British surfing history exhibition tour'An art history of British surfing'
The
National Fishing Heritage Centre in Grimsby, Lincolnshire
- June 28 to September 7, 2008 (open 7 days) - please
note that admission charges apply to this museum - adults
£6, concessions £4, children £2.
We have a limited number of large posters for sale at £15
including postage - email us for details.
Art and surfing have been inextricably linked for hundreds of
years, and our new exhibition 'an art history of British surfing'
looks at how both these elements combined to glide into British
consciousness over the past few centuries.
From early sketches of surfers during the voyages of Captain
James Cook in the 18th century and iconic hand sculpted wooden
surfboards, to the flower power of the 1960s and garish fluorescent
colours of the 1980s – paintings, posters, photography
and film – ‘an art history of British surfing’
is a visual feast.
The act of riding a wave itself, is perhaps the purest form
a surfing art; the surfer propelled by a pulse of energy from
mother nature, painting lines on the ever changing canvas of
the wave.
Among the artefacts on display will be original British surfboards
dating back almost a century featuring art and sculptural form.
It will be complemented by an eclectic mix of memorabilia showing
amazing artwork from the creative minds of surfers and those
drawn to this ancient pastime.
Also on show will be stunning replicas of ancient Hawaiian surfboards
hand carved by the Tom Pohaku Stone – a lecturer in Hawaiian
culture and surfer of legendary status. For the first time,
you'll be able to play our wonderful 1976 Surf Champ pinball
machine, and help raise money for the British Surfing Museum
at the same time!
Here's a short video from ITV
Local showing our installation at Grimsby.
Just confirmed for next year! April 28 - July 26,
2009 (provisional dates) - Caithness Horizons, Thurso, Scotland
- we're proud to announce we'll be the opening exhibition
for this new museum in one of the most beautiful (and wave
rich) parts of Britain. It coincides with the start of the
Highland Pro world qualifying series surf competion and promises
to be our best event ever - keep checking back for more details.
Special surf history displays
'Surfing's Golden Age: the 70s Kodachromes' by Jeff Divine - July 23
to September 30, 2008 at Crane
Kalman gallery 38 Kensington Gardens, North Laine, Brighton
BN1 4AL.
For the first time in the UK, Jeff Divine's iconic 1970s imagery
will be on show. We'll have some lovely 1970s surfboards on
show alongside Divine's stunning photos. Here's the press
blurb on the show; "at a time when surfing is more popular
than ever, Jeff Divine's work pays a fitting tribute to its
golden years - a nostalgic and fascinating testimony to the
style, the boards, the locations, the attitudes; and not just
to the sport but to the way of life. The Seventies birthed
a new generation of surfers, with a new language, new attitude
and, with the advent of the shortboard, a new way of surfing.
Divine captured the time in a comprehensive, on-the-spot fashion.
Divine's colour saturated photography is drenched with purity
and soul, and with a hint of 70s psychedelic spin. His vision
was vibrantly tuned to the times and captured the free-spirited
nature embodied by a sport in its adolescence."
Museum founder Pete Robinson with Jeff Divine &
the late Viscount Ted Deerhurst's Lightning Bolt at the event's
private view - photo by Bianca Robinson.
British Surfing Museum - latest news
The British Surfing Museum is planning to open in a
new permanent home in the future - for the time being we are
continuing with our popular travelling surf history exhibitions.
We are in talks with a few possible venues - we'll
let you know as soon as we have any further news. Please email
us if you would like sponsor us or get involved.
Gabe Davies is now acting as our Patron and we have
appointed a steering committee to help us establish The Surfing
Museum full time in the Westcountry.
The Surfing Museum is a not for profit organisation founded
in Brighton in 2003 - any money that comes into the museum
is spent on the museum, its collection and our educational
programmes. We will soon be applying to become a charity.
Donations and loans of old surfing equipment are very welcome,
and will be subject to written agreement so you know what's
going to happen with them.
Our work isn't just about the past. We're looking at what's
going on now in surfing and the ocean environment, and what
will happen in the future, working closely with Surfers Against
Sewage and the Eden Project to help educate everyone to protect
our seas and beaches and try to live in a sustainable way.
We’re creating a living museum that will be a vibrant
social meeting place, educational, interactive and environmentally
aware. The Surfing Museum draws upon the most extensive and
historically significant collection of surfboards, literature
and memorabilia in Britain.
Most importantly it’s a museum being built by you,
the British surfer.
We have had more than 150,000 visitors to our exhibitions
around the UK since the beginning of 2004 - we been in Brighton,
Cornwall's fantastic Eden Project, the Captain Cook Birthplace
Museum in England's north-east, Aberdeen Maritime Museum in
Scotland, Havant Museum, Covent Garden in the heart of London,
and Newquay and St Ives in the Westcountry.
The British Surfing Museum team
Pete Robinson - founder and director (Tel;
07801 522892); Bianca Robinson - company secretary; Gabe Davies
- patron
Steering committee members - Alex Wade; Neil Watson; Alf
Alderson; Kirsty Jones; Doug Wilson; Richard Gregory; Steve
Frost; Dave Huff; Dan Smith; Grant Winter; James Scott.
Volunteers - Colin Blackman; Keiron Lewis; Graham and Jules
MacDonald; Glenn Kessler, Chris Storey.
Photo below - a small part of our wooden surfboard collection
taken by our friend and talented snapper
John Isaac
Latest news archive - click here
to read about what we've been up to over the years
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'Stoked' is our online
exhibition space where classic surfing stories and art flourish
- and you can catch videos of our vintage surfboards being
ridden.
If you have a tale of surfing from times gone by, or any artwork
you'd like us to display, please email
us.
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Here you can enjoy stories from
1960s surfing groms on their journey through life and waves,
with some great old photos from this magical era.
Richard Gregory has produced some beautiful mini movies
of some of our surfboards in action - a true living history.
Click here to see these exhibitions.
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Mission statement
The Surfing Museum has been established to preserve and celebrate
Britain’s rich surf heritage that dates back almost
250 years. The Museum hopes to inspire, educate and encourage
debate about our surfing culture and our second home –
the sea. Our unique and extensive collection is a visual treat;
an inspiring learning resource that is a vibrant visitor attraction
appealing to all.
Copyright © 2003-8 The Surfing Museum Ltd. All
rights reserved.
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