Wild Eye: Bringing nature & tourism together along Scarborough’s coast
Wild Eye is an exciting art and nature programme celebrating Scarborough’s incredible wildlife and coastal environment.
Local communities, leading artists, businesses, and scientists are working together to create a series of events, artworks, and experiences that connect people with the natural world and support positive action for nature.
Aiming to foster a greater understanding of the incredible wildlife found across the North Yorkshire Coast, Wild Eye raises awareness of issues around nature, biodiversity and climate change.
Wild Eye is delivered in partnership with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust - a regional environmental charity, Invisible Dust - a UK-based art-science organisation, and North Yorkshire Council.
The Wild Eye project was allocated £1.4m under the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Towns Fund, which is administered by North Yorkshire Council, to deliver long‐term sustainable economic growth for Scarborough’s nature-culture tourism market and support reconnection with the environment.
So far in 2023, Wild Eye has been busy engaging local residents and tourists alike at community events, festivals, and workshops across Scarborough and Whitby. Here are a few highlights…
(c) Rob Green
Award-winning professional chef Rob Green from Yorkshire Seafood Kitchen has been cooking up a seafood storm at festival events, including Big Ideas by the Sea and Seafest. Rob also runs regular free events including cookery classes and demonstrations at Scarborough Market.
He has been a regular visitor to Wild Eye partner organisation SeaGrown, running a programme of pop up events at the newly refurbished cafe, bar and education centre on board Southern Star. At all of his Wild Eye events, Rob provides free, delicious tasters, and demonstrates how we can source and cook delicious, simple and sustainable seafood dishes, without negatively impacting the environment.
SeaWatch Foundation volunteers and Scarborough Porpoise’s Stuart Baines have joined several Wild Eye events to engage audiences with wonderfully informative talks, walks and seawatching events about Yorkshire Cetaceans and other marine species. These events have demonstrated the growing enthusiasm and interest which is building for local wildlife.
(c) Jacqui Barrowcliffe
Another spotlight of Wild Eye’s events programme so far this year has been a series of free creative workshops for members of the public and community groups, led by Scarborough-based artist, Jacqui Barrowcliffe.
Participants have been shown new photographic techniques, and taught how to develop seaweed sunprints whilst discussing the importance of seaweed for carbon capture and biodiversity and the negative impacts of marine pollution and litter. The workshop culminated in a display of the work at Scarborough Market which is available to view until 31st August 2023.
Missed out on Wild Eye? Don’t fret, there's still lots of Wild Eye activity to look forward to this summer and autumn!
Bottlenose dolphin in Scarborough (c) Stuart Baines
Wild Eye is collaborating with SeaWatch Foundation volunteers as part of the National Dolphin and Whale Watch week, to host two Sea Watching events on Marine Drive in Scarborough.
On Saturday 29th July and Wednesday 2nd August, join Sea Watch Foundation volunteer, Simon Ward, where you will learn how monitoring the numbers and locations of whales and dolphins can give valuable knowledge of the health of our marine environment. Visit the events page of Wild Eye's website for timings and meeting locations.
Bladder wrack seaweed (c) Becky Hitchin
To mark Marine Conservation Society’s Big Seaweed Search, Wild Eye is hosting a free community event on Friday 4th August, from 12pm to 2pm, at Scarborough South Bay, meeting at the Beachcomber Kiosk. Come along to learn how to identify and record various species of seaweed, and find out more about how seaweed is helping to tackle the climate crisis.
We are only human
In partnership with Wild Eye, English Heritage opens Scarborough Castle for local residents to visit for free four times per year.
During these four open days, residents can interact with Ryan Gander’s sculpture: We are only human (Incomplete sculpture for Scarborough to be finished by snow), enjoy coastal views of marine wildlife, and participate in nature-based activities organised by Wild Eye.
The next open day is Saturday 9th September.
Proposed Seaweed Sculpture (c) Paul Morrison
In Scarborough harbour, subject to planning consents, a unique artwork will be installed in early 2024. The sculpture, designed by internationally-renowned Yorkshire based artist Paul Morrison, was selected in consultation with a local community advisory group.
It will depict Fucus Vesiculosus or Bladderwrack - an eye-catching seaweed species common to the UK coast. The sculpture will be made from water-jet cut polished stainless steel, which is not only beautiful and able to reflect the surrounding coastal environment, but is also extremely robust - critical given the exposed nature of the site and proximity to the sea.
For more information about Wild Eye events, projects and artwork, and how to get involved in upcoming engagement events for free, visit www.wildeye.org.uk.
