A ceremony was held on Burnham-On-Sea seafront on Sunday (November 27th) to formally unveil a colourful new mosaic on the seawall.
Artist Svetlana Kondakova Muir has installed the wildlife-themed ceramic and glass mosaic on the seawall in the middle of the South Esplanade, as pictured here.
Svetlana’s design was chosen in a vote and has been developed with the help of local wildlife experts from Somerset Wildlife Trust.
The mosaic depicts species of life living above and below the waterline in this stretch of coastline. From birds and fish to molluscs and crustacea the mural highlights the importance of all things big and small on the mudflats.
Sveltana told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “This has been a really exciting and interesting project for me to work on. I have loved discovering the lesser known forms of life, some of which look very alien-like, through my research and consultations with marine biologists.”
“Thinking about how to translate them into mosaic has also been an enjoyable challenge. I have been ambitious with this commission, portraying a total of 68 species, this has been hard work but also very rewarding.”
“I am now really looking forward to seeing the artwork installed and complete and hearing what people think about it.”
The mosaic has taken six months to make. Thousands of small glass tesserae have been individually cut and pieced together to create colourful panels which are being installed this week.
The finished artwork was unveiled by Mayor Cllr Lesley Millard and Svetlana on Sunday with entertainment from a New Orleans style brass band.
Cllr Millard said: “I am pleased to see such an unusual and exciting piece of artwork that celebrates our beautiful coast. It will enhance our town and attract more visitors.”
“We have been pleased to work with Seed Sedgemoor on a project that brings our community together. We have a lot to be proud of in Burnham and Highbridge.”
