Creative call-out from Lyth to make Marine Mosaic
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Lyth Arts Centre is urging the Caithness public to come up with some coastline-inspired creativity while everyone is stuck at home.
People are being asked to send five-inch square pieces of artwork that will form a new Marine Mosaic.
The centre is closed for the time being because of the coronavirus outbreak but is keen to keep the community connected in a creative way.
Celebrating Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters, the project asks local folk to creatively express their thoughts, feelings and response to the rich Caithness coastline.
Once enough tiles have been created, the mini-artworks will be put together to create a huge county-wide collaborative artwork. The mosaic will then be exhibited as part of Northern Lights Festival in Wick later this year.
There are really no rules – as long as it’s five inches by five inches and is inspired by the sea then we’re happy.
Helen Moore, education and outreach coordinator at the arts centre, said: "We’ve got plenty of time to be creative at the moment during the current lockdown so we hope people can take this opportunity to try something out.
"There are really no rules – as long as it’s five inches by five inches and is inspired by the sea then we’re happy. We want everyone to get involved, whether you’re a professional artist or haven’t picked up a paintbrush before.
"It can be on any materials from old pillowcases to papier-mâché – we’ve even had a glass artists get in touch to say they’ll do something in glass."
The call-out comes following the arts centre’s recent temporary closure responding to government guidelines around social distancing during the coronavirus crisis.
Arts centre co-director Charlotte Mountford said: "It’s a very difficult time for many industries at the moment, including the arts, where we’ve seen mass cancellations or postponements of much of our upcoming programme.
"While this is hugely disappointing, at Lyth Arts Centre we’re looking for different ways to keep our community connected with creativity.
"We will reopen to the public as soon as possible. But in the meantime, the Marine Mosaic feels like a great way to get people thinking of the outdoors while many of us are stuck indoors and responding in a positive, imaginative way to the situation.’
The arts centre is still planning ahead for Northern Lights Festival to happen in the autumn. It will be a large-scale outdoor light and arts festival celebrating Wick harbour and the Caithness coastline in a unique event marking Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 2020.
To submit tiles, people are asked to photograph their artwork and share it on Lyth Arts Centre’s social media channels and, where possible, to post to Lyth Arts Centre, Wick, KW1 4UD. More information is available from www.lytharts.org.uk
