Sited at the compass points around the Warren Hill Dew Pond, four new benches provide a welcome location for gathering, rest and reflection for people of all ages and abilities, allowing appreciation of the surrounding landscape and views across Eastbourne and Pevensey Bay to the East and Beachy Head and the sea to the South. The bespoke 2.5 meter benches were designed, constructed, and carved by East Sussex sculptor Will Spankie at his workshop near Ditchling using green oak sourced from the Balcombe Estate sawmill in West Sussex. Each seat has been inscribed with a text written by artist and writer Alinah Azadeh - entitled ‘To the North’, ‘To the South’, ‘To the East’ and ‘To the West’; the four reflective texts referencing the views from each of the benches. As well as offering breath-taking views and a variety of habitats and ecologies to explore and learn about, there is significant history and landscape archaeology of interest around the area of the dew pond, with evidence of human activity dating back to the Stone Age. Located immediately next to a nature-rich Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), where a number of footpaths, including the South Downs Way, converge, Warren Hill Dew Pond is a popular place with local residents, walkers and cyclists. The new benches, on a site easily accessible by foot, bike or mobility vehicle, will enable everyone to enjoy the area and its breathtaking views, and feel the wellbeing benefits that access to the landscape can offer. Close to Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters the site is uniquely and safely placed to serve as a site of reflection, remembrance and communal gathering for those who have lost loved ones to suicide at the nearby cliffs. The benches form part of an initiative by those involved in suicide prevention to reframe the area with more positive associations, providing an alternative site for reflection away from the cliffs themselves. The project has been delivered by Towner as part of its ongoing commissioning programme of public realm artworks for Eastbourne, in collaboration with the Eastbourne Downland Group. It has been generously supported by East Sussex County Council Public Health and the South Downs National Park Authority. Alinah Azadeh is a writer, artist, performer and cultural activist of British Iranian heritage. She uses text, audio, and live practices to create poetic narratives that activate spaces, amplifying untold or overlooked stories. Will Spankie undertakes public and private commissions for sculpture, garden ornament, seating and lettering; he also carves house signs, commemorative plaques and memorials. Will sees himself in the tradition of artist makers, carving original pieces either to commission or for exhibition. The Eastbourne Downland Group is a membership association for all who are passionate about the Eastbourne downlands, dedicated to supporting the residents of Eastbourne in looking after its 4,174 acre downland estate, a third of the area of the town, for the benefit of the public, local farmers, wildlife and the environment, and to support the identity of the town and its superb downland location.
