World Art Collections Exhibition
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts
Coast Encounters at
Cromer and Sheringham Arts Festival



During October, the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts’ Culture of the Countryside outreach project will be celebrating the drama of the coast with a series of projects called Coast Encounters. Focusing on the weather, the projects have been developed by the Sainsbury Centre team with regional and international artists and local people. They culminate in a series of free events, exhibitions and installations in Cromer, Sheringham, East Runton and West Runton as part of the Cromer and Sheringham Arts Festival (Saturday 23 – Sunday 31 October). The projects have been supported by the University of East Anglia’s CUE East.

“We’re delighted to be adding the Culture of the Countryside’s events to the Cromer and Sheringham Arts Festival programme. It’s a wonderful opportunity to get local people and visitors involved in thinking about the culture and heritage of the coast, and we hope as many of them as possible will contribute to the projects and come along to our events.” – Veronica Sekules, Head of Education and Research and Culture of the Countryside Project Director, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.

In the run-up to the Festival there will be workshops in local schools and a chance for the public to contribute to a Weather Memories project, in collaboration with UEA’s Weatherquest weather forecasting and analysis company. From 18 August, visitors to public museums and libraries in Cromer and Sheringham will be invited to write or draw their memories of the weather that has shaped our lives on a card and post it in one of the collection boxes. The memories will go on display in a series of beach hut ‘weather museums’ during the Festival. Weatherquest director Steve Dorling will draw on these memories during a special talk on weather past and future, The Art and Science of Weather, at Merchants Place, Cromer, 4.30pm – 6.30pm on Saturday 30 October.

Artist George Nuku

During the festival a number of visiting and regional artists will give their own responses to the weather. Visiting artists and Maori spiritual leaders George Nuku and Rosanna Raymond will make an installation entitled We are bound by the ocean; the same water kisses our shores, addressing questions of climate change, ownership and access to the sea. Using both natural and contemporary manufactured resources they will make translucent temporary structures at The Brick Works at Cromer Road, West Runton, overlooking the shoreline. Visitors are invited to join in between 11am and 5pm, 23 – 31 October as the artists fill the structures with poetry, carving, installations and jewels. George Nuku is a highly regarded artist who has worked with the Sainsbury Centre on a variety of projects since 2006. His work has been displayed around the world, including at the British Museum and the 2009 Venice Bienalle.

Artist Mark Heywood will be leading a project documenting the obsession with the weather shared by surfers in their pursuit of the perfect wave. Weather patterns, sea currents, oceanography and tide charts all connect them to the rhythms of the planet. East Coast Surfers will include a site specific installation overlooking the surf at East Runton as well as the retelling of surf stories in the Village Inn, West Runton.

North Norfolk-based artist Gaia Shaw will be working throughout the festival in a Sheringham beach hut on her Blueprint of the Weather, using the elements as her tools as well as her subject matter. Gaia will work outdoors throughout the festival, using natural ultra violet light, precipitation and other environmental features to mark and print onto textiles. She will also be developing work based on sketches of the morning sky and weather made over the previous four months.

Visitors to the Festival will also have the chance to take part in a series of free workshops, led by artists. On Saturday 23, Sunday 24 and Wednesday 27 October, between 11am and 3pm visitors can learn how to make compelling images of indefinable weather conditions with photographer Gavin Mount. Gavin’s Muggy, Breezy or Chilly? workshops at The Brick Works at Cromer Road, West Runton, will explore making atmospheric pictures using simple recycled technology and homemade cameras.

Cromer – Photo: Andy Sapey

On Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 October, artists Jane Frost and Liz McGowan will be exploring how the capricious force of the wind brings the landscape alive in their Mapping the Wind project. Visitors can drop in to West Runton beach hut ‘weather station’ between 11am and 3pm to explore the interplay between wind, sea and land and make their own map of the wind.

Finally on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 October artists Alison Atkins and Doo Gurney will offer visitors a unique investment opportunity in Own the Sky… If Only for a Minute. This unusual art project at West Runton beach hut ‘weather station’ gives a chance to capture a piece of the beautiful Cromer and Sheringham skyline and create a unique piece of weather-art for someone to keep forever.

“CUE east is delighted to be supporting the Culture of the Countryside outreach project. Their joint work between international artists, UEA staff and local people in North Norfolk is a real exemplar for how public engagement can be a win-win activity.” – Professor Keith Roberts, Chair of CUE east, the UEA Beacon for Public Engagement

Culture of the Countryside is the Sainsbury Centre’s ambitious outreach project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which began in October 2007 and is in its final phase this autumn. Over the last 3 years the Centre has been working with people of different ages, abilities and interests in East Anglia and thinking afresh about attitudes to the countryside and the ways we use it. The Sainsbury Centre’s world art handling collection is the starting point for exploring current environmental and heritage issues as well as helping to build community relationships.

Coast Encounters events at Cromer and Sheringham Arts Festival

All events are free and un-ticketed. There is no need to book. For further details visit www.scva.ac.uk

Weather Memories
From Wednesday 18 August
Results exhibited daily during the festival at the ‘weather museums’
A collaboration with UEA’s Weatherquest to recall the ordinary or extraordinary weather that has shaped our lives. Draw or write your weather memories on a card and put it in one of our collection boxes in public museums and libraries in Cromer and Sheringham.


Mapping the Wind
Saturday 25 September – Sunday 17 October
Weather station and event days 11am – 3pm
Where: West Runton beach shelter
Explore this force of nature at the ‘weather station’ at West Runton beach shelter. Share your experiences in the wind diary or join artists Liz McGowan and Jane Frost on an event day (see below).


Wind Art Day – Sunday 3 October
Make your own pennant flags to fly, incorporating your stories, drawings and paintings.


Walking Conversation – Sunday 10 October
Meet at 11am at the ‘weather station’ for a walk in the wind to share ideas and views about wind energy.


Wind Mapping Day – Sunday 17 October
Come and make a giant pattern on the beach showing the changes in wind direction over the past month.


Visit the wind blog at mappingthewind.wordpress.com


“We are bound by the ocean; the same water kisses our shores”
Saturday 23 – Sunday 31 October
11am – 5pm
Where: West Runton Old Brickworks
Artists and Maori spiritual leaders George Nuku and Roseanna Raymond will make translucent temporary structures to contain poetry, carving, installations, jewels and adornments, using the natural resources of the beach and the crafts of the area.


East Coast Surfers
Saturday 23 – Sunday 31 October
11am – 5pm
Where: West Runton Old Brickworks
Visit a site-specific sculpture over-looking the surf, documenting the obsession with the weather shared by surfers. Hear the retelling of heroic surf stories in the local pub (details to be announced in the West and East Runton ‘weather stations’). Project led by artist Mark Haywood.


Muggy, Breezy or Chilly?
Saturday 23, Sunday 24 and Wednesday 27 October
11am – 3pm
Where: West Runton Old Brickworks
How do you make compelling images of indefinable weather conditions? Join Gavin Mount for a photography workshop which explores making atmospheric pictures using simple recycled technology and homemade cameras. Bring outdoor clothes and a camera.


Blue Print of the Weather
Saturday 23 – Sunday 31 October
11am – 3pm
Where: Sheringham ‘weather museum’
Gaia Shaw will mark and print textiles, working outdoors and using natural ultraviolet light, precipitation and other environmental features. Gaia will use sketches of the morning sky and weather made in the previous four months to develop the images further.


Own the Sky… If Only for a Minute
Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 October
11am – 3pm
Where: West Runton ‘weather station’
Buy your share of the wonderful skies of the Cromer and Sheringham coastline! Capture and keep a piece of weather-art for someone to keep and own forever. Project led by Doo Gurney and Alison Atkins.


The Art and Science of Weather
Saturday 30 October
4.30pm – 6.30pm
Where: Merchant’s Place, Cromer
Steve Dorling, director of Weatherquest, will give a lecture about the past and future of the weather.

For further details about all of the festival events visit www.casaf.co.uk


For more information or to get involved in the project contact Yasmin Keyani on 01603 593725 or email [email protected]. Alternatively visit www.cultureofthecountryside.ac.uk


The Sainsbury Centre is open Tuesday to Sunday (closed Monday including Bank Holidays), 10am to 5pm. Tel 01603 593199 or email [email protected]www.scva.ac.uk