From plastic ducks to mermaid’s purses and mysterious messages in bottles, a wide variety of weird and wonderful objects wash up on the coastline of Dumfries and Galloway. The Strandlines exhibition at Dumfries Museum showcases the local coastline and explores the diversity of natural and manmade objects found on its beaches.
“Making the Most of the Coast” was a two year project managed by the Solway Firth Partnership and this exhibition is one of its outcomes. Nic Coombey who worked on the project said: “Every object washed up on a beach has a story to tell. Sea life and plants on the strandline give us an opportunity to see things that normally live under the sea. Most of the manmade objects have been first washed down into the Irish Sea from the west coast of Scotland, England and Wales and the east coast of Ireland. Because of the currents and prevailing winds they are then blown onshore in Dumfries and Galloway. The more you look the more you find and each tide born treasure holds the secrets of its origins.”
A launch event for the Strandlines exhibition will take place at 7pm on Thursday 11 September at Dumfries Museum and everyone is welcome to come along. Nic Coombey, Coastal Ranger with Solway Firth Partnership, will talk about natural and manmade objects found tossed up on the Solway Strandline. Answers will be provided for those difficult questions: What is it? Why is it here? How did it get there? Become a curious beachcomber and discover what the tides reveal. Refreshments will be served. If you would like to come along please give Dumfries Museum a call on 01387 253374.
The exhibition runs until Saturday 29 November. Full details and museum opening times are available in the museums’ programme, free to pick up from museum venues and tourist venues, at
www.dumgal.gov.uk/artsandmuseums
Or by telephoning Dumfries Museum on 01387 253374
