This striking new exhibition by Scottish artist and photographer Christina Riley celebrates the wonders to be found along Ayrshire’s coastline through photographs and beachcombed items collected during Lockdown, in Spring 2020.

Walking the seven miles of uninterrupted shoreline from Irvine to Troon each day, Christina became attuned to the natural and manmade objects found in the sand and how they changed each day as the tide continuously washed away and replenished them. With each repeated visit, particular colours, patterns or forms stood out.

Finding delight in the endless curiosities of our oceans soon became a daily ritual. Gathering beachcombed treasures and taking photographs of the shoreline turned into Christina’s visual diary of the hazy, uncertain Lockdown days and a celebration of the endless awe and wonder there is to discover beneath our feet.

Christina also founded The Nature Library in one of the Museum’s tenement flats in April 2024. The exhibition will include a specially curated collection of her Library books exploring the exhibition themes of sea, sky and stone.

The Beach Today will also feature cabinets of pebbles, sea glass, bird bones, pottery shards, a clay inkwell and shells, both pearlescent and barnacle-scarred.

Alongside the exhibition, there will be a Meet the Artist event and family drop-in sessions, details of which will be announced soon.

The Beach Today is also part of the Scottish Geology Festival. Hosted by the Scottish Geology Trust, the Festival includes guided walks, talks and fascinating geological exhibitions and marks the Tercentenary of the birth of James Hutton, the 'Father of Modern Geology'.