Four Shores was conceived by lead artist Stephen Turner for a sequence of walks on the Isle of Sheppey linking Sheerness, Warden Point, Leysdown and Harty. The project was developed by the Medway Swale Estuary Partnership (MSEP) and the project team included poet Ros Barber, architect Simon Barker and film-maker Abbe Leigh Fletcher, with project manager, Frances Lord.

Each artist contributed to a series of works that explore 'the distinctive and changing features of a unique cultural landscape' and the accumulated layers of meaning that texture the surface of the land across the generations' (www.msep.org.uk, Four Shores catalogue and leaflet). Artworks include sculptures and installations incorporating words and poems, way-marking sculptures and a bench. The project began in 2003 and the artworks were launched in 2005, with a catalogue, DVD and book of poetry.

Four Shores took place on the Isle of Sheppey. Situated at the mouth of the Thames, this small, flat island accommodates an uneasy mixture of heavy industry, holiday resorts, work-a-day towns, a prison and a vast and beautiful nature reserve.

A high proportion of the population of the Sheppey suffers from high unemployment, poor health and below average educational performance. The island tends also to be associated with a poor self-image and low expectations.

Four Shores was conceived as a way of encouraging people who live on Sheppey to enjoy and identify with their environs. It is also hoped that the project will help attract greater numbers of visitors to the island.

Medway Swale Estuary Partnership (MSEP), a forum comprising private, statutory and voluntary organisations, wanted to promote awareness of four public rights of way on the island. Having already secured European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) monies, they submitted an application to Arts Council England (ACE) for matching funding for sculptures for the four routes. This was unsuccessful: MSEP was told 'it was too similar to many other schemes', and was offered a grant to develop the idea.

Artist Stephen Turner was appointed in spring 2003 as advisor to the project. After spending stretches of time on Sheppey, he persuaded MSEP that the artworks should be realised in a variety of ways, and that the project would benefit from the distinct approaches of different kinds of creative practitioners