‘Journeyer’ – Harwich Town Art Trail

Client: Part of the Seaconomics Programme with Visit Essex an INTERREG
IVA 2 Mers Seas Zeeën Cross-border Cooperation Programme 2007-13
for Harwich, Tendring Borough Council
Artists: Cora Glaser and David Ball – Glassball

The Journeyer project, led by Glassball as part of the European Seaconomics programme, successfully demonstrated how creative collaboration can strengthen coastal identity and community engagement. By embedding themselves in Harwich, transforming an empty shop into a participatory hub, and working with writer Joel Stickley, writer and Poet Laureate for Lincolnshire, the team enabled residents and visitors to share memories and co‑create artworks. The project’s innovative use of journeys — through site‑specific installations, digital storytelling via the Journeyer App, and the culminating Guiding Lights event — reanimated Harwich’s heritage and fostered pride, connectivity, and economic visibility.

The Journeyer project illustrates how embedding artists within communities, combining physical and digital interventions, and celebrating local heritage can generate meaningful social and economic impact. The reanimation of Harwich’s lighthouses and the creation of the Journeyer App stand out as innovative methods of linking past and present, while strengthening Harwich’s role within a European network of coastal towns.