Besides the Sea

Besides the Sea celebrates the many ways creativity shapes life in Weston, how it brings people together, enriches everyday experiences, amplifies new voices and helps us imagine new possibilities. The exhibition brings together work by six young artists based in Bristol and Weston. The work was developed through workshops lead by artist Jamie Dormer-Durling, connected to Against the Tide, a project developed by photographer Polly Braden in collaboration with journalist Lisa Bachelor for The Guardian's Seascape series. Inside the gallery, photographs by Bayan Alahmad, Archie Byron, Braden Evans, Siobhan Evans, Jess May Long and Will Shergold explore place, identity and creativity through their personal experiences of growing up in Weston. Their work weaves together everyday moments, memories, dreams and nostalgia, the textures of the natural environment, and the rhythms of working-class culture -- revealing the quiet beauty found within Weston's streets, shorelines and communities. The exhibition also features a collaborative poem written by the young people with poet Beth Calverley. Along the corridor walls, Weston's creative landscape -- nurtured over the years by residents and organisations such as Super Culture and Common Waves CIC -- unfolds through vibrant snapshots of gatherings, public artworks and interventions, with Calverley's words woven throughout. Once a small fishing village, then a Victorian seaside resort, and now a regenerated coastal town with a growing arts scene, Weston provides the backdrop for this exploration of how creativity can shape a place and the people who call it home. With special thanks to Jamie Dormer-Durling (Common Waves CIC), Fiona Matthews (Super Culture) and Weston-based artists, photographer Paul Blakemore and poet Beth Calverley, whose contributions helped shape the wider exhibition. With additional thanks to Polly Braden, Niki Groom and Weston's wider creative community.