I am a recent graduate of South Devon College studying Art and Design Studies as  a mature student.   I  specialise in textured collage and printmaking with abstract painting, mark marking and distress techniques. 

 

My current series of work explores the impact of climate change and inequality on coastal communities through textured collage, ceramics and 3D immersive installations

This piece is a narrative on the contrasts of living in Torbay, situated in a stunning natural marine and geological environment juxtaposed with wealth inequality, derelict public buildings and vanishing coastline. I wanted to create a dialogue on the complexities of living in an urban seaside town, our relationship with the environment and how we relate to these issues.

 

The mixed-media method allows me to include familiar images of the urban landscape set in the unique geological, marine and coastal surroundings. Conveying the geology of the rocky outcrop of Devonian Limestone of Vane Hill prominent high-rise buildings and villas, along with mixing Red Limestone and plants, collected from nearby Oddicombe Cliffs with paint to connect the artwork to its distinctive character and location.

 

The work is layered with local images of beach huts, graffiti, signage, maps, newspaper cuttings, reports and film posters and references to social issues as a result of inequality and its impact on the wider society, with the aim of inviting the viewer to journey around the piece to evoke past memories and evaluate the current and future direction of the town.

Central image is the derelict, but much loved, Torquay Pavilion, built on land reclaimed from the sea in 1912, once Torquay’s Palace of Pleasure, now crumbling and boarded up for 10 years. I wanted to highlight the importance of treasured buildings that encapsulate so many happy memories. As part of the creative process, I use distress techniques, pulling ropes and wires through collage to reveal the images below, unsure of what will be revealed! This process adds layers of interpretation to the final piece. I particularly like the effect of the ripped paper and blue sea-like material billowing out from the Pavilion; this to me evokes alarm bells of rising sea levels as coastal communities on low lying land will be the first to be impacted as the sea moves in to reclaim the land.

 

The composition chosen for this piece was inspired by the Autumn sunset going down behind Vane Hill, Torquay, across the Harbour from the slipway.

 

Anya Broughton Fine Art Award 2022 – South Devon College

Mixed Media | Textured Collage and Print

2.43x1.22m

Unframed