Working with Jeremy Deller in Scarborough

As part of the Wild Eye Project, for which I am lead curator, I have been working with Jeremy Deller on a project for Scarborough.

“Art is a way of staying in love with the world. It is also a form of magic or a cover version of reality. Here in Scarborough, we propose a new ancient work to be created about the sea and the creatures within it which also hints at the possibility of the past being still present, just beneath our feet and perhaps inclines us to think about what traces we will leave behind on the world.” Jeremy Deller

Wild Eye is developing plans for a new sea-watching station on Marine Drive in Scarborough, one of the best places to view dolphin and porpoise in England. As part of the project, Jeremy Deller has proposed a new mosaic artwork inspired by both Scarborough’s sea life and its Roman past. Jeremy is working with a professional mosaic artist—Yorkshire-based Coralie Turpin—to create a fragmentary Roman-style floor mosaic which references Scarborough’s Roman past (evidenced in the Roman signal station on the castle headland just above the site) and the amazing wealth of wildlife in its seas.

Community Involvement:

Jeremy Deller was selected in consultation with Wild Eye’s local advisory group. During May 2024 there were free workshops with local primary school students in conjunction with Big Ideas by the Sea Festival and The Big Dig. 60 Year 6 children from Friarage Primary School visited the Roman remains at the castle to look out for dolphins and porpoises from the headland. Under the expert guidance of Yorkshire-based artist Coralie Turpin and Scarborough-based artist Gaby Naptali, the children created stunning marine mosaics using a vibrant mix of glass and stone tiles that perfectly capture the beauty of local marine life, to be gifted to their school. Jeremy Deller joined the children to see their creativity in action and they went on to explore Scarborough’s past in the archaeological Big Dig. These mosaics were gifted to their school and will inform the final piece.

More information and links to Jeremy talking about the project on BBC Radio 4 Front Row and at a talk in Scarborough in May 24 here. The piece is set to launch Spring 2025.