Public Art in Culture Show featuring Dave Green

Dave Green’s Photomosaic sits in Jubilee Square, Bideford filling a 12×5 foot ugly blank peeling window. This artwork was conceived 6 months prior to the installation, and submitted to Bideford Bay Creatives for inclusion in their Culture Show 2015. Once the concept was accepted permission was obtained from the shop manager of McColls locally and nationally and of the building owner to use a 12×5 foot blanked out window as a ‘frame’ for the piece. Permission was given so long as the artwork was temporary or was easily removable in the future.

Dave Says “As this was to be public art I wanted the public to be part of it hence the idea of a photomosaic which I estimated could be made from 700 to 800 separate images, many of which could come from the public realm. I had never made a photomosaic but my arts practice over the last 20 years, from triptychs made with a film camera to detailed interiors of sea caves have been achieved through constructing an image from many frames. I have also been teaching photography through this period and wanted there to be a learning element to the work. With this in mind I approached Devon Youth Service in Bideford as a partner in the project so that local young people would get the opportunity to experience the photographic arts process and see their photographs in a public space.”

The finished Photomosaic was based on Bideford’s iconic, historic longbridge, which dates back to the 13th century and can only be seen as a bridge section from a distance; close up the image disappears into a random sea of images. Those images are mainly Dave’s documentary of various projects that BBC have been involved in over the past 6 years. There was also some involvement from Devon Youth Service in particular Cjayy Hirstwood, and also Stuart and Shirley Stickler who were happy to include pictures taken on BBC workshops and volunteered for a day in the installing of the mosaic.

Dave’s Photomosaic will be featured in Tales of the Riverbank: Art Trail on Saturday Sept 19th.