West Pier Brighton

21/02/10

Built in 1886, the West Pier, one of Brighton ’s most iconic landmarks tragically suffered two fires in 2003. Prior to this unfortunate event the Victorian pier had been one of only two Grade I listed piers in the United Kingdom .

In this piece Simon Royer captures the sad remnants of the pier shortly before part of it was finally dissembled in the winter of 2009. And standing before the grand scale of this work the viewer is drawn into experiencing the sense
of loss of this unrivaled, most historic of piers.

The eye is led from the vast rusty cast iron columns in the foreground via the perspective of the pier towards the horizon. Mixed media enhances the sense of physical reality – the four collaged columns actually contain grains of sand; the grainy seashore directly in front of the viewer includes sand, rusty debris and pebble-like features cleverly put together to simulate the texture of the beach front.

A lone seagull chick looks out towards the Channel where squabbling seagulls argue over a shoal of mackerel and starlings are flocking to roost at dusk.

Dusk. The dying embers of the day. West Pier. An historic era now lost forever.

Liama Ozols