ABSTRACT
The magic of the piece lies in its ability to be both serious art – hauntingly beautiful when the beach is empty or the weather is bad – and yet at the same time to be accessible to local people on a busy summer afternoon when the beach is rammed with sunburnt families. In a survey 83% of visitors to the beach described the work as ‘fun’ and the figures have been adopted by people who dress them up, climb and draw on them and have themselves photographed with them. In doing so, of course, they become part of the work, yet within a few days the tide and wind have scrubbed the figures clean. Another Place so clearly worked in Sefton that from the moment of its installation it seemed inconceivable to many people that it should ever go anywhere else. However, the battle to keep it was hard-fought and the battleground was the planning system. Many of the groups who had been uneasy about the temporary installation (but thought at least it was only temporary) became outright hostile to the idea of making it permanent. The beach is an internationally recognised nature reserve, designated as a Ramsar site and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England and the RSPB were opposed to the installation because of worries about people being attracted onto bird breeding grounds at low tide. Indeed, there were concerns about the ecological impact of all these extra people being attracted to the beach. There were also safety concerns about people getting into difficulties
trying to reach figures in the water as well as worries about navigational safety for boats or wind surfers colliding with submerged figures. At a stormy council meeting, where all of these concerns were aired, the initial planning application to extend the life of the piece was refused.
