Wivenhoe rail station is to be part of the Off The Rails’ latest exhibition. It is to become a temporary art gallery for the community arts initiative.
“Four Seasons on the Essex Sunshine Coast” sees a series of contemporary, playful, and joyful route maps.
The display is created by artist and cartographer, Maxwell Roberts, in tribute to the Essex Sunshine Coast. The art is to go on display in large poster boards along the platform.
Maxwell’s ‘Four Seasons’ are displayed alongside a classic Great Eastern map, which advertises the rail ferry link to Holland which still exists (as Rail and Sail) today.
The piece is exhibited with the permission of the Netherlands Railway Museum and is provided courtesy of Arjan den Boer.
The exhibition, supported by the Essex and Suffolk Community Rail Partnership and Greater Anglia who provided funding for six large poster boards for the works to be displayed in, runs until the 12 September.
‘Off the Rails’ is an art and poetry project based at Wivenhoe Railway Station which showcases local creative talent and businesses from Wivenhoe and North Essex.
The project also hosts Words down the Line, a poetry leaflet or postcard, featuring local poets and creative writers.
Maxwell comments: “Having been five years in the making I’m so excited to see all four of my seasonal maps together in their natural habitat – on a railway platform. I hope my decorative maps encourage other passengers to have a go at making their own themselves!”
Matthew Linley, of Off the Rails, said “With the support of Greater Anglia we’re delighted to have been able to go ahead with installing these brand new works by Walton on the Naze artist and cartographer Maxwell Roberts despite the current situation. We very much hope local people will still be able to see and enjoy these beautiful maps if they happen to be passing through the station.”
Alan Neville, Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Engagement Manager, said: “Despite the pandemic, it’s been so uplifting to see great community initiatives still forging ahead to benefit their local communities. Off The Rails is a great example of this and we are delighted that they have been able to continue their work at Wivenhoe station.”
Terri Ryland, Community Rail Officer, said: “We were delighted to support this latest open air exhibition by Off The Rails. It’s lovely to see art on display at such a public venue as a rail station so that anyone may enjoy it as they pass through.”
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Responses
Very nice. Well done Greater Anglia & ESSCR (Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail) group.
A local art group based in Colchester called Level Best Art Cafe have done some artistic stuff and some of their stuff are at railway stations on the Colchester-Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze lines. And even on the Manningtree-Harwich Town Line (Mayflower Line).