Published on: Tuesday, 21 July 2020
Last updated: Tuesday, 21 July 2020
Wivenhoe rail station is to become a temporary art gallery for community arts initiative, Off The Rails’ latest exhibition.
“Four Seasons on the Essex Sunshine Coast” by artist and cartographer, Maxwell Roberts, sees a series of contemporary, playful and joyful route maps in tribute to the Essex Sunshine Coast go on display in large poster boards along the platform.
Maxwell’s ‘Four Seasons’ are displayed alongside a classic Great Eastern map advertising the rail ferry link to Holland which of course still exists (as Rail and Sail) today. This piece is exhibited with the kind permission of the Netherlands Railway Museum and is provided courtesy of Arjan den Boer.
The exhibition, supported by the Essex and Suffolk Community Rail Partnership and Greater Anglia who funded six large poster boards in which the works are displayed, runs until the 12 September.
Maxwell comments, “Having been five years in the making I'm so excited to see all four of my seasonal maps together in their natural habitat - on a railway platform. I hope my decorative maps encourage other passengers to have a go at making their own themselves!”
Matthew Linley, of Off the Rails, said, “With the support of Greater Anglia we’re delighted to have been able to go ahead with installing these brand new works by Walton on the Naze artist and cartographer Maxwell Roberts despite the current situation. We very much hope local people will still be able to see and enjoy these beautiful maps if they happen to be passing through the station.”
Alan Neville, Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Engagement Manager, said, “Despite the pandemic, it’s been so uplifting to see great community initiatives still forging ahead to benefit their local communities. Off The Rails is a great example of this and we are delighted that they have been able to continue their work at Wivenhoe station.”
Terri Ryland, Community Rail Officer, said, “We were delighted to support this latest open air exhibition by Off The Rails. It’s lovely to see art on display at such a public venue as a rail station so that anyone may enjoy it as they pass through.”
‘Off the Rails’ is an art and poetry project based at Wivenhoe Railway Station, showcasing local creative talent and businesses from Wivenhoe and North Essex. The project also hosts Words down the Line, a poetry leaflet or postcard, featuring local poets and creative writers.