Art showcased at station
Now You See Me, a powerful new exhibition of artwork by young people not in mainstream education in Littlehampton, was launched at Littlehampton railway station on March 22.
The exhibition consists of a series of bold posters which will be displayed on the platforms, and a vibrant new mural outside of the station. The artworks have been designed with young people at the West Sussex Alternative Provision Collegeinlittlehamptonaspart ofyouthartscharityartswork’s Young Cultural Changemakers programmeandinpartnership withsoutheastcommunityrail Partnership, Littlehampton train station and National Rail. During this project, the young people worked with different artists over a five-month period to develop their skills and to explore their feelings about their town, themselves, and issues and experiences of youth violence.
‘Now You See Me’ brings all of this together into a series of thought-provoking posters, alongside the mural which has been designed to brighten perceptions of the town. Artists involved in the project have included Priority-154 (graphic art,spraypainting)audioactive (song-writing, rap), Exploring Senses(digitalartand3dprinting)andlindseysmith(photography).
Alongside developing creative work, the young people have received training in transferable skills such as communication, and achieved Arts Awards. The Young Cultural Changemakers programme, which runs across five areas in the South East (Dover, the Isle of Wight, the New Forest and Slough,alongsidearun),aimsto empoweryoungpeoplethrough training and creative opportunities to make projects happen that they feel will positively impact their communities.the projecthasalsobeensupported by the Safer Arun Partnership which brings together a number of agencies to jointly work to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour across the District. Beccy East, placemaking creative producer for Arun, said: “The work these young people have produced is powerful and makes a fierce commentary on their feelings about the world they are growing up in. We are extremely grateful for the partnershipsthathavesupportedus toplatformtheseoftenunheard perspectives in our town.”