Sidmouth Wallspace is a physical public outdoor gallery for everyone at the Ham carpark, Sidmouth, where the work of different artists using a variety of mediums are presented. It is brought to the town by Sidmouth School of Art, which is about creativity and wellbeing through art and culture.

Each billboard has a process behind it, working with artists and young people or local groups to build confidence, create an open access platform for public art and share skills.  This is because we value that: Encouraging and engaging with art and our creative selves is a path to wellbeing and happiness. Our project website provides a digital platform where work is also presented in our online galleries www.sidmouthart.org 

This week we present our fifth exhibition by artist, David Shrigley. David Shrigley OBE is a British visual artist. He studied at Glasgow School of Art and now lives locally and is best known for his drawings: often witty, funny, sarcastic, in tune observations about life and the universe that help to make us feel better. David’s work is sometimes satirical, conversational and conceptual, using a variety of media including sculpture, animation, music, painting and photography with which he engages with the viewer enabling new and different perspectives and connections to occur.

Speaking about the work, David said: “Our Sidmouth is not the only Sidmouth. There is another Sidmouth in Tasmania. This other Sidmouth is rather smaller than ours; just a truck stop and not much else.”

Martin McInerney, Sidmouth Resident, pictured in front of the billboard with the new artwork, Another Sidmouth, installed said: “It’s upside down!”  On hearing that it is Sidmouth, Tasmania, he laughed and said: “Well I have been there!' I travelled with my wife around the world in 1991.”

Sidmouth Coastal Community Hub, Director, Louise Cole, said: “The latest artwork, Another Sidmouth, is surprising and intriguing, stimulating our creative curiosity to see things from different perspectives, make new connections and yes to have some fun, Martin’s coincidence is a brilliant testimony to that!”

Two photos by photographer Sarah Hall are provided of Another Sidmouth in situ, including one with Martin McInerney referenced above. There are a range of new billboard artwork projects in the pipeline …Watch This Wallspace!