September 2019
Eyemouth #LitterCUBES
An Art, Science, Environment event highlighting plastic marine litter by artist Julia Barton as part of the Littoral Art Project. Sculptures will go on to be exhibited at Edinburgh Science Festival 2020.
Event Dates: 26 27 28 September 2019
Location: SPLASH Community Space, Quayside, Harbour Road, Eyemouth
Julia is an experienced environmental artist and campaigner, who mixes art and science to get serious environmental messages across in a fun and engaging way. Julia will be making three #LitterCUBES from plastic drinks bottles, fishing nets/rope and fishing line collected on local beaches and in the harbour. She will be inviting people to help construct the Eyemouth #LitterCUBES in several scheduled workshops and public events over the course of the event.
“I will be asking people to get involved, help me weigh the CUBES to calculate the energy value of each one, to show the loss of finite resources that plastic beach litter represents.”
Alongside the Eyemouth #LitterCUBES, she will also be displaying more #LitterCUBES made from beach litter collected in Ullapool, Dunbar, Shetland and Arbroath.
Julia will be involved with the Eyemouth/Berwickshire local Marine Conservation Society (MCS) Big Beach Clean on 21 September 2019, collecting plastic drinks bottles, fishing net and anglers fishing line which will go towards completing the Eyemouth #LitterCUBES.
EVENTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO ALL
Thurs 26th Sept : 10- 1pm School Workshops. 3-5pm Public Event
Friday 27th Sept: 10-2pm School Workshops. 2-5pm Public Event
Saturday 28th Sept : 10-5 pm Public Event
The project is gratefully supported locally by Eyemouth Harbour Trust, Eyemouth Hippodrome, Voluntary Marine Reserve, with donations from Eyemouth Marine Ltd, local residents, crowd funding and philanthropic arts, community and environment trusts.
“As someone who is concerned about the future health of our marine environment, I would encourage everyone to take action and change habits to ensure the health of our seas. At Eyemouth Marine we are conscious of this, and take steps to minimise our impact on the marine environment.
By supporting the #LitterCUBES project we hope to highlight the scale of marine plastic pollution; This is an issue for our community locally as well as a national concern, and Julia’s display’s in Eyemouth will serve as a reminder to us all of our responsibility to look after our seas, we have one world, one ocean, we need to look after it”. Patrick Flockhart, Director Eyemouth Marine Ltd
Notes to editors: Julia is available for interview. You can contact her on 0797 799 7605 or littoralartproject@btinternet.com. Meet the artist, participants & sponsors at 11.30am for press/photos on Friday 27th Sept. More information at www.littoralartproject.com @LittoralArt @Littorl:sci-art project
August 2019
Environmental Artist appeals for Marine Litter Items
Environmental artist Julia Barton has returned to Shetland to highlight marine litter, and what everyone can do to reduce it.
An experienced environmental campaigner, Julia mixes art and science to get serious environmental messages across in a fun and engaging way. She has worked around Scotland for the past 6 years, and is currently travelling Scotland with her #LitterCUBES project. She will create 4 #LitterCUBES whilst in Shetland, from plastics commonly found around our shores – clear drinks bottles, pallet strapping, cotton buds and mixed plastic fibres. Each CUBE has a story to tell about the source of the litter, the type of plastic and its recycling potential.
Julia hopes to make the CUBES entirely from materials collected locally and would like to thank Da Voar Redd Up volunteers for collecting materials for her project. However, more is required and she is urgently appealing to the public to collect clear plastic drinks bottles, pallet strapping and cotton bud sticks from around our shores and take them to Shetland Museum and Archives until 26th August.
Julia will be creating the CUBES in Shetland, based at the Museum and Archives until 26th August and the NAFC Marine Centre on 27th & 28th August. After this she will be holding two public events at the Shetland Museum and Archives on Saturday 31st August, 10am-5pm and Thursday 5th September, 10am-1pm, and would welcome everyone to come along a learn more.
Julia is grateful to a number of organisations which have enabled the project to come to Shetland, including funding from John Lawrie Group and Culture and Business Fund Scotland and in-kind sponsorship from NorthLink Ferries and Swan Trust. There have also been many donations from supporters through Crowd Funding and philanthropic arts, community & environment trusts.
May 2019 PRESS RELEASE
Artist Julia Barton. Ocean plastic. 7 Offenders, 7 Locations.
Julia Barton’s #LitterCUBES illustrate the scale and nature of ocean plastic and the massive waste of finite resources it represents.
Each #LitterCUBE has a story to tell about the source of the litter, the type of plastic and its recycling potential. By weighing the sculptures Julia and participants will calculate the energy value of the plastic in each CUBE in terms of petrol and calories.
‘ I want the #LitterCUBES to be a trigger for discussion: how to stop plastic waste bleeding into our seas, and what we can do to change plastic use and save valuable petrochemical resources ‘ Julia Barton, artist
7 Offenders. 7 Locations.
Volunteers are helping Julia collect 7 offenders of plastic litter: plastic bottles, fishing nets, fishing line, prawn boxes, mussel pegs, strapping and cotton buds which she will make into #LitterCUBES. These will be shown in 7 locations around Scotland as the focus for a series of interactive public art events.
The first event starts on Ullapool West Shore beach this Thursday (30th) and continues Friday 31st May, through Sat 1st June (10am -5pm) then at Dunbar: 20th,21st, 22nd June; Shetland: August; Arbroath: 13th, 14th September and Eyemouth: 18th, 19th, 20th September. Everyone welcome.
A record of the making process in her studio and on beaches is posted on www.littoralartproject.com
Shetland Environment Award
Julia has worked with Scotland’s coastal communities for over six years investigating beach litter in creative and engaging ways. In 2017 she received a Shetland Environmental Award for her Littoral Art Project’s educational work and presented her findings to MSP’s at the Scottish Parliament in 2018. Julia began this project in the Western Highlands in 2013 and now launches her new work #LitterCUBES this week.
Contact the artist: 07977997605 or littoralartproject@btinternet.com
Thanks for donations from: many individuals, Eyemouth Marine Ltd, rag, Shiehallion, CALL, Ullapool Harbour Trust and support in kind from Eyemouth, Dunbar, Arbroath, Lerwick, Ullapool Harbours, An Talla Solais, North Light Arts, Swan Trust. Further funding is being sought. Donations welcome via www.littoralartproject.com
More information of the artist’s work visit www.littoralartproject.com @LittoralArt
Comments about Julia’s work: https://littoralartproject.com/neo-terra-exhibition-comments/
April 2019 PRESS RELEASE
Artist Julia Barton. Ocean plastic. 7 Offenders, 7 Locations.
Artist Julia Barton’s latest sculptures #LitterCUBES show the scale and nature of ocean plastic whilst highlighting the waste of finite resources of marine plastic.
7 Offenders. 7 Locations.
Volunteers will help Julia collect 7 offenders of plastic litter. Plastic bottles, fishing nets, fishing line, prawn boxes, mussel pegs, strapping and cotton buds with which she will make her #LitterCUBES. These will be shown in 7 seven locations around Scotland to highlight the volume and types of plastic and highlight the waste of finite resources involved in plastic production. A weekly time lapse recording of the making process in her studio will be available online.
Shetland Environment Award
Julia has worked with Scotland’s coastal communities for over 6 years creatively investigating beach litter in many successful local projects. In 2017 she received a Shetland Environmental Award for her Littoral Art Project’s educational work and presented her findings to MSP’s at the Scottish Parliament in 2018. In 2019 Julia launches her new work #LitterCUBES whilst revisiting Isle Martin. In 2014 on Isle Martin she collected and mapped many kilos of plastic. Then with local volunteers wove the plastic into 300m lines which were towed by local skiff teams to the mainland to be recycled. So it feels appropriate to go back to launch her new work.
Isle Martin, Summer Isles, Ullapool
Artist Julia Barton will launch her latest project #LitterCUBES this Saturday 27th April on Isle Martin, the nearest of the Summer Isles, Ullapool. She will collect beach litter with volunteers and will show the making of the first of 12, large sculptures between 1pm – 3pm. There will be a community boat transporting people to Isle Martin leaving Ardmair from 11am. All welcome.
#LitterCUBES
Will form the centre of a series of interactive public art events around Scotland. Each #LitterCUBE telling a story of the source of litter, the type of plastic, its recycling potential and by weighing the sculptures Julia and participants will calculate the energy value of the CUBES in terms of petrol and calories.
Interactive exhibiting events: Ullapool: 30th, 31st May 1st June, Dunbar 20th,21st,22nd June, Shetland: August, Arbroath 13th 14th September and Eyemouth 18th,19th,20th September
Thanks for donations from: many individuals, Eyemouth Marine Ltd, rag, Sheihallion, CALL, Ullapool Harbour Trust and support in kind from Eyemouth, Dunbar, Arbroath, Lerwick, Ullapool Harbours, An Talla Solais, North Light Arts, Swan Trust. Further funding is being sought. Donations welcome via www.littoralartproject.com
Note if you would like to join Julia for any of the events and/or are able to collect any of the items please get in touch littoralartproject@btinternet.com 07977997605
More information of the artist’s work visit www.littoralartproject.com @LittoralArt
Comments about Julia’s work: https://littoralartproject.com/neo-terra-exhibition-comments/
littoral: sci-art project 