The exterior walls of a public lavatory in the Northumberland coastal village of Seahouses [North East England], has become the unlikely location for the region’s latest piece of public art.
Two 8 foot tall billboards of resident birds – the eider duck and
yellowhammer – are a temporary sight for the next five months, acting as a welcoming feature to the thousands of people expected to visit the North East fishing village this summer.
Seahouses is known as ‘The Gateway to the Farne Islands’. A part of the British Isles recognised as a wildlife haven that is enjoyed all year round by global nature lovers – who flock to the Farnes from far and wide to sample one of the jewels of the Northumberland coastline.
The artwork has been created by visual artist Stuart Mugridge who is currently Seahouses’ appointed Visiting Artist.
The partnership public art project has been nurtured and developed by Inspire Northumberland and the Seahouses Development Trust with support from the Rural Development Programme for England, which is jointly funded by Defra and the European Union, managed by One North East in the North East region. The project received additional support from Northumberland Tourism, Northumberland County Council and Arts Council England, North East.
The ornithological themed artwork is part of the Seahouses Townscape Development Project which is funded as part of Northumberland Tourism’s Market Town Welcome project. The regenerative scheme aims to creatively improve the village’s overall physical look with the longer term proposal to incorporate designs for new seating, lighting, signage and visual
colour scheme.
The ongoing consultation process has seen the Seahouses Development Trust work closely with artist Stuart Mugridge and the people of Seahouses, to come up with the various design ideas. The results will also form the content of a forthcoming Seahouses Design Guide that will be launched this summer.
The friendly birds were chosen for a specific reason – the eider duck to symbolise the sea (a regular visitor to the harbour) and the yellowhammer to represent the land.
“Seahouses is an interesting place to work and visit that has evolved down the years, with its contrast of heritage, wildlife and working harbour,” said artist Stuart Mugridge.
Stuart (aged 38) is a Birmingham-based artist who is married to wife Kate and has two young children.
Stuart, originally from Kent – has a background in creating books and publications. He has been Inspire Northumberland’s Visiting Artist in Seahouses since last autumn, visiting the village on regular occasions for over seven months.
Stuart talks about what values he hopes people will gain from experiencing the billboards. He said: “I hope my new work generates a genuine public response; getting people to stop and think about their personal surroundings and to create a taste of things to come in the coastal village.”
