Welsh seaside photos will warm the cockles of exhibition-goers
AN exhibition of photographs showcasing the nation’s love affair with the seaside from the 1960s to the present day will feature images from Wales.
The Great British Seaside will open at the National Maritime Museum, in London, on March 23 with photographs exploring the seaside over the last six decades.
It seeks to capture the traditions, customs and eccentricities associated with the seaside through the work of some of Britain’s most celebrated photographers from their archive collections.
With more than 100 works by four photographers on display, the images of Welsh beaches were taken by renowned documentary photographer David Hurn, who was raised in Cardiff and whose work includes documentation of the Hungarian revolution of 1956 and film stars like Jane Fonda and Sean Connery.
His contributions to the exhibition include photos taken at Barry Island in 1973, and Porthor, in Aberdaron, Gwynedd, in 1997 and 2004, depicting beach-goers enjoying their time at the seaside with their families.
A spokesman from the Great British Seaside Exhibition said: “Hurn’s remarkable body of work shows both the changing and unchanging face of the English and Welsh coasts through meticulously observed black and white photographs.
“From a collection spanning the 1960s and still growing today, his work reveals his own love for the subject, with images of different generations and cultures brought together through the laughter, tenderness and absurdity associated with the British seaside experience.”
Other photographers whose pieces are featured in the collection include Tony Ray-Jones, Simon Roberts, and Martin Parr, who contributed 20 new pieces especially commissioned for the exhibition.
Taken in the summer of 2017, the photographs depict the resorts of London’s “local” beaches including Southend-on-Sea, Shoeburyness, Leigh-on-Sea, Frinton-on-Sea, Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-theNaze.
The spokesman added: “With endearing scenarios well-known to us all, the exhibition will take visitors on a nostalgic journey featuring the iconic beach huts, deckchairs, fish ’n’ chips and donkey rides synonymous with the seaside.
“While the fashions and styles of each era give tell-tale clues of the decade, the activities and traditions are amusingly consistent, reappearing throughout the six decades covered in the exhibition, alongside the familiar sight of Brits determined to enjoy their day out, whatever the weather.”
The exhibition runs from March 23 until September 30. You can visit www.rmg.co.uk/see-do/ for more information.