Days Like These is an exploration of the beauty of Jaywick Sands using watercolours, sound and virtual reality.
Close and Remote worked with local residents to reclaim the beauty of Jaywick Sands, exploring their places (and things) of beauty, using watercolours, virtual reality and sound.
We ran a series of weekly watercolour and sound recording workshops from September 2018 to February 2019 at various locations including Jaywick Martello Tower, Jaywick Community Garden, The Eldo Bar and the beach.
During these sessions we chatted with local residents on the their experience of living in Jaywick, and the surrounding area, and how Jaywick is perceived through the media.
Jaywick has featured at least three times in the news and media, during the time we were in Jaywick. As a tweet by a pro-Trump campaign; the UN rapporteur on poverty visiting Jaywick as part of his UK tour; and as a location in Channel 4’s ‘Brexit – The Uncivil War’.
We produced a series of 360 degree watercolours of Jaywick Sands, turning them into the worlds first Virtual Reality Watercolour Tour of Jaywick Sands, using open source software a-frame. The resulting VR experience can be viewed on your smartphone, tablet or desktop (no app needed). The VR experience also features atmospheric sound recorded around Jaywick, at Wonderland Amusement Arcade, The Eldo Bar Jam Night, Martello Beach Caravan Park and of course down by the sea.
The project culminated in an exhibition at Jaywick Martello Tower in March 2019, which included watercolours produced by the workshop participants; 360 watercolours by Close and Remote; and the launch of the Virtual Reality Watercolour Tour of Jaywick Sands.
360 DEGREE VIDEO & WATERCOLOUR JOURNEY AROUND JAYWICK
Click on the image below to watch ‘Days Like These – Virtual Reality Watercolour Journey around Jaywick’, including a Jaywick soundtrack. You can watch the 360 video in your browser, phone or VR headset.
360 DEGREE VIRTUAL REALITY WATERCOLOURS
Click on each of the six watercolours below and view them as 360 degree VR watercolours on your mobile phone, desktop or VR headset.
Thank you to the workshop artists who showed work as part of the final exhibition at Jaywick Martello Tower (Jacqui Barter, Barbara Birley, Sue Carron, Coralina Cattrell, Teresa Dale, Sue Lusher and Kyri Whiston).
Musicians featured on the Virtual Reality Watercolour Journey around Jaywick are Barry Fitzgerald, Craig Garrod, Izabella Allen, Steven Bowers and Simon Lipscombe (all recorded at Jam Night at the Eldo Bar in Jaywick).
Days Like These was commissioned by Essex Cultural Diversity Project and supported by Tendring Council, Jaywick Martello Tower and Essex County Council.
