PLANS have been submitted to build a striking optical illusion sculpture on Aberaeron's harbour to commemorate the exodus of locals to Ohio in the 1800s.

The proposed artwork, which is titled 'The Lost Girl' would commemorate the exodus of 36 Welsh locals from the Cilcennin to Ohio in 1818.

The enterprising emigrants were suffering oppression and poverty due to an increase in population, high taxes and rents and a series of poor harvests in 1815 and 1816.

Whole families embarked on this perilous journey, initially leaving from Aberaeron to catch a larger ship in Liverpool.

Of the 36 who started the journey, all arrived in America safely apart from one young girl, called ‘Mary’, and it is her story that the work focuses on.

In the planning application, Sebastian Boyesen Design Consultancy said: "Through discussion with the steering group, an idea was formed that ‘Mary’ would be the central character in the development of the artwork.

"In many ways, her untold story represents the true nature of the perilous journey in a wooden ship to America more than 200 years ago - that nothing is certain or can be taken for granted. Without doubt, it must have been a heart-breaking conclusion to their fantastical voyage and aspirations."

The work would be fabricated from strips of laser cut steel that form an image when viewed from a specific vantage point - a process called 'Anamorphosis'.

Sebastian Boyesen Design Consultancy added: “The advantage of this technique meant that we could achieve the size and scale we wanted, creating a significant sculptural artwork within a reasonable budget, which simply would not have been possible if we had decided to go down the route of proposing a tradition bronze figurative sculpture.

“Just as importantly, it was felt that the ‘anamorphic’ element - the coming into focus - was the perfect analogy and vehicle for our representation of the journey made by the emigrants. At the commencement of their pilgrimage they had no clear idea of what lay ahead - the blur of uncertainty.

“Only time and distance would bring that vision into alignment.

“It is the hope that viewers of the work will be able to experience this inarticulate beating of a shared heart looking for clarity and purpose - together through life - and that the loss of ‘Mary’ was a price worth paying to claim their life in Ohio.”

Ceredigion planners will consider the application at a later date.