By Jane Scobie
As a sculptor and sound artist my practice focuses on how nature bears witness to climate breakdown and recovery. My research is shaped by direct experiences of sea level rise, flooding, and my connection to Norfolk. Through my work I investigate the idea of deposition both in the legal sense of witness and in the geographical sense of laying down sediment. I have been exploring how the Norfolk coast has been transformed by coastal management strategies focussed on control of the sea, overlooking the essential dynamism and change which nonhuman inhabitants thrive on.
Inspired by the ideas of Susan Schuppli and Shela Sheikh on testimony and enabling nature to represent itself, I have been creating work that seeks to incorporate the voices of natural systems into discussions on ecological crisis. My recent focus has been on the strandline, a transient line of debris left by the receding tide, which shifts twice daily. On the beaches of Holme, where I work, this strandline serves as a metaphor and bioindicator, revealing the hidden narratives of marine life.
The Strandline as an Ecological Archive
The strandline’s composition offers glimpses into the underwater world. Whelk eggs, sea urchins, starfish, and bryozoans—tiny animal communities that resemble seaweed and emit a lemony scent—often appear. These traces, found around The Wash, a shifting alluvial area in East Anglia, tell stories of adaptation and ecological flux. The Wash itself is a dynamic environment of vast sandbanks and moving coastlines, a natural system that defies the rigid boundary lines drawn on maps.
In North Norfolk, human interventions such as sea walls and defenses attempt to impose stability on this ever-changing landscape. These structures reflect our resistance to change, even as coastal species thrive in flux. The birds and filter feeders along the strandline adapt to constant transformation, while we struggle to manage the unpredictability of these shifting ecosystems.
Artistic Practices Rooted in Marine Observation
My artistic process draws from the natural materials I find along the coastline. Using microscopic imagery of marine life, I create prints and textiles that imagine the sea from the perspective of its creatures. These works capture the muted tones of water and sand, reflecting the biodiversity hidden beneath the waves. For instance, my "tentacular" pieces mimic the feeding and movement mechanisms of marine mollusks like the sea urchin, whose Aristotle’s Lantern—a structure studied since ancient Greece—serves as a fascinating model for robotic innovation.
Performance also plays a central role in my practice. On the beaches, I wear a helmet constructed from biological assemblages: mermaid’s purses (shark egg cases), shells drilled by keel worms, and fragments of marine life. These performances invite public engagement, turning the beach into a stage for conversations about ecological resilience and human intervention.
Listening to the Ear of the Sea
A key sculpture in my work, Ear of the Sea, acts as a metaphorical witness to coastal change. During my years working with international NGOs on disaster prevention, I learned the value of local knowledge in mitigating ecological crises. This understanding informs my conversations with harbor masters, cockle pickers, and marine biologists, as I weave their insights into my artistic practice.
The Wash, with its rich history of fishing and salt production, is both a site of ecological complexity and human conflict. Contemporary debates around fish quotas now consider not just human needs but also migratory birds reliant on shellfish—a step toward more inclusive environmental stewardship. Yet challenges remain, from storm surges to unsustainable dredging of sandbanks, which serve as natural tidal barriers.
Methodologies for Ecological Art
My practice is guided by four principles:
Washing – Creating space for nature to express itself.
Claggy Dene – A Norfolk term for muddy sand, symbolizing speculative futures and imaginative scenarios.
Bristle – Inspired by the bristle worm, this principle emphasizes activation through performance and sound.
Boudicate – Holding human systems accountable and engaging in critical conversations.
Through these methodologies, I challenge traditional perceptions of the beach as merely a leisure space. Instead, I invite viewers to see the coastline as a dynamic interface between human activity and natural processes.
Reimagining Coastal Futures
As development pressures mount—such as proposals for a barrage across The Wash to create a "superhighway", container port and hydropower project—my work seeks to provoke thought about sustainable alternatives. Projects like these risk disrupting sediment flows and damaging delicate ecologies, echoing past mistakes in coastal management.
By integrating art, science, and community dialogue, I hope to foster a deeper understanding of how humans and nature can coexist. The strandline becomes more than a line of debris; it is a testament to resilience, adaptation, and the stories we must listen to if we are to face the challenges of a changing climate.
Sea Wall (2024) a film by Jane Scobie and NeoMeta
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