The streets of Sedgemoor are being transformed into an art gallery. At various sites around Sedgemoor advertising is being replaced by artworks created by local residents, working with four Somerset artists.  The works appear on digital advertising boards in Bridgwater, at Highbridge and Bridgwater railway stations, outside shops, on telephone kiosks, on the back of buses, and in the window of the Engine Room in Bridgwater.
 
Director of Seed, Scott O’Hara explains “Through a series of workshops and other activities, we gave people an opportunity to think up their own ‘What if’ questions and explore the answers in creative and artistic ways.  The results are truly surprising”.

Artist Richard Tomlinson works in the medium of macro (extremely close-up) photography and the images created in his workshops have been magnified to an enormous size to be exhibited on the side of Bridgwater’s Mercure Hotel, and Bedrock Furniture store. Writers Karl Bevis and Sharon Jacksties worked with local school children and across generations with members of the community respectively to create poems that appear outside shops, on telephone kiosks, and on a video screen at the Engine Room. These will also be posted on social media over coming weeks. Working in partnership with Sharon and community members, visual artist Jem Dick co-created images some of which accompany the words in those locations, and also on the rear of buses across Sedgemoor.  Finally, the works will be appearing in exhibitions at the Engine Room in Bridgwater 14-16 September, and the various Sedgemoor libraries where some of the works were created.

Artist Jem Dick said the project was a wonderful way to bring people together and to enable the participants to engage with and express their creativity, and that for many of them, this was a first. “In one library workshop there were 4 generations involved” he said. “One participant said that he had never used his local library before. He had also never done any creative work before contributing an artwork and several pieces of writing through this project.” 

Artist Sharon Jacksties added “Another person who had brought her children along to take part alsojoined in and said that this was the first time she could remember being creative herself since school, having forgotten that adults too are entitled to be creative. This really shows the value of providing opportunities for people to express themselves and explore their creativity.”
Exhibition Details:What if? 
Between Wednesday 27 July and October 2023
Various locations, including The Engine Room 52 High Street Bridgwater TA6 3BL,  14-16 September 2023
FREE!    
For more information, email info@seedsedgemoor.com