Tate Liverpool are collaborating with the Bluecoat to bring Steve McQueen’s film installation Grenfell to Liverpool until 21 June and the galleries are now announcing a day of events in response to the artwork supported by the Grenfell Foundation. Both events are free and will be at the Bluecoat on Sunday 7 June, one week before the 9th anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire.
An event with Grenfell United will discuss the legal legacies since Hillsborough and Grenfell and the ongoing campaigns for justice, while another event will draw on the experiences of Grenfell and the Manchester Arena bombing to talk about the role of creativity and the arts in the aftermath of tragedy.
72 people died in the Grenfell tragedy. Nine years and with the Inquiry into the tragedy concluded, the survivors and families of the bereaved are still awaiting justice and accountability. Here in Liverpool, a city still living through the legacy of the Hillsborough disaster, this may sound like a familiar tale. Grenfell United’s Natasha Elcock and Ed Daffarn will share their reflections on the tragedy and the continuing campaign for justice. They will consider what progress has been made and what remains to be achieved to ensure that the failures of policy and process that lead to the Grenfell fire can never be repeated.
They will be joined by Professor Helen Stalford and Professor Lydia Hayes from The University of Liverpool’s Centre for People’s Justice, whose mission is to bring law and social justice research closer to people’s hopes, interests and needs for stronger, fairer and more inclusive societies. They will discuss the long campaign for and the progress made towards the Hillsborough Law, which seeks to establish a legal duty of candour for public authorities and officials.
A second event will focus on the role of creativity and the arts in the aftermath of tragedy, reflecting on experiences after the Grenfell Tower fire and Manchester Arena bombing, where communities spontaneously came together to reflect, share and heal through the creation of memorials and collective, creative activity.
Socially engaged artist and curator Lisa Nash and the University of Manchester’s Dr Robert Simpson will share their lived experience of the immediate aftermath of those tragedies. They will discuss their emerging research into spontaneous memorials around the world and explore the role of creativity and the arts after such events; including how a mosaic project gave a community a chance to stand in solidarity and remembrance and how a song brought a city together. Following the conversation Lisa will lead a brief creative, memorial activity with those who wish to take part.
The public engagement programme of talks, workshops and community events for Grenfell by Steve McQueen in Liverpool is supported by the Grenfell Foundation.
This national tour of Grenfell by Steve McQueen is being coordinated by Tate in collaboration with the partner venues and is made possible thanks to support using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and from Art Fund.
Event details
Loss, Legacy and the Law: Lessons from Grenfell and Hillsborough – 7 June 2026 at 13.00–14.30 at the Bluecoat
https://www.thebluecoat.org.uk/whatson/loss-legacy-law
Responding, Repairing and Creating Together: Lisa Nash in conversation with Dr Robert Simpson – 7 June 2026 at 15.15–16.30 at the Bluecoat
https://www.thebluecoat.org.uk/whatson/respond-repair-create