Seed and Burnham-on-Sea & Highbridge Town Council have been working on an exciting joint creative project to commission a new piece of artwork for the seawall in Burnham-on-Sea. The two organisations put out a brief to artists to create a durable piece that responded to the local natural environment and celebrated the ecology of this part of Bridgwater Bay. Submitted proposals were then shortlisted by representatives from the community. Two proposals were selected and voting was opened to members of the community to choose their favourite.
The proposals by the two shortlisted artists, Svetlana Kondakova and Orakel Workshop, were displayed on banners alongside a voting box at The Princess Theatre in Burnham-on-Sea as well as in pop-up locations along South Esplanade last month. Members of the public also had the option to vote online via the Seed website. Close to 1,000 votes were received, with only 72 votes separating the two proposals. Svetlana Kondakova’s mosaic murals portraying views of Bridgwater Bay mudflats, and the variety of wildlife they support above and below the surface, were chosen as the public’s favourite.
“I am extremely grateful to every single person that voted, winning this commission means the world to me.” Said Ms Kondakova. “Burnham-on-Sea is a fascinating place, to be able to look out onto these wildlife-rich mudflats right from the esplanade is really special. My mosaic murals aim to bridge the built and the natural environments by making it look like you are looking through the wall onto the mudflats. With the kind help of local marine biologists and wildlife experts, I have discovered many beautiful and wondrous microorganisms that hide below the surface and I plan to continue with this research in order to be able to highlight the importance of living things of all sizes in this unique habitat.
Svetlana will now begin the process of creating the three mosaic murals inspired by the local landscape and wildlife. To see more about the two proposals, visit www.seedsedgemoor.com/activities/burnham-on-sea-public-artwork/
This project was funded by the Hinkley Action Tourism Partnership, the HPC Community Impact Mitigation Fund, Arts Council England & the National Lottery through the Creative People and Places programme.
