Buckie communities set to work with artist to shine spotlight on climate change challenges
An artist has been unveiled to work with a local community to reflect the challenges of climate change.
The Buckie partnership and Culture for Climate Scotland have appointed Gabby Morris as the artist embedded in the town as part of a creative community project in the town.
Buckie has many people working in industries related to fishing and offshore oil and gas, and the town is bound to see significant change through the efforts to protect marine habitats and transition to renewables. Sea Change is a new community art project exploring how coastal towns like Buckie can meet the challenges of climate change.
The project will employ creative methods to help everyone have their voice heard and shape the future of the place.
The Buckie partnership, Culture for Climate Scotland and our Sea Change partners are excited to work with Ms Morris, an artist and designer working at the intersection of the environment, coastal futures and collective imagination.
Comprising the Buckie partnership are Buckie Area Forum, Findochty and Buckie Development Trust, Findhorn Bay Arts, Moray Climate Action Network and tsiMoray.
Based in Moray, the artist is closely connected to the landscapes and communities of the north-east coast. She brings people together to reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing coastal places, and to imagine how they might change and adapt in the future.
Ms Morris said: ‘This is an important and exciting moment for Buckie.
“Across Moray, conversations around the just transition are opening up new ways of thinking about the future, and Buckie has a real opportunity to be a key part of those conversations.
“My role gives me the chance to work closely with the community, and I’m excited to bring my creative tools into the mix to support imagination, spark ideas and explore how we face the challenges and opportunities ahead together.’
Gordon McDonald, chairman of Buckie Area Forum, commented: ‘The Buckie Area Forums runs The Hub in Buckie and we look forward to having Gabby use our facilities as a base to work from.
“I am sure that she will be well supported by the local community here in her endeavours’.
Lewis Coenen-Rowe, Culture for Climate Scotland’s culture/SHIFT Manager, said: 'I'm really excited to be working with people in Buckie on this project.
“I've seen from experience how creative approaches can make climate action more inclusive and help communities take the lead on environmental policy and planning for their area, while offering something fun and rewarding in the process.
“I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of this project as we work with community members to plan the next steps.'
A collective of five organisations is involved in Sea Change in Buckie and includes Buckie Area Forum, Findochty and Buckie Development Trust, Findhorn Bay Arts, Moray Climate Action Network and tsiMORAY.
Sea Change: Co-creating coastal futures is an action-research project running until June 2027, led by Culture for Climate Scotland in partnership with NatureScot, the Scottish Government Marine Directorate and the Open University, with funding from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and NatureScot.