Our 2007 showpiece Demolition! was an exhibition of artwork designed to be destroyed, featuring artists from London, Liverpool and Marseilles. Held in a disused shop in the Albert Dock, Demolition! was run in partnership with Liverpool Biennial and Liverpool John Moores University. The show was a critical and popular success, utilising the high-profile venue to drive audience figures upwards of 1,000 for each integrated performance within the exhibition space. Evidence of Mercy’s ability to successfully sustain a high level of activity without grant funding, Demolition! was produced entirely with support in kind from our partners, and through a variety of slef-directed commercial enterprises; including parties, copywriting and design commissions.
At the tail end of 2007, Mercy also ran a small series of fundraiser events called Help Us to Help You – mopping up our overdraft and getting the ball rolling on a poetry and music collaboration with Wave Machines which would eventually end up spawning our Wave If You’re Really There events.