New abstract artwork on display in Sidmouth

A new piece of art entitled A Sidmouth Map is now on display at Sidmouth Wallspace overlooking the Ham East car park.

The abstract artwork, which features colours and shapes with a web of interconnected lines, represents "Sidmouth's rich and developing art and cultural scene" such as the locations of the town's many festivals.

It is based on an original 12-layer tracing paper screen print by East Devon-based artist and printmaker Emma Molony, and was digitised for display by Sam Eyre.

A Sidmouth Map (Sarah Hall)

Over 40 conversations fed into the community research with the information plotted and overlaid with each screen print layer.

Emma was reportedly inspired by the maps of Mark Lombardi and visualisations of data by Edward Tufte. The development of the project was also filmed by Sidmouth-based videographer Seb Fitzhenry (see video above).

David Shrigley, Visual Artist and Co-Founder/ Trustee of Sidmouth School of Art said: "Having a map of the cultural connections in Sidmouth is a really valuable thing for us at Sidmouth School of Art. I think Emma's artwork has been a really great starting point and I hope that other people will find it equally intriguing."

Emma Molony, whose practice involves combining printmaking with interdisciplinary art forms, also works at Double Elephant Screenprint Studio, Exeter and has had a variety of residencies added "I think this is a project that will grow, the content will grow. Different artists and community groups will input into it and that feels like the start of something special."

Sidmouth Wallspace, a physical public outdoor gallery, is a collaborative project between Sidmouth School of Art, Sidmouth Coastal Community Hub and David Shrigley. It is funded by Arts Council England with support from Sidmouth Town Council.