Gull Power

Get off my chips! How many times have you seen the local gulls dive-bombing an unsuspecting pedestrian, making off with their illicit tasty swag? 

Community Arts organisation Aunty Social is back for Lightpool 2025, paying tribute to Blackpool’s resilient and cheeky gulls. Working with local residents, we’ve created an immersive and collaborative multimedia artwork that celebrates our unique relationship with wildlife through the stories and urban legends of the local seagull population.

Featuring crowdsourced video footage, an uplifting dance music soundtrack and party props; this playful installation invites you to channel your inner gull and get the party started.

A large sculpture of the Gull Queen presides over the space, acting as a public monument to this well known, resilient, slightly irritating but essential part of Blackpool’s heritage and the seaside experience. 

Working with artist and DJ Linda Devo and filmmaker Ben Kirk, the artwork features a variety of  locally crowdsourced audio, photography and video footage. 

In collaboration with each other, our textile group Knittaz With Attitude, Queer Craft Club, and Home Education art groups engaged in research, exploration and crafting to develop our understanding of folk imagery and practices to develop a modern day folk ritual. They studied the folk tradition of crowning the May Queen as well as a number of performance-based and social folk dances to bring Gull Power to life for Lightpool 2025.