FREE PHOTOGRAPHY & CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS
WITH NATURE LIBRARY FOUNDER AND AYRSHIRE ARTIST CHRISTINA RILEY
11am – 2pm Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September
Meet at the Pilot House, Irvine Beach
In partnership with the Scottish Maritime Museum, Ayrshire-based artist, photographer, writer and founder of The Nature Library, Christina Riley, invites everyone to explore the hidden wonders of Irvine’s sand dunes at two free creative workshops on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September.
Participants at the photography and creative writing workshops will enjoy a guided exploration of the flora and fauna of this vital and vibrant coastal habitat starting from the Pilot House on Irvine Beach at 11am each day.
As the group walks among the dunes, Christina will introduce the diverse wildlife that thrives in this dynamic environment, from tangled sea-swept foliage and nesting birds to specialist dune dwellers like bees, beetles and moths.
The sessions will also include hands-on photography and creative writing activities, encouraging participants to engage more deeply with the landscape and discover new ways of seeing familiar places.
The workshops will culminate in a collaborative creative piece to celebrate this special seaside habitat – an artwork or poem crafted by Christina using the words and images gathered during the sessions.
The free wildlife photography and creative writing workshops have been made possible by the generous support of the Great Harbour Community Fund.
They complement a free evening talk by leading wildlife cameramen and environment advocate Doug Allan. The talk at the Scottish Maritime Museum has also been made possible by the Great Harbour Community Fund.
Christina Riley explains:
By getting up close to Irvine’s coastal wildlife, participants will begin to see the magic in the small details – the texture of dune grasses and the movement of the insects. These overlooked habitats are full of life and inspiration.
Eva Bukowska, Exhibitions and Events Officer at the Scottish Maritime Museum, adds:
Christina brings a thoughtful, creative approach to exploring our natural world. These workshops will give participants a fresh perspective on Irvine’s remarkable coastal landscape and complement our summer exhibition, Beneath the Waves, which also features some of Christina’s exquisite artwork.
Christina Riley – Background
Born in Florida and now based on the Ayrshire coast, Christina focuses her creative work on intertidal zones and undersea life, exploring how careful observation can shift our perspectives on the natural world.
Longlisted for Canongate’s Nan Shepherd Prize for Nature Writing, she has presented work at solo and group exhibitions across the UK.
Her first photobook, The Beach Today, was published by Guillemot Press in 2021 and her debut non-fiction book, Looking Down at the Stars: Life Beneath the Waves will be published by Saraband in November.
In 2019, the Scottish Maritime Museum partnered with Christina to create a permanent home for her touring collection of environment and nature writings. The Nature Library is housed at 122B Montgomery Street on Irvine Harbourside, within one of the Museum’s shipyard worker tenement flats.
The Secret Life of the Sand Dunes
The workshops are free. Advance booking on Eventbrite is encouraged.
No experience is necessary. Participants can use their own phones for taking photographs or bring a camera. Writing materials will be provided.
www.scottishmaritimemuseum.org
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram @scotmaritime
Issued on behalf of the Scottish Maritime Museum by
Joanna Harrison
