 EIGHT-tonnes of concrete, steel and wire mesh, standing fifteen feet tall and painted bright yellow, was always bound to attract some attention. But years on from its first appearance, the SuperLambBanana is still a talking point among tourists and residents of Liverpool alike. What does this modern sculpture bring to the city's waterfront? What does a bright yellow fruit-mammal say about Liverpool in the 21st century? "It provides a counterpoint to the more classically-styled buildings around it. It's an entrance piece for visitors to the city centre," explains Tony Woof of the Liverpool Architecture and Design Trust (LADT). "It also shows that Liverpool has a creative edge, that we're still a place that is vibrant."
 The SuperLambBanana (SLB) first commissioned as part of the ArtTranspennine'98 Exhibition, a celebration of the opening of the refurbished Tate Liverpool. The sculpture is the creation of Japanese artist Taro Chiezo, most famous for his works on display in Japan and New York. The SuperLambBanana was his first monumental sculpture, and is designed to represent a combination of humour and serious contemporary issues. On the one hand there is the absurdity of such a beast: half lamb, half banana, and on the other the work is a comment on whole issue of genetic tampering. Working from a four-inch model provided by Chiezo, local man Andy Small was given the challenge of taking the design and increasing its size fifty-fold. Not only would the SLB be sizeable, it would also have to be comparitively light, transportable and resilient enough to withstand the elements. Small and his team decided that the structure would be of hollow concrete, supported by steel and wire mesh and stabilised with a foam-filled steel base. After its completion, the SLB's first home was adjacent to the tunnel ventilation tower on Mann Island, looking a little dwarfed by the Three Graces (the Cunard, Port of Liverpool and Liver Buildings) which surrounded it. Once the exhibition was finished, SLB was entrusted to LADT who sent the sculpture on a mini-tour of various destinations, including Williamson Square and Spike Island, near Runcorn. | 
