Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2007 Ben Osborne will be launching ‘Jurassic Journey’, his brand new audio-visual celebration of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, at Lyme Regis’ Marine Theatre on Thursday 10th February, before taking it on tour to rural venues across Devon and Dorset.
Showcasing Ben’s extraordinary photography and film footage of Dorset and East Devon’s World Heritage Site, Jurassic Journey is the culmination of a collaborative project nearly two years in the making, specially commissioned by rural touring schemes Artsreach, in Dorset, and Villages In Action, in Devon.
Ben Osborne is a specialised wildlife and landscape photographer and has worked on many BBC natural history programmes as a stills photographer, such as Life in the Freezer, Blue Planet and Planet Earth, alongside Sir David Attenborough.
In developing his show, Ben has been working alongside three associate artists whose work will feature strongly in this touring audio-visual performance. Dorset’s Sammy Hurden has composed and recorded music with a group of musicians, as well as carried out site-specific sound recordings; Devon-based Matt Harvey, 2010’s poet-in-residence at Wimbledon and featuring regularly on Radio 4, has written poetry for the project inspired by the Coast, and local artist/sculptor Lal Hitchcock has created two delightfully engaging characters – named Tilly and Cliff – using flotsam and jetsam found along the Coast. As part of the project Ben, Sammy and Lal led various participatory workshops during the summer and autumn of 2010, which proved both challenging and popular, and included some interesting collaborations between the workshop groups.
Artsreach and Villages in Action have very much appreciated the support of the Fine Foundation in developing Ben’s work, and an Arts Council England lottery grant has enabled collaborating artists (Matt Harvey, Lal Hitchcock and Sammy Hurden) to join in the creative team. Other local organisations have worked to make this project happen, notably Creative Coast (the Jurassic Coast arts team), Dorset and East Devon AONB partnerships, and East Devon and West Dorset District Councils.
Commentary, audio-visual sequences, soundscapes and humour will create a richly entertaining evening for anyone interested in what happens when four artists takes a close (and occasionally sideways) look at a coast near you.
Jurassic Journey will be launched at the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis on Thursday 10 February, with a very special one-off performance featuring all four artists. Ben will then take the solo show on tour to rural venues across Devon and Dorset throughout February, March and April, through Villages in Action and Artsreach. Tour dates and information about the project are available on www.jurassicjourney.co.uk as well as photography from Ben’s workshop participants.
Jurassic Journey launch event and Dorset/Devon tour
- Thur 10 Feb, 8pm Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis 01297 445050 AR/ViA*
- Sat 12 Feb, 7:30pm Bradninch Guildhall 01392 881245 ViA
- Sun 13 Feb, 7:30pm Mary Tavy Coronation Hall 01822 810454 ViA
- Thur 17 Feb, 7:30pm Nether Compton Village Hall 01935 413220 AR
- Fri 18 Feb, 7:30pm Powerstock Hut 01308 485264 AR
- Sun 20 Feb, 7:30pm West Stafford Village Hall 01305 257266 AR
- Fri 11 March, 7:30pm Winterborne Stickland P. H. Hall 01258 880920 AR
- Sat 12 March, 7:30pm Langton Matravers Village Hall 01929 426654 AR
- Wed 16 March, 7:30pm Lapford Victory Hall 01363 83068 ViA
- Thur 17 March, 7:30pm Newton & Noss Village Hall 01752 873026 ViA
- Fri 18 March, 7:30pm Highweek Village Hall 01626 364268 ViA
- Sat 19 March, 7pm Axmouth Village Hall 01297 23847 ViA
- Fri 1 April, 7:30pm Litton Cheney Village Hall 01308 482532 AR
- Sat 2 April, 7:30pm Cerne Abbas Village Hall 01300 341332 AR
