MORECAMBE Bay shrimps have made their debut at Manchester's prestigious Lowry Centre as part of a new national touring exhibition from the Hayward Gallery They are in an exhibit entitled Morecambe Night View 1991, on display in the Fantasy Architecture' exhibition open at the multi-million pound arts copmplex until September 19.

It throws light on a fantastic plan to animate the promenade of the resort by building a series of four giant follies.

Inspired by the local delicacy, the seaside carapaces were designed as tourist attractions to be lit up at night in a bid to rival the famous illuminations at Blackpool.

But at the same time the proposed structures were functional, concealing breakwaters designed to prevent coastal erosion and also housing a lifeboat station, theatre and concert hall, amusement arcade and marina.

The shrimps des-cribed as carnival-esque' by the exhibition were, therefore, supposed to provide all the fun of the fair for visitors and year-round facilities for local people all in one.

Morecambe Night View is one of many exhibits in Fantasy Architecture, an exhibition which inc-ludes designs for palaces by medieval masters, futuristic film sets, imagined buildings, structures and schemes.

Gleaming in the middle of Salford Quays, The Lowry itself is fantasy architecture made real, providing the perfect setting for an exhibition exploring how the world might look had the politics, the economics, the technical possibilities and the tastes of our predecessors been different.

Fantasy Architecture is organised by the Hayward Gallery in collaboration with the Royal Institute of British Architects and is accompanied by an interactive resource centre.