• Call seed
  • email seed
  • Seed facebook
  • Seed Twitter
  • Seed instagram
Seed Sedgemoor

Burnham-on-Sea-Life

Burnham on Sea-Life  celebrates the variety of species living in the mudflats, sea and sky on this stretch of Somerset coast.

Seed and Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Town Council commissioned artist Sveltana Kondakova Muir to create a new landmark for the seawall. It was unveiled by the Mayor of Burnham, Cllr Lesley Millard, on Sea on 27 Nov 2022 at 11am.

What species are shown

The mosaic includes 68 species found on this coastline. From the microscopic to the clearly visible. Exploring what is seen and unseen in this rich wildlife environment.

A guide to each panel naming the species can be viewed below.

Left Panel

Above and Below Water

View a guide to species shown in the left panel

Middle Panel

Underwater

View a guide to the species shown in the middle panel

Right Panel

Above and Below the Waterline

View a guide to the species shown in the right panel

Artist

Svetlana Kondakova Muir

Svetlana Kondakova Muir “Burnham-on-Sea is a fascinating place, to be able to look out onto these wildlife-rich mudflats right from the esplanade is really special. My mosaic murals aim to bridge the built and the natural environments by making it look like you are looking through the wall onto the mudflats. With the kind help of local marine biologists and wildlife experts, I have discovered many beautiful and wondrous microorganisms that hide below the surface – highlighting the importance of living things of all sizes in this unique habitat.

Svetlana’s design was chosen in a popular vote and has been developed with the help of local wildlife experts. The mosaic depicts species of life living above and below the waterline in this stretch of coastline. From birds and fish to molluscs and crustacea the mural highlights the importance of all things big and small in these mudflats.

“This has been a really exciting and interesting project for me to work on” says Sveltana “I have loved discovering the lesser known forms of life, some of which look very alien-like, through my research and consultations with marine biologists. Thinking about how to translate them into mosaic has also been an enjoyable challenge. I have been ambitious with this commission, portraying a total of 68 species, this has been hard work but also very rewarding. I am looking forward to hearing what people think about it”.