Wave Wall

Lewis Arnold Transforms an Unused Stretch of Wall on the Beach Approach at Longsands Into a History of Surfing in the North East.

"THERE IS NOTHING, NOTHING MORE SAD THAN A SURFER WHO USED TO SURF."

Almost everything on wavewall is from Tynemouth and it was frustrating leaving out amazing old pictures taken in Scotland, Ireland, Indo or France by locals on their surf travels. The origin of the above quote, central in the work, is unknown however.

The quote reflects both the difficulty and reward, of surfing all your life. It evokes what you lose when you don't surf and reminds you not to quit when the world conspires against your surfing. It's that kind of motivation that wavewall tries to convey, hinting at the history and heritage of surfing in Tynemouth but accepting growth and celebrating change.

I'd been asked to do a gallery exhibition of my surf photography but I've done that before, of course I like to get my work seen but I wanted to do something different. I wanted to do a work that worked visually but with a bit more depth, more personal and eventually my ideas became wavewall. 

wavewall is a large public visual artwork that reflects the life of surfing in Tynemouth thru an abstact, grungey image of a wave at Longsands. Hundreds of photographs and other media are used in montage to hint at the happening, tales and waves to celebrate the impact of surfing over the years. Backed by North Tyneside Council and the Arts Council, the project is installed on an unused 30m stretch of wall on the beach approach at Longsands, the home of surfing on Tyneside. The work is exposed to the force of the North Sea and will degrade and fade over time but will be maintanined and updated with new contributions.

"HUSSEY THE GROM"