Fucus Vesiculosus: Scarborough Harbour to get new ‘seaweed’ sculpture by ‘internationally renowned’ British artist

A 3m-high sculpture depicting Bladderwrack seaweed is to be sited on Scarborough’s East Pier as part of a new coastal nature-culture tourism project.

A sculpture by internationally renowned artist Paul Morrion, depicting Fucus Vesiculosus – Bladderwrack seaweed – is set to be erected on Scarborough Harbour using Town Deal funding.

An accompanying interpretation panel will be fixed to the adjacent slope on the southern end of the first elevated section of the pier which is enclosed by railings.

The sculpture, by British artist Paul Morrison, will be created from water-jet cut polished stainless steel.

Morrison is internationally renowned for his bold graphic-style monochrome paintings, site-specific wall paintings, sculptures and films, according to North Yorkshire Council which submitted the plans for the scheme.

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The sculpture is part of the Wild Eye initiative initiated and managed by Scarborough-based environmental arts organisation Invisible Dust and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust in collaboration with the now-defunct Scarborough Council, and now North Yorkshire Council.

Funding for the sculpture will come from the £20.2m of Town Deal money granted to Scarborough two years ago as part of a wide-ranging scheme for regeneration initiatives creating “improvements, sustainability, jobs, and skills to towns across the UK”.

The artwork is intended, amongst other things, to draw attention to initiatives such as SeaGrown Seaweed Farm located close by, according to the council.

The authority said: “The artwork will offer a rich source of ideas for such engagement projects, with broad entry points around the importance of the marine environment to combat climate change.”

It is also hoped that it will raise awareness of the climate crisis and ways to mitigate it “via the catalyst of a thought-provoking artwork”.

Only one public objection was received by the council in relation to the 500kg structure, with four letters in support.

Whilst no comments were received from Scarborough Civic Society or Harbour Master, the latter was involved in deciding the location of the artwork.

The objecting member of the public raised concerns about the “cost of the sculpture” and “choice of artwork” whilst those in favour said the sculpture would “enhance cultural attractions in Scarborough” and would “attract visitors interested in art”.

According to the council, a local consultation of more than 100 people for Wild Eye found that 91 per cent of respondents “welcomed the proposal for a marine sculpture”.

The Grade-II Listed East Pier was built between 1790-1812 and extends 1,380ft feet in length and consists of massive, locally quarried stone blocks.

In approving the erection of the sculpture, the local planning authority said that whilst design considerations were subjective, the sculpture was “in broad terms an appropriate scale for its intended purpose whilst not dominating or to the detriment of the surrounding area” and would “not appear intrusive in its surroundings”.

The plan was approved on Wednesday, July 26, subject to a condition that the sculpture will be in place for “a 15-year period after which time it can be decommissioned, de-installed, or kept in place”