About Headworks

What is the ‘Headworks’ project?

This Yorkshire Water commission is part of a £40 million scheme to improve bathing water in Bridlington. Both the North and South beaches are officially designated as bathing beaches and have had Blue Flags in the past. However improvements need to be made to ensure that the quality of the sea water at both beaches meets stricter standards. Between 2012 and 2014 Yorkshire Water will be improving the way they manage waste water in Bridlington. The improvements will play a part in securing the highest standards of bathing water quality for the town, reducing the chance of untreated water entering the sea during times of heavy rainfall, thus making the beaches even cleaner.

A key part of the scheme is an extension to a pumping station situated at the southern end of Bridlington’s south beach. I’ve been commissioned to create a permanent artwork for this currently plain concrete building. My proposed work for the Bridlington Headworks project is inspired by the environment surrounding the site – natural and man-made. The stunning sea and skyscape, imagery based on sea birds and the strong geometry and visual vocabulary of the buildings and structures of the Promenade have been the starting point for my initial ideas.

I propose creating an artwork that has a contemporary aesthetic, something that will interact with changing light conditions through day and night. I intend to use materials that reflect and refract light, casting shadows and projecting light onto adjacent surfaces. As a consequence the artwork will be dynamic, offering passers-by a different visual experience at different times of the day and through the changing seasons.

I want to create artwork that creates a sense of pleasure – something both beautiful and interesting that has impact from a distance yet has detail that merits a much closer look. The artwork would pay homage to the beauty around it by incorporating that beauty into the artwork itself.

I’ll be charting the development of my ideas and the project as a whole on this blog. Feedback and comments are very welcome – I look forward to hearing from you!

More information about Yorkshire Water’s Bridlington improvement scheme can be found on the website http://www.yorkshirewater.com/bridlington