Art Exhibition: Veteran UK Broadcaster David Dimbleby Guest Curates Major Autumn Art Exhibition at Towner Eastbourne with Daughter Liza

Many of us likely recall how we spent our time during the long months of lockdown in the UK, when the Covid pandemic deeply affected our lives. Personally, I turned to cooking, sharing food and recipes with my home-bound family.

For one particular father and daughter, however, it was a time to communicate not merely through words, but through drawing. This creative way of sharing thoughts and visuals has led to a new exhibition this autumn at the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

Andrzej Jackowski

Titled Drawing the Unspeakable, the exhibition is co-curated by veteran journalist and broadcaster David Dimbleby, who, alongside his artist daughter Liza, presents a collection of 300 works. The exhibition marks Dimbleby’s final contribution as Towner’s Chair, a role he’s held for a decade, before stepping down in September 2024. It's also been reported that Dimbleby will take up new role as the Towner's first ever President.

David Dimbleby said, "Co-curating this exhibition has been an exhilarating experience.  Liza has always been my companion and guide through the world of art."

"I like drawings that have a narrative, but are kind of mysterious.  You can put your own interpretation on them and the longer you look at them, the more you see in them.  So, they're not obvious drawings of the unspeakable, they're unspeakable because they don't speak directly with one."

Liza Dimbleby said it has taken nine months to put together the collection, with much of the time visiting the studios of around 40 living artists.  

"During the lockdown, we would communicate by exchanging drawings by email, one per day," said Liza.  

LS Lowry

Running from October 5th to April 27th, 2025, the show explores the unique conversations the father and daughter shared during lockdown—conversations in which drawing became their language, surpassing the limitations of words to express complex emotions and ideas. 

Joe Hill,Director a nd chief executive of the Towner concurred that drawing is powerful and that there are not enough shows that focus primarily on drawings.  

John Davies

Leon Kossoff

The exhibition features works by more than 90 artists, including Tracey Emin, Emma Talbot, David Hockney, Paula Rego, LS Lowry, Barbara Hepworth, Louise Bourgeois, Andrzej Jackowski, and Leon Kossoff, to name but a few, as well as by the Dimblebys themselves.  The drawings are drawn both from the Towner Collection and from other Collections such as the Ben Uri Gallery, Bethlem Museum of the Mind, British Museum, Ingram Art Foundation, Jerwood Foundation, Pallant House, Ruth Borchard Collection, The Lowry, ad Vaclav Havel Public Library, Paris.   There is also a display of artworks by Ray Ward featuring repurposed milk bottles and cartons, each with a special message.

 Paula Rego

Tracey Emin

The artworks address a wide range of human experiences and emotions, covering themes such as war, disaster, destruction, illness, and loss, as well as family, birth, love, and dreams. Complementing the art is a written dialogue between Dimbleby and Liza, reflecting their contrasting perspectives as a journalist and an artist. 

Some of these conversations - written dialogues of their respective viewpoints - are projected onto large scrolls that hang from the ceilings of two of the rooms in Gallery 2 and 3.  The exhibition take up the entire top floor gallery of the Towner. 

For visitors, the exhibition may evoke personal memories and past experiences, offering plenty of material for meaningful conversations and discussions.  Towner CEO Joe Hill said the thought provoking exhibition will encourage their audiences to look again at the drawings in the gallery's collection, through David and Liza's unique lens.

The exhibition takes place from October 5th 2024 to April 27th 2025 at the Towner Gallery, Eastbourne, UK.

Photos by Lucia Carpio

Culture: New arts, education and cultural centre granted planning permission for the South Downs, Sussex

News have emerged that planning permission for a new cultural destination in the South Downs in the southern coast of UK has been granted, led by Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) in partnership with the celebrated art gallery Towner Eastbourne and incorporating other key stakeholders such as East Sussex College Group.  

Image: Finian Reece-Thomas, Feilden Fowles

Work for the new type of centre where art, culture, heritage and ecology will come together as a new eastern gateway to the South Downs, is expected to begin in 2024 at Black Robin Farm, designed with sustainability and site specificity at its core, by Stirling Prize shortlisted architects Feilden Fowles, with a commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. 

It is situated on a site that was formerly a dairy farm, and embedded in the rolling South Downs landscape, will transform lives by connecting communities and visitors with the outstanding nature, landscape and cultural heritage of the Downlands for health, wellbeing and education, according to a press release.

This is great news for residents and businesses based in this picturesque destination in the unique landscape of the South Downs National Park. And will attract some 100,000 visitors annually within five years, revitalizing Eastbourne’s economy. 

Landscape-led project will connect Sussex’s iconic landmarks of the area including Beachy Head, Birling Gap, Seven Sisters and Cuckmere Haven, which are popular with national and international visitors, as well as delivering world class arts and cultural experiences, skills training for young people and opportunities and facilities for artists. With new walking, cycling and sustainable and accessible transport routes between the sites, and locally sourced and sustainable food and drink on offer, it will provide a coherent experience for the 1 million visitors to the region each year.   

"Our vision is to change lives through high quality creative and cultural experiences that raise aspirations, change career directions and improve life outcomes as well as skills and training that enables young people to pursue careers in the creative industries, tourism and leisure, ” said Joe Hill, CEO and Director, Towner Eastbourne.

“We are delighted that planning has been granted on this significant project for Eastbourne and more broadly for arts, tourism and culture. It will allow us to deliver an ambitious and sustainable artistic and educational programme situated in - and around - the nineteenth century dairy farm set in the stunning and unique landscape of the South Downs National Park," said Hill.

Image: Finian Reece-Thomas, Feilden Fowles

Councillor Stephen Holt, Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, said: “This is clearly an important and most significant step forward in our plans to develop Black Robin Farm. We are on a journey that will see the creation of a hugely exciting new venue within the South Downs National Park, one that will capture the imagination of people from far and wide. I must thank all those who have played a role in this landmark project so far and look forward with immense anticipation to what is still to come. Eastbourne Borough Council and Towner Eastbourne will now work with key stakeholders and communities to deliver the project’s vision over the next four years. This will allow the local communities to celebrate Eastbourne’s identity, increasing civic pride and raising aspirations, and will convey the unique heritage of the Downland to visitors.”

Fergus Feilden, Director, Feilden Fowles, said: "The project will deliver unprecedented equal access to the national park whilst preserving and enhancing the beauty and ecology of the site’s remarkable 19th century agricultural Downland setting. It will bring over 2000m2 of existing agricultural fabric back into new use, using a palette of natural materials such as reclaimed brick, lime mortar, flint. The new-build gallery reflects the folds of the South Downs and will use flint and chalk excavated from the site. Targeting operational net zero by 2030, the design aims to have minimal impact on the environment drawing visitors into the South Downs and delivering world class arts and cultural experiences.”

In partnership with East Sussex College Group, Towner will deliver qualifications and skills training for young adults to support career development in the creative, leisure and tourism sectors. It will provide artist opportunities through commissions, residencies, showcasing and workspace. With the Coastal Schools Partnership and community partners, it will also deliver creative activities and teacher Continuing Professional Development encompassing natural materials, nature, ecology and food production for children and young people to grow confidence, build skills and improve life outcomes. 

The Black Robin Farm project will demonstrate leadership in the environmental sustainability of new art and culture projects. It aims to achieve Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) excellence status. 

Art & Culture: Jesse Darling wins Turner Prize 2023

Jesse Darling, who lives and works in Berlin and London, standing among his Turner Prize 2023 installation,
currently on show in Eastbourne's Towner until 14 April 2024. 
Photo: Hello Content

Congratulations to Jesse Darling, winner of the £25,000 Turner Prize 2023, announced this evening at a ceremony presented by musician, creative and broadcaster Tinie Tempah at Eastbourne’s Winter Garden, adjacent to Towner Eastbourne, the gallery that hosts this year’s prize. 

(L to R) Tate Britain Director Alex Farquharson; broadcaster Tinie Tempah; Towner Eastbourne CEO Joe Hill and Turner Prize 2023 winner Jesse Darling at the Awards Ceremony.
Photo: Victor Frankowski, Hello Content

Jesse Darling works in sculpture, installation, video, drawing, sound, text and performance, using a "materialist peotics" to explore and reimagine the everyday technologies that represent how we live.

The other three nominees shortlisted for Turner 2023 are British artist Barbara Walker; Rory Pilgrim, who works between the UK and The Netherlands; and London-based Swedish artist Ghislaine Leung.

The jury commended all four nominated artists for their distinct and affecting presentations. Together their varied practices, so well represented in their Turner Prize presentations, are grounded in the realities of the world today, often giving voice to themes of uncertainty and vulnerability. Their work brings immediacy to the issues they respond to, realising these themes in powerful and unexpected ways.

Installation view of Jesse Darling's creation at Towner Eastbourne, 2023. Photo: Angus Mill 
Jesse Darling was commended for his use of materials and commonplace objects like concrete, welded barriers, hazard tape, office files and net curtains, to convey a familiar yet delirious world.
His recent practice encompasses sculpture, installation, text and drawing.

The Turner Prize is one of the best-known visual arts prizes in the world.  It  aims to promote public debate around new developments in contemporary British art. The prize is awarded to an artist born or based in the UK, for an outstanding exhibition or presentation of their work in the past twelve months.

The Turner Prize 2023 jury commended Jesse Darling for his use of materials and commonplace objects like concrete, welded barriers, hazard tape, office files and net curtains, to convey a familiar yet delirious world. Invoking societal breakdown, his presentation unsettles perceived notions of labour, class, Britishness and power.

Installation view of Jesse Darling at Towner Eastbourne, 2023.
Nominated for his solo exhibitions No Medals, No Ribbons at Modern Art Oxford and Enclosures at Camden Art Centre, his presentation for this year's Turner Prize took cues from Towner's coastal location n an installation exploring borders, bodies, nationhood and exclusion.
Photo: Angus Mill 

The members of the Turner Prize 2023 jury are Martin Clark, Director, Camden Art Centre; Cédric Fauq, Chief Curator, Capc musée d’art contemporain de Bordeaux; Melanie Keen, Director of Wellcome Collection and Helen Nisbet, CEO and Artistic Director, Cromwell Place. The jury is chaired by Alex Farquharson, Director, Tate Britain.

An exhibition of the four shortlisted artists is at Towner Eastbourne until 14 April 2024. It is curated by Noelle Collins, Exhibitions and Offsite Curator at Towner Eastbourne. This year’s prize is presented as part of Towner 100, a year-long celebration of arts and culture across Eastbourne and Sussex marking the centenary of Towner Eastbourne. The seaside town is also hosting a wide-ranging cultural programme - Eastbourne ALIVE - encompassing art installations at public buildings in the town and the re-animation of underused spaces through public art, dance and music events. 

Turner Prize 2023 is sponsored by King & McGaw. The education partner is University of Sussex. Turner Prize is supported by Lorna Gradden, Chalk Cliff Trust, The John Browne Charitable Trust and The Uggla Family Foundation. It is also supported in 2023 by Eastbourne Borough Council and East Sussex County Council.  

The prize will mark its 40th anniversary next year, returning to Tate Britain in London for the first time since 2018.

Art Installations: Eastbourne ALIVE is launched to coincide with Turner Prize 2023

With Towner Eastbourne in East Sussex hosting Turner Prize 2023,  the seaside town with its coastline along the English channel has also taken the opportunity to launch Eastbourne ALIVE, funded by Arts Council England.

The interior of Eve de Haan's "It's Nicer to be Nice," an urban healing garden within a pink shipping container,
filled with pink sand and plants, where the public are invited to enter and enjoy a moment of contemplation; 
commissioned by Hive Curates for Engield Winter Lights.
This is located right at the heart of the Eastbourne town centre, outside The Beacon shopping centre.

The wide-ranging cultural programme encompasses art installations at public buildings and the reanimation of underused spaces through public art, dance and music events.  The full Eastbourne ALIVE programme is run throughout the Turner Prize 2023 exhibition period, from September 2023 to April 2024.

Michael Rakowitz's winged bull, entitled "The Invisible enemy should not exist (Lamassu of Nineveh)" outside the Towner Eastbourne.  It has been placed in Eastbourne, by the courtesy of the Mayor of London, after it stood guard on Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth in London where it was originally commissioned.  Rakowitz reconstructed the Lamassu using empty metal Iraqi date syrup cans to clad an underlying steel armature.

The public artworks and interventions are installed across the town, including outside the Towner Eastbourne, the Eastbourne Pier and the sea front, in community spaces such as the Eastbourne Library and the Winter Garden events venue, and cafes, outside shopping centres and  by artists including Nathan Coley, Michael Rakowitz, Helen Cammock, Martyn Cross, Eve De Hann, Nadina Ali, Tarek Lakhrissi, Adam Moore, Flo Brooks, Madeleine Pledge, Liz Wilson.  Among the artists, Cammock won the Max Mara Art Prize for Women in 2017 and in 2019 was the joint recipient of The Turner Prize. 

Adam Moore's Still Life at the end of the Eastbourne Pier, commissioned by Devonshire Collective. It is an intervention combining image, text and Eastbourne pier's unique architecture, choreography and changing ambience.  It shows an image of the horizon, captured at the artwork's location, carrying the last two lines of William Ernest Henley's 1875 poem Invictus.

Nathan Coley's "I Don't Have Another Land" is lit up above the Eastbourne Library.

Internationally renowned Coley was shortlisted in the 2007 Turner Prize. His text sculpture, "I Don't Have Another Land", found on the top of the Eastbourne Library facade, was inspired by graffiti found on a wall in Jerusalem in the early 2000s. The work is part of the Towner Collection.

Multi-disciplinary artists of Rottngdean Bazaar has also commissioned Existence Proof at Devonshire Collective's VOLT Gallery on Seaside Road.

Nadina Ali's Love, Empathy, Respect, Dignity.  The artist from Marseille uses bold and colourful typography to address topics about social justice and representation, and to make art and creativity accessible to as many people as possible.

 

For this artwork in the arcade on the Eastbourne Pier,  Rottingdean Bazaar use one of the arcade's Skill Cut Winner machines, in which a player must cut a string with an automated blade to release the prize, a giant plush teddy bear.

Sarah Dance, Project Director of Eastboure ALIVE said, "Eastbourne ALIVE is a celebration of the Turner Prize being hosted in Eastbourne, and represents a huge opportunity for Eastbourne.  Through a wide range of projects and interventions we hope to create a lasting legacy for the town, with the arts and culture embedded in its vision for the future."

For the duration of Eastbourne ALIVE,
VOLT gallery at Seaside Road features a new window commission
made by Rottingdean Bazaar in partnership with
photographer Annie Collinge.

Eastbourne ALIVE are also working with a range of creative organisations across the town, including Devonshire Collective, Compass Arts, Talent Accelerator, Coastal Schools Partnership and Sussex modern.  Rottingdean Bazaar has 

All photos by Lucia Carpio.

Turner Prize 2023: Eastbourne of East Sussex celebrates with the Turner Prize at the Towner Gallery

The East Sussex art gallery Towner Eastbourne is celebrating its centenary, and the cherry on the cake for its year-long celebration is its hosting of an exhibition showcasing the work by the four shortlisted artists nominated for the international Turner Prize 2023, the world’s leading prize for contemporary art.

The Turner Prize exhibition, free to view at the Eastbourne Towner, spans galleries and spaces across all three floors of the building.   In the Welcome Space on the ground floor, visitors are urged to see films on the individual artists’ practices, with information on the history of the Turner Prize and details about the rest of Towner’s programme, including artist talks. 

The four shortlisted nominees for Turner 2023 on show at Eastbourne Towner are British artist Barbara Walker; Rory Pilgrim, who works between the UK and The Netherlands;  Jesse Darling, who lives and works in Berlin and London; and London-based Swedish artist Ghislaine Leung.

Joe Hill, Director and CEO of Towner Eastbourne welcomed the Turner Prize 2023 to Eastbourne, as the centrepiece of Towner Eastbourne's Centenary year.  "Founded as 'an art gallery for the people,' the gallery has always championed living artists and has been at the forefront of showcasing and collection contemporary art in the UK, said Hill.  "What better way to celebrate this legacy than to bring one of the world's best-known prizes for the visual arts to the region."

Alex Farquharson, Director of Tate Britain, and chair of the Turner Prize 2023 jury, said. "Jesse Darling, Ghislaine Leung, Rory Pilgrim and Barbara Walker have remarkably varied approaches to creating art that actively responds to and reflects the world around us - engaging with the social, economic, cultural and political issues of our time.  The Turner Prize offers a fascinating snapshot of contemporary British art now, and a key part of its popularity is its ability to spotlight the rich cultural offerings of our towns and cities on its travels to a truly unmissable movement in Turner Prize history.  I look forward to this year's exhibition being enjoyed by East Sussex's residents and visitors alike."

The Turner Prize* exhibition is now open and free to view until April 14th 2024,  spanning galleries and spaces across all three floors of the Towner.   In the Welcome Space on the ground floor, visitors are urged to see films on the individual artists’ practices, with information on the history of the Turner Prize and details about the rest of Towner’s programme, including artist talks. 

The winner of this prestigious prize will be announced at an award ceremony on December 5th, to take place next door in the iconic "Winter Garden", a Grade II listed events building, designed by architect Henry Currey and built by the seventh Duke of Devonshire in 1875. 

Two of Barbara Walker's Proof of Burden portraits (2022) in mixed media with graphite,
conte, charcoal and pastel on paper.

Finalist Barbara Walker works in a range of media and formats, from embossed works on paper to paintings on canvas and large scale charcoal wall drawings.  Growing up in Birmingham, Walker's experiences have shaped a practice concerned with issues of class and power, gender, race, representation and belonging.

Walker was nominated for her presentation entitled Burden of Proof at Sharjah Biennial 15. In this body of work, Walker brings careful attention and visibility to individuals and families affected by the Windrush scandal.

For the exhibition at Towner, Walker's presentation features large scale charcoal figures drawn directly onto the gallery wall, demonstrating the artist has a bold statement and a strong message to make.  On the adjacent walls is a series of works on paper. 

Walker's monochromatic portraits feature people who were impacted by the Windrush scandal and each portrait is layered over by hand-drawn reproductions of documents that evidence their right to remain in the UK. 

These intimate portraits invite the viewer to come face to face with real people whose struggle for legitimacy to remain in the UK and to consider the true consequences of political decision-making and the complexities of diasporic identity.

The jury applauded Walker's ability to use portraits of monumental scale to tell stories of a similarly monumental nature, whilst maintaining a profound tenderness and intimacy across the full scope of her work.

Rory Pilgrim is a multi-disciplinary artist working across song writing, composition, films, texts, drawings, paintings and live performances.  Pilgrim aims to challenge the nature of how we come together, speak, listen and strive for social change through sharing and voicing personal experience.

A still from Rory Pilgrim's RAFTS, 2022, HD Video (1:06:55).
Pilgrim interweaves stories, poems, music and film, to reflect on times of change and struggle
during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Courtesy of andriesse~eyck galerie.

Rory Pilgrim was nominated for the commission RAFTS at Serpentine and Barking Town Hall, and a live performance of the work at Cadogan Hall, London.  Pilgrim's presentation "Rafts (2022" on the first floor at the Towner is a hour-long film featuring a seven-song oratorio narrated by eight residents of Barking and Dagenham in London from Green Shoes Arts, reflecting on what the symbol of a raft means to them through song, music, animation and poetry.  They are joined by singers Declan Rowe John, Robyn Haddon, Kayden Fearon and members of Barking and Dagenham Youth Dance.  The film is a soulful, emotional body of work made during the Covid-19 pandemic and the raft is positioned as a symbol of support keeping us afloat in challenging and precarious circumstances. 

Timed screenings of Rafts and Rafts: Live are presented with paintings, drawings, writings and sculptures in the same room and in the space outside the room that expand on the theme.

Rory Pilgrim's Putting The World To Bed, 2021, on oil, crayon
and nail polish on wooden panel.

The jury praised the film project as a standout example of social practice.  They felt that Pilgrim's beautiful and affecting musical arrangements gave light to their collaborators' voices and that the confidence and vulnerability of the performance reflected the strength of the relationship between artist and community.

Jesse Darling works in sculpture, installation, video, drawing, sound, text and performance, using materlialist poetics to explore and reimagine the everyday technologies that represent how we live.  Darling has often combined industrial materials such as sheet metal and welded steel with everyday objects to explore ideas of the domestic and the institutional, home and state, stability and instability, function and dysfunction, growth and collapse.

Jesse Darling's installation showcase metal pedestrian barriers that appear to have legs that walk across the room

Darling was nominated for his solo No Medals, No Ribbons at Modern Art Oxford and Enclosures at Camden Art Centre in London.  Darling's work encompasses sculptures and installations which evoke the vulnerability of the human body and the precariousness of power structures.  The sculptural works Corpus (Half-staff) and Inter Alia I (both 2022) form a fragmented colonnade in the gallery.  Here, concrete and polystyrene pills are topped wth barbed wire, venetian blinds and net curtains. Pedestrian barriers and prickly anti-bird spikes also echo a hostile and controlling element of the built environment, with a jarring proximity to our domestic everyday.

The jury was struck by Darling's ability to manipulate materials in ways that skillfully express the messy reality of life.  They felt that these exhibitions revealed the breadth and integrity of Darling's practice, exposing the world's underlying fragility and refusing to make oneself appear legible and functioning to others.

Ghislaine Leung, Fountains. Installation View at Simian, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2023. Courtesy the artist and Simian, Copenhagen; and Maxwell Graham, New York; and Cabinet, London.
Photo credit GRAYSC.

Ghislane Leung's practice takes a critical look at the condition of art production, its presentation and circulation.  Leung has developed a process of art making that results in "score-based artworks".  The "scores" are text-based instructions or descriptions that are realised by the gallery team in close conversation with the artist.

Ghislane Leung's Fountain

Leung was nominated for her solo exhibition Fountains at Simian, Copenhagen.  Leung's work takes the form of "scores" - sets of instructions which test the boundaries of the gallery space.  Fountains (2022) is an artwork created from a score that simply states "a fountain installed in the exhibition space to cancel sound".

At Towner, Leung's presentation also features a baby monitor installed in the art store, broadcasting live to the exhibition space, and a wall drawing representing the hours that Leung can dedicate to working in her studio.  There is also a row of children's toy houses and toy household items.  These installations reflect on the realities of an artist role as a mother and highlight her interest in the time, labour and support structures required to make and maintain artworks.

The jury particularly commended the warm, humorous and transcendental qualities that lay behind the sleek aesthetic and conceptual nature of Leung's work, as well as her commitment to challenging the way art is produced and circulated.

*Turner Prize, one of the best-known prizes for the visual arts in the world, aims to promote public debate around new developments in contemporary British art.  Established in 1984, the Prize is awarded to a British artist for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work in the previous twelve months.

Members of the Turner Prize 2023 jury are Martin Clark, Director, Camden Art Centre; Cédric Fauq, Chief Curator, Capc musée d’art contemporain de Bordeaux; Melanie Keen, Director of Wellcome Collection; and Helen Nisbet, Artistic Director, Art Night. Alex Farquharson, Director of Tate Britain, was chair of the 2023 jury.

The Turner Prize winner will be awarded £25,000 with £10,000 awarded to the other shortlisted artists.

The Turner Prize, established n 1984, aims to promote public debate around new developments in contemporary British art. It is named after the renowned British painter JMW Turner (1775-1851) and is awarded each year to a British artist for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work.

Turner Prize 2023 is curated by Noelle Collins, Exhibitions and Offsite Curator at Towner Eastbourne.  It is one of the major events of Towner 100, a year-long centenary celebration of arts and culture across Eastbourne.  Towner Eastbourne kicked off the year of celebration with Barbara Hepworth: Art & Life earlier this year until September 2023.  Coinciding with the Turner Prize is Eastbourne ALIVE - a wide range of public art commissions and events taking place across the town.

All photos at the Turner Prize 2023 exhibition/ Towner Eastbourne by Lucia Carpio. Others are appropriately credited.

Art installation: Giant artworks by contemporary artists pop up in Newhaven to celebrate Eric Ravilious' paintings inspired by the town

Towner Eastbourne hosting the Turner Prize 2023 this autumn.

Warm sunny days may be eluding us much of this summer in the south of England, but if one is able to explore the coastal towns of East Sussex along the English Channel, do stop over the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne, known for its vast collection of modern British art, not least the "largest and most significant body of work" by the famous British artist Eric Ravilious (1903 - 1942) who was celebrated for his exceptional talent in capturing the essence and the unique charm of the East Sussex landscape.  The undulating hills, chalk cliffs, and the play of light over the sea were recurrent themes in his work.

With a rich maritime heritage, offering a unique blend of natural beauty, Newhaven has had inspired many artists to convey its landscape and unique characteristics on canvas.

After absorbing the wonders of Ravilious at Towner Eastbourne, do take a short 10-mile drive (or a quick hop over by bus) to the nearby seaside town of Newhaven, not only because it is where one can board a cross-channel ferry to Dieppe in France, but also because the charming coastal town situated at the mouth of the River Ouse is also one of Ravilious' favourite East Sussex places where he drew profound inspiration for his paintings.

Now starting this August until the end of October, Towner Eastbourne supported by the Newhaven Enterprise Zone has launched "Follow Ravilious - Newhaven Views" a public art project and trail featuring renowned contemporary artists who have created paintings in response to Eric Ravilious' best loved images of Newhaven.  

The artists: Emily Allchurch, Mark Titchner, Jo Lamb and Charlotte Prodger - have been inspired by Ravilious and the modern Newhaven landscape and their creations have been blown up to giant billboard-scale artworks of approximately 20 square metres each. 

First stop on the "Follow Ravilious - Newhaven Views" trail is The Sidings.
 an events and hospitality space by the swing bridge.
Hoisted on  the  façade of the Marine Workshops/UTC building facing an open community courtyard are (right) Eric Ravilious' Channel Steamer Leaving Harbour, 1934, alongside Emily Allchurch's Return to Port (After Ravilious) 2023.
For the art trail map and more information on the artworks, click HERE.

On the "Follow Ravilious - Newhaven Views" trail*, the four artists' works are installed within the landscape of Newhaven; each is mounted and displayed prominently alongside a large reproduction of Ravilious' image of Newhaven, completing a dialogue between Newhaven's past, present and future, and exploring the town's intersecting marine, rural and industrial landscape.  

The location of the first stop on the  trail is The Sidings, an events and hospitality space by the swing bridge and near the Newhaven Town train station. Here hoisted on  the façade of the UTC building facing an open community courtyard are (right) Eric Ravilious' Channel Steamer Leaving Harbour, 1934, alongside Emily Allchurch's Return to Port (After Ravilious) 2023.

Artist Emily Allchurch has been living and working in Hastings, East Sussex since 2015.
Emily said her work is all about recreating and updating historical artworks by digitally collaging photographs she had taken of contemporary life.  While Ravilious’ painting: Channel Steamer Leaving Harbour (1935), depicts the bright cabin lights and billowing steam from the ship’s funnel suggest an anticipation about the voyage ahead, Emily said she hopes her own interpretation of the scene "captures the same drama, witnessing the arrival of the Transmanche ferry, having completed its similar crossing back from Dieppe," Obviously the port and ferry have changed over the intervening 90 years.
.

The second stop on the art trail is Denton Island, on the banks of the River Ouse, depicting Eric Ravilious' James and the Foremost Prince, 1934  on the right, with artist Mark Titchner's Blessed Are The Eyes That See The Things We See, 2023 on the left.

Second stop on the art trail is Denton Island, on the banks of the River Ouse, where Eric Ravilious' James and the Foremost Prince, 1934 (right) has been erected alongside artist Mark Titchner's Blessed Are The Eyes That See The Things We See, 2023.

London-born Mark Titchner, who was also nominated for the Turner Prize in 2006, focuses on an exploration of words and language in his work. In reference to ‘Ravilious’ artwork that celebrated the collision of the East Sussex landscape with modern industry Mark said he wondered if it was possible to celebrate such a landscape today without considering the environmental consequences of modern industry.
He said in his artwork, he adapts a biblical text that is inscribed upon the gravestone of Ravilious and his wife Tirzah Garwood moving the emphasis of the sentence away from individual perception towards a collective reflection.

The third stop is located in the Newhaven town centre, at the Dacre Road Car Park.  Installed here are Eric Ravilious' Lighthouses at Newhaven 1935 alongside Charlie Prodger's Vision Machines (Cliff), 2023.

Eric Ravilious' Lighthouses at Newhaven 1935 
Courtesy of Towner Eastbourne.

Charlie Prodger's Vision Machines (Cliff), 2023.  Courtesy of Towner Eastbourne.
Charlie Prodger is a Glasgow-based artist working with moving image, writing, sculpture and print-making.
Charlie was the winner of the 2018 Turner Prize and represented Scotland at the 2019 Venice Biennale. She received the 2017 Paul Hamlyn Award and 2014 Margaret Tait Award.
 

The fourth stop on the trail is in the open space outside The Hope Inn, a stone's throw from the Newhaven Fort.  On the day of our visit, Jo Lamb's Early Morning, Newhaven, 2018 was just being hoisted while Eric Ravilious' Newhaven Harbour, 1936 was yet to be set up.  

Due to adverse weather conditions in the whole of Southeast in recent weeks, the installation of the third and final fourth stop on the trail had been delayed, and were not up on the day of photography for this article.

Jo Lamb's Early Morning, Newhaven, 2018 was being hoisted meticulously against strong winds on the day this photograph was taken.  The location is near The Hope Inn, in Lunette Battery, West Pier, Newhaven.

  

Artist Jo Lamb, now based in Lewes, had previously lived in Newhaven for five years and still continues to paint Newhaven subjects: the harbour and ferry, the industrial activity and the newbuild homes under construction.  Jo said she has painted Newhaven more than any other place in Sussex and it is a place I return to in my art. Her painting "Early Morning, Newhaven" was done in 2018, capturing the scenes, the birds, the butterflies, along with the large boats and ferry that come in and out of the harbour.

A selection of mixed media works by Seahaven Academy students.

Eric Ravilious' connection to Newhaven was deeply rooted in the town's coastal character, and through his paintings, he celebrated the unique beauty of this coastal town, immortalizing its charm and heritage for generations to come.  Thus also installed as part of the trail are works by young students of the Seahaven Academy who have captured modern day Newhaven activities in their collaborative work, following the footsteps of Ravilious and seeking his viewpoints.  These are on display near The Sidings.

Corinne Day, Programme Director at Newhaven Enterprise Zone said Newhaven is undergoing a renaissance, bursting with creativity and the art project will hopefully attract new residents, businesses and investment to the town.  She said, "Newhaven is building a reputation on the South Coast as a hub for creatives, so Newhaven Enterprise Zone was delighted to support this important art trail ... We look forward to welcoming visitors to our port town for this important celebration of Ravilious as they enjoy the opportunity to be surrounded by the Sussex scenery he depicted."

Joe Hill, Towner' s Director and CEO, said the project enables some of Towner's world class collection of Ravilious' Newhaven paintings to sit within the spaces they depict, such as the sea view from the Sussex Coast as well as responding to the industry in the area.  "We are delighted to partner on this project and to showcase four of the most spectacular works by Ravilious in this brand new context and at such an exciting scale.  I look forward to welcoming audiences to Sussex to experience these works in Newhaven, as part of the exciting seasons we have ahead, including this and the (2023) Turner Prize at Towner Eastbourne."

* For the "Follow Ravilious - Newhaven Views" trail - from  August 12 to October 29 2023 - click HERE for the trail map and more information on the artworks.

Photos by Lucia Carpio

Ravilious had a significant connection to Eastbourne and Newhaven, both artistically and personally. 

In the early 1930s, Ravilious began teaching at the Eastbourne School of Art, a role that allowed him to engage with budding artists while also deepening his connection to the town.  Eastbourne's coastal landscapes, along with the nearby South Downs, greatly influenced Ravilious' artistic output. He found inspiration in the unique combination of sea and countryside, which he often depicted in his watercolours, incorporating the area's rolling landscapes and the unique flora and fauna of the region.

Ravilious was also deeply influenced by the coastal town of Newhaven, and it played a significant role in shaping his paintings and artistic style. Newhaven provided him with a wealth of inspiration due to its  coastal location and maritime heritage. 

Ravilious was drawn to the town's bustling harbour which lies within walking distance of Furlongs, home of artist and friend Peggy Angus. Maritime themes can be seen in many of his paintings, where he skillfully portrayed the interplay of water, sky, and human activity.  Ravilious was also intrigued by the quaint charm of Newhaven's streets and buildings. The town's distinct architecture and its relationship with the sea found their way into his artwork. He often depicted the coastal cottages, the town's beachfront, and its unique atmosphere, capturing the essence of Newhaven's coastal character.

During World War II, Ravilious was commissioned as a war artist and was stationed in Newhaven where he documented scenes of wartime activities in and around the town.  Ravilious' work showed his ability to find beauty in the ordinary,  depicting everyday scenes, such as industrial areas, machinery, and buildings, showcasing Newhaven's blend of maritime industry and scenic beauty, elevating them to a level of artistic appreciation.