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• Besides the Sea

Besides the Sea

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.  Artists transform empty shops into creative spaces, poetry and artworks emerge from walls and live performances fill outdoor places with  life. This energy brings more than just what we can see; it helps people navigate love and loss, supports wellbeing and creates connections that sustain communities with empathy and care.

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

Inside the gallery is a collection of photographs by artists and Weston residents Bayan Alahmad, Archie Byron, Braden Evans, Siobhan Evans, Jess May Long and Will Shergold. Their works articulate their experiences of growing up in Weston, explored through dreams and nostalgia, the fragility of the natural environment, working class culture, as well as looking for – and finding – the simple beauty of the place. In many ways, their photographs are a letter to a town that they all love and are frustrated by in equal measure. The work was developed through a programme of workshops in relation 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.

Along the corridor walls, the creative landscape in Weston – nurtured over the years by residents and organisations such as Super Culture and Common Waves CIC –  unfolds through images with words written by poet Beth Calverley woven in between. The exhibition also features a poem written by the young people in collaboration with Calverley. 

For opening times and more info please see Arnolfini’s website.