Lucy Lavers giant poster is up! You can visit anytime. Stiffkey NR23 1QF

29/09/2020

Image above by Jack Lowe

Jack Lowe of The Lifeboat Project launched his new national exhibition With Courage with Rescue Wooden Boats at Stiffkey yesterday Monday September 28 with his wonderful image of Lucy Lavers taken in 2017. With Jack were Ian Henderson and Jonny Kemp as well as his trusty converted NHS ambulance Neena, used as his collodion dark room and workshop on his travels round the country.

Jack had spent 2 weeks preparing and printing out copies of the 52 sheets of paper needed to make up the giant poster. This involved complex arithmetic to 'stretch' or shrink' the images so they would line up on the corrugated surface of the Maritime Heritage Centre in Stiffkey - a 1938 building formerly used as the officers' mess for the wartime anti-aircraft training military camp.

The team arrived on Friday evening ready to start work on Saturday morning but were delayed by the exceptionally dreadful weather - northerly gales of over 60mph and heavy rain in Stiffkey. Definitely not poster pasting weather! This meant frustratingly not being able to get going until Sunday afternoon, losing a precious day and a half. They heroically stayed on an extra day until very late on Monday night, working by car headlights to get the image completed.

The old corrugated asbestos building is covered with lichen so some experimentation was needed using Jack's home made organic paste (flour, water, sugar - his recipe and copies to buy of the Lucy Lavers poster here) but it was soon sticking well and the image of Lucy Lavers started to emerge.

Despite the weather there were many fascinated visitors. Part of Jack's vision for this exhibition is that it should be public art involving the community in a heartwarming and uplifting experience, safely outdoors. Outdoor public art has increased in importance in safely promoting wellbeing during the pandemic, so it is very good news that Rescue Wooden Boats has been able to play a part in this.

Our Maritime Heritage Centre was open for the three days (very many thanks to the volunteers involved) so visitors could learn about Lucy Lavers story from the displays inside. Welcome tea and cakes provided on Monday by Simon and Sarah Garnier definitely speeded things along.

Now the poster is completed and the outdoor exhibition continues for as long as the poster lasts. Visitors are most welcome to come and view it. The Maritime Heritage Centre is open on Sundays from 11-4 until the end of October but the poster is visible and accessible every day and beyond October. Directions and details HERE. The @what3words address for the poster is: ///housework.ordinary.proofs And the perfect square to stand in for viewing it is: ///member.hindered.blog.

Lucy Lavers story HERE. Book your trip on Lucy Lavers or buy a voucher HERE