A driving force behind the popular Vintage by the Sea festival are set to bring a new series of cultural works to Morecambe exploring art, environment and place.
Deco Publique, who have worked on organising Morecambe's vintage festival for more than a decade, have joined forces with art charity theCOLAB to launch artwork, performance and workshops in Morecambe as part of the Morecambe Bay Coastal Commissioning Programme.
This new series of events will take place in Morecambe from Friday March 21 to Monday March 24, in partnership with Lancaster University.
These initial commissions are an exhibition of sculpture, sound and drawing called HARBINGER by Elizabeth Clough; a performance entitled WALKING WITH CLIVE by Daisy Collingridge, and seafront drawing workshops BODY & PLACE on Tour in Morecambe Bay.
They have been described as "thought-provoking experiences that explore our relationship with nature, place and the body".
HARBINGER will open at the former Beach Cafe on Marine Road West on Friday March 21 from 6pm to 8pm, with exhibition dates March 22-24 at 11am to 4pm.
Elizabeth Clough, who is Barrow-born and Morecambe-based, has created a lament for birdsong which invites audiences to listen deeply to what our environments are telling us, bringing together the artist's love and respect for the birds and their song, alongside her grief and anger around their declining populations and the factors driving them.
WALKING WITH CLIVE by Daisy Collingridge will be a public walking performance on Friday March 21 from 5pm to 6pm, at a location to be revealed.
Collingridge’s work celebrates the human form through sculpture, photography, and performance. WALKING WITH CLIVE will see her signature hand-stitched, genderless characters crafted from hand-dyed quilted fabrics take to the shores of Morecambe Bay.
The performance will lead guests to the opening reception for HARBINGER at the Beach Café.
BODY AND PLACE on Tour in Morecambe Bay is described as "exploratory thinking through drawing workshops in the landscape".
It will feature Daisy Collingridge’s CLIVE and be led by Martin Morris from Heysham on Saturday, and is invitation only.
BODY and PLACE, founded by theCOLAB, is a series of exploratory drawing residencies. On tour for the first time from its home at Owlpen Manor, it will bring together a group of artists from near and far, to think and draw in the landscape of Morecambe Bay.
Led by Martin Morris, a revered and innovative educator in the field of drawing, Daisy Collingridge’s CLIVE will be their life model, challenging perceptions of the human form, condition and place .
“Across the weekend of 21st March, Deco Publique and our partners, theCOLAB and Lancaster University will be working with 14 different artists based in the Morecambe Bay region and working nationally," said a spokesperson for Deco Publique.
"Artists engaged have been commissioned to explore their practice through the lens of the Morecambe Bay landscape - making new work in response to it, and on location in the Bay.
"Elizabeth Clough’s work brings together different aspects of her practice for the first time, Daisy Collingridge makes a new body of photographic and performative work in the coastal landscape and 12 invited artists take directed drawing workshops located in and around the beaches in Heysham.
"Convening artists and project partners for this weekend, marks the start of an ambitious coastal commissioning programme designed to support the development of artists' practice.
"We are delighted to present this work at the Beach Cafe on Morecambe Promenade with stunning views across the Bay. It’s exciting and important to think about how spaces such as this can be used alternatively for cultural programming, bringing people together to support a stronger cultural ecology and providing a platform for artists working locally and nationally to share work with audiences here in Morecambe."
The Morecambe Bay Coastal Commissioning Programme seeks to reimagine coastal art experiences through participatory projects, public installations, and performance.
These commissions mark the beginning of a long-term programme that will bring artists and communities together to explore the unique coastal landscapes of Morecambe Bay.
They are taking place as part of the Coastal Commissions development - a collaborative research project with academics and researchers at Lancaster University.
This year-long project, supported by the Arts & Humanities Research Council, will feature three artistic commissions in 2025.
The public events are free to attend, however in some cases, RSVP is essential.
WALKING WITH CLIVE is on Friday March 21, 6-8pm: RSVP is essential. Please confirm attendance by March 19 by contacting hello@decopublique.co.uk.
The opening celebration of HARBINGER is on Friday, March 21, 6pm-8pm. Please confirm attendance by contacting hello@decopublique.co.uk.
HARBINGER is also open to the public between March 22-24 from 11am to 4pm. Anyone is welcome
Deco Publique is an art and culture company run by Elena Jackson and Lauren Zawadzki in Morecambe.
They have worked on the award-winning National Festival of Making in Blackburn, and on many previous public art projects in Morecambe.
They are best known for co-curating the award-winning Vintage by the Sea alongside Hemingway Design - run by designer Wayne Hemingway and his family.
It was announced earlier this year that the festival will be taking a break in 2025.
Read more: BREAKING NEWS: Vintage by the Sea festival not happening in 2025 - Beyond Radio
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