A colourful new public artwork inspired by play, recreation and Portsmouth's seaside heritage will be installed on Southsea seafront.
Call For Play, a new series of ten sculptures by Hayling Island artist Flora Duley, has been commissioned by Portsmouth City Council as part of its wider Navigate public art programme, linked to the city's new sea defences and developed in partnership with Aspex Portsmouth. The project has also received funding from Arts Council England and was shaped through workshops with community groups from across Portsmouth.
Made from Jesmonite, the colourful sculptures act as navigational markers along the seafront. Each one features a hidden word in Morse code, encouraging visitors to decode playful messages such as "hop" and "skip". The work was informed by workshops exploring themes of play and recreation, alongside research into Portsmouth's archives and museum collections.
The artwork draws inspiration from John Maine RA's The Portsmouth Markers (1974) and incorporates forms associated with the seaside, including buoys, nautical markers, ice cream cones and sandcastles. Its colour palette reflects traditional maritime navigation colours while also taking inspiration from nearby Clarence Pier.
Councillor Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council, said:
Call For Play is a welcome addition to Southsea seafront, bringing colour, creativity and fun to one of Portsmouth's most popular public spaces.
It's great to see local communities helping shape the artwork, creating something that reflects our seaside heritage and encourages people to interact with the promenade in a new way.
Working with Aspex Portsmouth, Arts Council England and artist Flora Duley has helped us create something that is distinctive, engaging and rooted in Portsmouth. Projects like this show how culture can enhance our public spaces and help make the city an even better place to live, work and visit.
Flora Duley said:
Whilst meeting communities in Portsmouth, including different generations and people from many cultural backgrounds, I asked what βplayβ and βleisure timeβ on the seafront meant to them. Questions arose about the role of contemporary sculpture, and it became clear that it could offer opportunities for interaction and movement beyond that of a monument. We discussed artwork ideas until I proposed a final sculptural concept that could be enlivened through informal play.
This formation of truncated cones, reminiscent of sandcastles, ice creams and buoys, is connected by a trail that invites people to playfully journey through the space, use Morse code (which is apparently faster than SMS texting!) and bring the sculptures to life through interaction. I hope people will explore, reactivate and enjoy them. Thank you to all the community members, past and present, who have taken part.
Joanne Bushnell, Director of Aspex Portsmouth, said:
We have been thrilled to work on behalf of Portsmouth City Council to ensure that local communities can take part in shaping the exciting development of Southsea's seafront through this new public artwork. Flora Duley was an obvious choice for this commission, with her experimental and playful sculptural practice and a long track record of leading inclusive creative engagement.
Workshops took place across the city last summer and autumn, and Call For Play is the culmination of bringing the community together. Flora's artwork will bring colour and joy to the seafront, while inviting visitors to explore, learn and participate.
The sculptures will be in place from Thursday 1 October 2026. They form part of Portsmouth City Council's wider Navigate programme of public art commissions, designed to enhance the seafront and create new opportunities for people to engage with Portsmouth's coastline and heritage alongside the Southsea Coastal Scheme.Β
