MORE than 50 people attended a poignant art installation focused on grief, the body, and the sea in Greenock last weekend. 

Artist Chloë Smith presented This Endless Sea at The Sugar Warehouse at James Watt Dock Marina. 

The installation took the form of a six-screen film made in collaboration with artist and filmmaker Lucy Cash, accompanied a soundscape by composer Kim Moore, housed inside a unique coastal shelter designed by Bethany Wells. 

This Endless Sea was brought to Greenock's Galoshans Festival by Feral Arts. 

The work evolved from Chloë's own experience of loss after the death of her brother, Josh, back in 2015. 

Chloë comes from Berwick-upon-Tweed and said the reaction she received from local people after Josh's death gave her the idea for the artwork. 

She said: "It's a small town and a lot of people knew that Josh had died. 

"People would come up to me and have open conversations about grief. 

"We're not very good at talking about grief as a culture so it got me thinking about what I could do to change that.

"I wanted to give people a space on their own to reflect."

Chloë is a sea swimmer and says she has always had a strong relationship and complicated connection with the sea. 

Chloe Smith created This Endless Sea. (Image: Alex Craig) She said as the sea features in a lot of metaphors about grief, it made sense for the art installation to focus on water. 

Chloë added: "My brother fell off cliffs into the sea, so the sea is a very complicated place for me. 

"Water is often used to describe grief, talking about waves but also being constant and unpredictable. 

"I wanted to show people that this is what grief feels like."

The shelter acted as a marker with its bright orange flag and creates a physical space for grief.

Inside, people watched films on six screens on a curved wall, designed to appear as a landscape. 

'Hut keepers' were there to greet visitors and have conversations, and Alison Bunce from Compassionate Inverclyde was there to support people. 

People also got the chance to read books held in the Grief Library which was curated by Steven Anderson and Laura Bradshaw. 

The installation included a 'grief library' curated by Steven Anderson and Laura Bradshaw. (Image: Alex Craig) Chloë said she hopes the installation helped Inverclyde people think about their own experiences of grief and loss.

She added: "There are a lot of different things in the films to reflect on.

"We've had a lot of lovely responses from people who have said that it's beautiful, reflective, and thought-provoking. 

"I hope that people got something out of it."