does get strong reactions, because it's a strong piece. The reasons that some people like it are the same reasons that others dislike it." Love it or loathe it, you'd better get used to it, because under the careful eye of Tony and the LADT, the SuperLambBanana is likely to be around for a few years yet. | 
