The latest piece of public art on the Sidmouth Wallspace billboard is a montage of photos taken just after the lockdown laws eased and people were beginning to come to Sidmouth again.
Photographer Sarah Hall took a series of pictures of different people in the shelter on the Esplanade, capturing families and groups of friends spending time together.
Sarah said: “I would walk my dog along the seafront with my camera and stop to see who was in the shelter. I am naturally interested in people and I enjoyed hearing why families and friends had come to Sidmouth.”
The photos include one of two men in wetsuits, and another of a man with his dog sitting beside him on the bench.
The billboard is a Sidmouth Coastal Community Hub collaboration with artist David Shrigley OBE, and the latest work was developed as part of a community project with Sidmouth Photographic Club mentored by South West based British Artist Photographer Robert Darch.
Louise Cole, director of Sidmouth Coastal Community Hub, said: “It is great to be displaying the work of a variety of creative talent in Sidmouth through our public gallery space for everyone. The purpose of the billboard as part of our Sidmouth School of Art concept is all about inspiring people to explore their own creativity, to bring new artworks to the town for the benefit of residents and visitors and to enable this to happen through projects with specific artists through sharing skills.”
She added that the project team are looking for new sponsorship, and would also welcome any ideas for future billboard art projects.
The Sidmouth billboard, overlooking a car park at Port Royal, was launched as a public art space in May 2021 and the first display was a collection of self-portraits by Sidmouth College students depicting their response to the Covid pandemic and lockdowns.
Since then the billboard has hosted a variety of art and photography, including pictures showing details of Sidmouth architecture, paintings of Sidmouth Arboretum trees, a piece of street art created as part of this year’s Sea Fest, and even a photo of ‘the other Sidmouth’ in Australia – deliberately displayed upside down.
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