Besides the Sea: A visual love letter to Weston-super-Mare opens at Arnolfini

“Take a walk through Weston-super-Mare and you might be surprised by what you encounter. Creativity is increasingly woven into the fabric of the town, slipping into its seams like sand.” – Fiona Matthews

Early August saw the arrival of Besides the Sea at Arnolfini – a visual love letter to Weston-super-Mare created by local residents, co-curated by Super Culture’s Creative Director Fiona Matthews alongside Jamie Dormer-Durling of The Common Room.

Ahead of opening to the public, a private viewing took place for the collaborators, young artists, and community members to share the room and see the finished piece together for the first time. Between speeches from the curators and a poetry reading by Beth Calverley, there was a real sense of quiet pride and celebration in the room.

Besides the Sea celebrates the many ways creativity shapes life in Weston – how it unites people, enriches everyday experiences, amplifies new voices and helps us imagine new possibilities. 

“My work is not about documenting an event, it is about conversations and co-creation and many of the people I have photographed have become my friends.” – Paul Blakemore

Along the corridor walls, Weston’s creative landscape – nurtured over the years by residents and organisations such as Super Culture and Common Waves CIC – unfolds through vibrant images of gatherings, public artworks and interventions taken by photographer Paul Blakemore, with words written by poet Beth Calverley woven in between and additional illustrations from Niki Groom. 

“Living in Weston is like being at a festival. You leave your tent (your home), pop out to whatever weird and wonderful is happening, then pop home.” – Beth Calverley

Inside the gallery, are a collection of photographs by young artists Bayan Alahmad, Archie Byron, Braden Evans, Siobhan Evans, Jess May Long and Will Shergold. Their works weave together everyday moments and memories of growing up in Weston explored through images that capture the textures of their environment and the rhythms of working-class culture. Their collective works evoke dreams and feelings of nostalgia; all while searching for – and finding – the quiet beauty that endures within Weston’s streets, shorelines and communities. 

In many ways, these photographs are a love letter to a town that they all love and are frustrated by in equal measure. The work was developed through a programme of workshops connected to Against the Tide (27 June – 27 September 2026), a project led by photographer Polly Braden in collaboration with journalist Lisa Bachelor as part of The Guardian’s Seascape series. The exhibition also features a poem written collectively by the young people in collaboration with Calverley.

You can explore the story of Besides the Sea at Arnolfini until 25 October 2026, for opening times please visit their website. To read more about Polly Braden’s project, including how she supported the young artists take their story straight to the heart of Westminster you can read more in our catch up with her here.

Lead image by Siobhan Evans