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Emma Powell

Arts & Environment: Review: Land Sand Stone Art Festival, Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire 2023

Updated: Apr 10

This land art festival was spread over two days. On both days visitors were encouraged to make their own art amongst the pieces created by the participating artists.


The first day was based on Bridlington’s North Beach which is well known for its soft sand and smooth, white chalk stones, often with Piddock* holes within them. Seaweed was also available.


The second day was based in the grounds of Sewerby Hall* where shady corners, leaves and twigs were in plentiful supply.


The following images are just a selection of the pieces that were created for the event.


Bridlington Beach Art

This date coincided with the hottest day of the year and huge numbers of day trippers to the beach. The artistic creations stood out amongst the crowds but were hard to photograph.


James Brunt, Jon Foreman and Laurence Winram initiated a large community piece (Image 1) that integrated the chalk stones with dried seaweed. Passers-by added to the structure throughout the event.

Image 1: James Brunt, Jon Foreman and Laurence Winram – close up

Winston Plowes created a beautiful herringbone-based structure (Image 2) just from the white stones placed on their edges

Image 2 Winston Plowes

Arron Tierney collected flat pebbles to build height within his design (Image 3).


Image 3 Arron Tierney

On the steep grassy bank James Craig Page assembled a precarious assortment of stones (Image 4).

Image 4 James Craig Page

Sewerby Hall Gardens Art

This location was a great escape from the heat and the crowds. Each artist found their own location and created work in response to the space. Visitors could create mini collections of natural objects, on the ground, contained within temporary frames.


James Brunt’s piece (Image 5), under the shade of a tree, was at the start of the art trail. It combined similar leaf shapes, all of different colours, with twig borders.

Image 5 James Brunt

Arron Tierney integrated a delicate piece made from leaves onto a triangular piece of swept border (Image 6).

Image 6 Arron Tierney

Laurence Winram strung leaves together and hung them from branches (Image 7).

Image 7 Laurence Winram

Winston Plowes found a really nice spot and assembled small twigs into a beautiful pattern (Image 8).

Image 8 Winston Plowes

Florence Halliwell used a variety of leaf shapes, textures and twigs to create a circular piece beneath a tree (Image 9).

Image 9 Florence Halliwell

Mark Antony Haden Ford threaded small, delicate twigs together to make large, hanging structures that framed the landscape really effectively at the end of the art trail (Images 10 & 11).

Image 10 Mark Antony Haden Ford

Image 11 Mark Antony Haden Ford

The beauty of the use of these materials is that the evidence of artist intervention will naturally decompose and feed the soil (Image 12).

Image 12 evidence of artist intervention

Links for further Information


*Info about Piddocks and how they live in the chalk pebbles here: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/marine/bivalves/piddock (accessed 19/9/23)


*Info about Sewerby Hall and the gardens here:


Organisers of Land Sand Stone Art Festival, Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire 2023 – Responsible Fishing:


The following artists were anticipated to be participating in the event:

Some of the artists without websites can be found on Facebook.


All photos © Emma Powell 2023



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