Welcome to my new exhibition, to introduce people to the amazing coralline seaweed maerl. MAERL Seabed Superhome is showing at the Sawyer Gallery, Inverewe Gardens, in Wester Ross in the Scottish Highlands. Open daily 10am – 4pm.

My exhibition includes maerl sculptures (eco building blocks) films of Wester Ross maerl habitats, including a soundscape from a maerl bed, prints, and drawings. The exhibition is a celebration of maerl’s ecological importance.

A link to exhibition interview between Ginevra House Sawyer Gallery Curator and Julia gives the background to the exhibition

Maerl is a vital ecosystem engineer, creating three-dimensional spaces that support incredibly high biodiversity  – housing up to 500 + species  – and serves as perfect & essential sea life nursery grounds for commercially important fish including cod and scallops. Maerl beds are highly valued as blue carbon resources as they lock away carbon in their calcium carbonate skeletons.

Inverewe Gardens is a perfect location to show this exhibition as it sits at the southern tip of the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area which contains the UK’s largest maerl beds

Maerl beds are rich biodiverse marine habitats which support ocean health. I believe it’s absolutely vital that Maerl beds receive continued protection. Please visit and share information about the exhibition and MAERL both here and on Instagram @juliabartonartist

Many thanks to the National Trust Scotland, The Eaton Fund, Little Loch Broom Marine Life, Sea-changers and in-kind support from colleagues friends and family for supporting the making and showing of this exhibition.

The exhibition opened just in time to celebrate World Oceans Day which that has the global community action theme of “Strong Marine Protected Areas for Our Blue Planet”