A unique and challenging new outdoor photography exhibition is now available to view in West Bay.
Pop along to the Esplanade by West Beach to experience Brent’s unique perspective on the coast near and far.
The Dorset National Landscape team is delighted to support the launch of this England-on-Sea exhibition in West Bay, as a contribution to Bridport 24 – Town of Culture celebrations.
‘England-on-Sea’ by photographer Brent Jones is drawn from a nationwide tour of the English coast – a series of road trips to all points of the English coast, made over several years. Living and working from the back of a Ford van, Brent set out to explore the coastal landscape and how we interact with it and to each other.
England-on-Sea is a detailed exploration of the seaside, a place so embedded in our nation’s psyche and national identity that it reflects our changing population and behaviour. Focussing on the collective rather than the individual, England-on-Sea highlights English peculiarities and eccentricities as well as the more mundane scenes of everyday seaside life.
After a pandemic that threatened to break many of the constraints that bind our societies, this was an opportunity to record our re-emerging population.
“Against the backdrop of Brexit, COVID, the climate emergency, and economic recession, I felt this was a particularly pertinent moment to record our nation at leisure” Brent explained.
The ‘road trip’ and the coast, have long been an inspiration for documentary photographers and artists alike, both on these shores and abroad. Many of these have provided inspiration for this project, including Alec Soth, Stephen Shore, Simon Roberts and L S Lowry.
My approach was to decide the composition, set up the camera with a fixed viewpoint, and settle down for the great British public to populate the scene!
The Dorset National Landscape team were very pleased to support the new exhibition as Culture Officer Sue Dampney explains:
“Many photographers have tried to capture the essence of Dorset’s beautiful land and seascapes but there is always one important thing missing – people! National Landscapes aren’t just places for wildlife, they are places for people to live and work, a ‘natural health service’ for all to enjoy.
We hope England on Sea will get you thinking about what you love about the coast, what makes it special to you and how you might play a part in its future.”
The England on Sea exhibition will be in West Bay til December. The twenty images in this outdoor exhibition represent a small selection from the England-on-Sea collection, which can be seen at www.brentjones.co.uk/Engand-on-Sea.
Bridport is the first Town of Culture in Dorset and Bridport 24 celebrates people, place and culture with a 6-month programme showcasing the rich artistic ecology of the town. Bringing together the community, artists, festivals and venues of Dorset’s ‘Eventful’ town, look out for more Bridport 24 between now and December. FIND OUT MORE