Hartlepool Coastal Plinth - Seaton Carew

Seaglass and steel rest encapsulated within a clear cast acrylic form as a captivating and modern artwork which re-imagines graphic wave silhouettes to reference those found in the sea surrounding the site and those of industrial, social and cultural change that have swept through Hartlepool to define today’s optimistic momentum of development.

The proposed sculpture physically captures raw materials in a design which symbolises the primal power and draw of the sea and its burgeoning waves of cultural impact on the development of Hartlepool.  Abstract yet visually representative of West Hartlepool’s town motto ‘e mare ex industria’ the artwork unites compelling material laden with meaning.  Steel - a swirling rusted op-art inspired form (fabricated by local steel yard Newbridge Engineering) acknowledges our industrial legacy and ongoing efforts to develop as a resourceful and optimistic place. Seaglass - collected from Middleton beach via artist led volunteer sessions, a material physically shaped by the motion of the sea and whose colourful transparent quality will be brought to life by the varying light conditions of the site.

Using a circle as the basis for the artwork’s shape not only references the turning wheels featured in Ridley Scott’s iconic ‘Boy and Bicycle’ but also points to the cyclical nature of our coastal setting and how the sea as a living resource has informed the town’s cycles of change.