A Thousand Ships community art heading to Yorkshire coast this summer - here's where to see it

Animated Objects has revealed the latest instalment in its special legacy three-year collaboration, The Odyssey: An Epic Adventure on the Yorkshire Coast with the announcement of the upcoming Thousand Ships collective artwork project.

The inspiration behind the community-based art project, which will see 1,000 origami ships created, comes from the quote by Christopher Marlowe - 'Helen of Troy - the face that launched a thousand ships' which saw her tragic love affair with Paris of Troy set in motion the conflict that caused the Trojan wars.

The project is coming to various venues on the Yorkshire coast this summer and will represent the fleet of 1,000 ships that sailed to reclaim her, a powerful scene that will be brought to life in current day by a collective artwork featuring colourful paper ships, folded by members of the public.

The collaborative project has so far seen more than 150 families and individuals from up and down the coast get involved, with more expected between now and the launch.

The exhibition will be touring the following venues:

* Pannett Art Gallery, Whitby, Friday July 9 to Saturday July 17

* Meridian Centre, Withernsea, Tuesday July 20

* Floral Hall, Hornsea, Wednesday July 21

* Evron Centre, Filey, Thursday July 22

* Brunswick Centre, Scarborough, Saturday July 24 & Sunday July 25

* Bridlington Spa, Tuesday September 7 to Tuesday September 14

The paper ships are all made on specially printed origami paper created by artists based on the Yorkshire Coast.

Each image is inspired by the coast and can be folded in different ways to produce a range of completed ship designs.

The six different designs are Catch of the Day by Whitby artist Bridget Wilkinson; North South Round by Scarborough artist Pip Leckenby; Preservation, by Stacie Hicks based in Hornsea; Mud Larking by Whitby-based Jo Witney; Intertidal by Kirsty Davis who is also from Whitby and the Scarborough Scope by Charlotte Hill from Cloughton.

Kirsty said: "My entry for A Thousand Ships is based around rock pools.

"My work brings attention to this miniature yet important habitats that decorate our coastline by highlighting them as their own ecosystem and the aura they hold.”

Lee Threadgold, artistic director of Animated Objects said: “The response to this activity has been breath-taking, and we’re glad to say that every corner of the Yorkshire Coast will be represented in the completed fleet of paper ships.

“We’ve also been collecting people’s reflections on what they love about the Yorkshire Coast with their ships, and these contributions will also form part of the touring exhibition.”

The project is funded by the Yorkshire Coast BID; creating opportunities for people to discover, explore and enjoy the coast throughout the year.

Speaking of Yorkshire Coast BIDs involvement, Chief Executive, Kerry Carruthers said: “We are delighted to be supporting such an interesting and unique exhibition coming to the coast this summer.

“After such a tough year, for businesses, residents and visitors we are looking forward to welcoming everyone back to the coast for this unmissable event."

This activity follows on from the announcement of the Geo Location walking series, that features the voices of storytellers and performers from across the region, and original works by composers from the Yorkshire Coast.