In preparation for the projects second NEO Terra exhibition in May at An Talla Solais Gallery in Ullapool, I have begun collecting sand samples and plastiglomerates from beaches along the NW Highland coast.

Snapshot photographs give an insightful picture of whats occurring on our beaches and in our seas. To expand this information I am asking followers of the project to  keep a look out for plastiglomerates and to tweet images  with #plastiglomerate with the name of the beach they were found on to @LittoralArt .

Identification: Plastiglomerates are lumps of burnt plastic litter, that has melted and bonded with natural beach materials.

They  are often highly colourful just like the plastic objects they once were , but most fade to look deceptively like the rocks and pebbles around them . They can take a lot of looking for, a give away sign is that they are much lighter than similar size  stones and relatively warm to touch. 

I am hoping that fellow MCS beach watchers  engaged with monitoring beaches and all those involved with  marine plastic campaigns eg the   #2minutebeachclean and the #Nurdlehunt   will  join in exchanging information to help us build an increasingly comprehensive  documentation of the forms of plastic in the marine and coastal environment.

If any followers along the Scottish coastlines particularly in the NW highlands and the Western Isles  find stretches of beaches with lots of plastiglomerates please  contact me so I can  try to arrange to pick them up to use in the exhibition.

Over the next  10 days I’m visiting 12 beaches between Lochinver and Plockton and I’m inviting people to join me on Sat 4^th Feb at Badentarbet beach 11am- 1pm; Friday 10^th February at Ullapool (pier west side) 2-3.30pm; at Gairloch (meet at the Museum) Sat 2-3.30pm.  If the weather forecast is bad please check on line www.littoralartproject.com or ring  0797 7997605, please dress for winter conditions .