New public art project shines a light on Shoreham’s maritime history
Released: Friday, 12 December 2025
A new public art installation that shines a light on Shoreham and the River Adur’s rich maritime history is coming to Coronation Green - and there’s a chance for you to help decide the final look of the project.
Light Space Color, made up of artists Dawn Parsonage and Peter Hudson, successfully bid for the public art commission that we launched this summer to create a sustainable and interactive artwork that celebrates what’s great about Shoreham and seeks to bring the community together.
The artwork, called Shadow Ships, will see five sculptures of boats and ships that have sailed along the Adur created and mounted atop poles alongside the river.
Interactivity is a big part of the project, and the artists will use the sun to cast colourful light and shadow on the ground, which will change during the day as the sun moves and throughout the year as the seasons shift.
The artists hope that the artwork will create both a quiet place of contemplation and space for children to use their imagination and play with the shadows.
The ships will be created using sustainable materials including recycled metal and reclaimed glass, with large parts built in West Sussex by Littlehampton Welding.
Dawn and Peter have been speaking to staff at Shoreham Port, local historians, community groups and houseboat owners to help compile a shortlist of 15 possible ships, and Shoreham residents can now vote for their favourites via an online poll or in person at The Shoreham Centre as part of Light Up Shoreham today (Friday 12th December).
The artists will also be speaking to children at Buckingham Park Primary School about Adur’s maritime history and the Adur Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), while helping them come up with their own unique ship of the future design to be featured in the project.
The project has been funded using just over £31,000 of Section 106 contributions from the developers behind Mariner Point, Lidl and the mixed-use development on Old Shoreham Road in the town.
Councillor Becky Allinson, the deputy leader of Adur District Council, said:
“Light Space Color was chosen not only for their innovative and eye-catching design that will bring to life an important part of Shoreham’s history, but the artists’ enthusiasm for engaging with the community. I’m looking forward to learning more about each of the ships and seeing this project come to life.”
Dawn Parsonage and Peter Hudson from Light, Space, Color, said:
“We were so pleased to win the commission to bring Shadow Ships to life and create something which will be a celebration of Shoreham-by-Sea itself and a fitting heart to Coronation Green.
“The River Adur has shaped Shoreham for centuries. Shadow Ships began with us standing on Coronation Green, thinking about all the ships and boats that have passed this spot over generations. The shadows cast by the sculptures are like echoes of those ships and the people who travelled on them. To choose which vessels to represent, we’ve drawn on the incredible local historical knowledge to create a shortlist and we would like to thank everyone who has helped us so far.“We care a lot about public participation, so now we want to hear which ships feel most important to people in Shoreham today, and give local people a real say in how the sculpture takes shape. Hopefully people will find out something new too!”
To find out more about the project and to vote for your favourite ships, visit:
Look out for information about the shortlisted ships via the Adur District Council Facebook page.
(PR25-101)
Page last updated: 15 December 2025