VIENNA Forrester’s Our Land, Our Sea exhibition will be taken on bus rides over the Yorkshire moorland in a groundbreaking initiative by the Inspired By...gallery.

From August 3 to September, Vienna's works can be seen by passengers travelling across the North York Moors National Park, as well as by gallery visitors at the Moors National Park Centre, Danby.

Her images will be shown on screens on two Moorsbus coaches covering the National Park and surrounding towns and villages.

"I'm really happy to be working with Moorsbus, as I’m interested in creating art that 'escapes' the gallery setting into places where you wouldn’t expect to see a mini-exhibition like this," says the North Lincolnshire artist.

"Moorsbus offers a vital service, allowing people, many of whom do not have access to a car, to explore beautiful locations in the North York Moors National Park. I think that access to art is important too, so teaming up with Moorsbus was ideal."

Our Land, Our Sea explores the protected landscapes of the National Park and the Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) of Runswick Bay, using Vienna’s unique digital "fractal art" techniques.

On show will be abstract art created as an emotional response to this "remarkable world and the more familiar landscapes of the moors and coast".

Welcoming the bus art initiative, Eden Blyth, from Friends of Moorsbus, says: "Moorsbus are used to taking people to art, but it’s refreshing to be bringing art to people instead. We’ve always tried to bring a bit of fun to the buses on our network and using the new display screens on Reliance Buses’ new vehicles to showcase Vienna’s very beautiful fractal art does, we hope, exactly that."

Vienna has been developing her digital fractal art techniques since 2004. Her new exhibition explores and interprets the protected landscapes of the North York Moors National Park and the Marine Conservation Zone of Runswick Bay, highlighting the importance of protecting not only the environment that can be seen, but what lies hidden beneath the sea too.

"What I aim to portray is the memory of place as it appeared in a snapshot of time, almost like a retinal imprint that remains when the eyes are closed," she says.

Bernard McLinden, North York Moors National Park's Senior Ranger (Coast), hopes the exhibition will help to raise awareness of the region’s Marine Conservation Zone. "MCZs, together with other types of marine-protected areas, form the UK contribution to an international network of protected sites in the north east Atlantic," he says. "The vision of these marine-protected sites is for clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas."

Our Land, Our Sea also will feature conservation-themed postcards created by pupils from West Cliff Primary School in Whitby.

A preview evening reception and Meet The Artist event will be held on August 2 from 6pm. The Inspired By...gallery is open from 9.30am to 5.30pm daily in August; 10am to 5pm daily in September.

Did you know?

The Inspired By...gallery hosts temporary exhibitions of work by contemporary artists and craftworkers who draw their inspiration from the North York Moors' landscape, life, light and colour.

Charles Hutchinson