Leading Fife attractions join together to host major display of climate change public art

The Loving Earth Project: 18 March to 15 May

The Scottish Fisheries Museum has partnered with Falkland Estate, Cambo Gardens and St Andrews Heritage Museum and Garden to host a major display of textile art created by communities across the globe to voice their personal experiences, hopes and ambitions around climate change.

Over 150 textile designs created as part of the Loving Earth international community project will go on display across the four venues from Friday 18 March.

The Loving Earth Project calls on individuals, schools and community groups to design a 30cm x 30cm textile ‘panel’ which celebrates what they love about the Earth but which is threatened by growing environmental breakdown.

Project participants are then asked to promote positive examples of change, expressing in words sitting side by side with their design, why their subject is precious, why it is endangered and what they aim to do in response.

The rich, colourful and thought-provoking panels feature scenes of people, places and creatures brought to life through embroidery, felting, applique and knitting.

Each venue will have themed Loving Earth displays. Designs at the Scottish Fisheries Museum will focus on threats to our seas and marine wildlife. Panels at Falkland Estate and Cambo Gardens will centre on woodland, the environment and sea. At St Andrews Heritage Museum and Garden, visitors will discover panels exploring sea and garden.

All four venues will run a programme of creative Loving Earth events during the exhibition which will show until 15 May. The event programmes will be announced soon.

Linda Fitzpatrick, Curator at the Scottish Fisheries Museum, says:

“We are thrilled to collaborate with our friends at Falkland Estate, Cambo Gardens and St Andrews Heritage Museum and Garden to display this powerful collection of lovingly crafted, beautiful and very personal stories and ‘voices’ from across the world.

“The Loving Earth Project helps us all engage creatively and constructively with the huge issues of climate change without being overwhelmed. We hope as many people as possible tour the Loving Earth displays at all four venues over coming weeks, are more inspired than ever by the beauty of our Earth and see how together we can act to protect its future.”

Loving Earth panels on show include Beach, which was inspired by the sight of a gull dying tangled in plastic rings. Visitors can read the maker’s story as they set off on a personal journey to research drink can packaging across the world from introduction of plastic rings in the 1960s through to Sainsbury’s recent deal with St Andrews Brewing Company which uses recyclable cardboard containers.

The Wood Wide Web calls for us to take care of woods and forests and recognise them as whole communities not disparate elements. Woodland Creatures – The Dingle Chine comes to terms with the challenges of urban green space and the intertwined relationship between wild justice and social justice. “There’s no deprivation in living sustainably – in community with each other and Nature” is the message in Rewild, where the maker ‘chooses to act for the future through rewilding local land.

Over 400 textile panels have been contributed to the travelling Loving Earth exhibition since the project launched in 2019.

To date, participants have come from Britain, the USA, Africa and countries across Europe.

The Loving Earth Project was recognised by The List as among ‘the best cultural events in Scotland for COP26’.

The Loving Earth Project is supported by the Quaker Arts Network, Southall Trust, Westhill Foundation and Edith M Ellis Trust.