Imagined Territories
A Flag for Everyone and for No One
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Loose Ends 346
Imagined Territories
Imagined Territories is a self-initiated public artwork and citywide poster campaign unfolding across more than 20 sites and civic locations in Sheffield and Barnsley. From large-scale 48-sheet billboards to citywide poster placements, the work reimagines the flag as a symbol of connection rather than division — a flag for everyone, and for no one.
Across Britain, flags have become louder: raised on buildings, roundabouts and across our screens. The act of flying a flag has never felt more complex, shaping how we see ourselves and each other. Symbols once meant to unite are now used to divide. I grew up in a South Yorkshire mining town, not far from Manvers where riots broke out in 2024, but the sense of how a flag can hold pride and fear in the same breath came long before.
The project fuses my backgrounds in art, design and advertising, following the rhythm of a two-week campaign but, instead of selling, it simply asks questions. Reimagining a flag as a symbol of belonging and shared identity, the work borrows the proportions and authority of a national flag while refusing to dictate allegiance.
Funded by ArtCry, a national commissioning fund supporting artists to create urgent, responsive work, Imagined Territories asks what pride, identity and belonging mean here and now. Installed beside busy roundabouts and civic spaces often used for public flag-raising, the pieces use the visual language of advertising and design to prompt reflection on who and what we stand for.
A Flag, Reimagined
Flags have re-entered public life as tools of display and division. Imagined Territories responds to this moment by creating a flag for everyone, and for no one — built from fragments rather than certainties. Bold colour, rhythm and geometry collide to form a composition that feels civic yet deeply human. It’s both personal and collective; a signal that doesn’t command, but invites.
“I grew up in a South Yorkshire mining town and saw how a flag could hold pride and fear in the same breath,” says Welland. “This piece uses the scale and systems of advertising to talk about belonging and identity, but in a language that listens rather than dictates.”
From Adland to Artland
Before establishing his full-time studio practice, Welland worked within leading creative agencies including M&C Saatchi, Cake Media and Havas, producing campaigns for global brands. Those experiences underpin Imagined Territories, which follows the rhythm of a two-week billboard campaign but redirects its purpose toward reflection, inclusivity and human connection.
Where traditional campaigns sell, this one simply asks:
What does it mean to belong?
Can I be proud of where I’m from without aligning with everything done in its name?
Where do people with layered identities stand when public life demands simplicity?
What does Britishness mean, and who gets to define it?
A Counterpoint
The work also stands in quiet opposition to recent flag-raising movements linked to far-right networks. Where those campaigns use symbols to exclude, Imagined Territories uses them to invite whilst reclaiming public visual space as a site for openness, optimism and connection.
Edition Print
Loose Ends 346 (Imagined Territories) is available as a limited-edition archival giclée print. Each edition captures the energy of the original installation while standing alone as a statement about pride, complexity and connection. 10% of profits from print sales will go directly back to ArtCry, supporting future artists to make responsive work in public space.
Credits
Funding: ArtCry
Photography: Danni Maibaum
OOH Production: Build Hollywood
Edition Prints: Bicep Press
Echoing the original city-wide installation of Imagined Territories, this work reimagines the language of flags as symbols of shared belonging.
Layers of colour, rhythm and geometry collide to form a composition that feels civic yet deeply personal — a flag for everyone, and for no one. Each print captures the energy of the original installation while standing alone as a statement about pride, complexity and human connection.
10% of all profits from this edition will be donated to ArtCry, supporting politically engaged artworks in public space.
Imagined Territories print (Loose Ends 346)
Archival giclée edition
300gsm textured archival stock
760mm x 478mm
Blind emboss stamp signature to front
Comes with Certificate of Authenticity
Prints are fulfilled by Bicep Press
Edition of 50
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