An update on the next phase of Stranraer’s waterfront development project by Maya Rose Edwards.
The Stove and Creative Stranraer have been commissioned by Dumfries and Galloway Council to use creative placemaking techniques to involve the local communities of Stranraer in the rethinking of the town’s waterfront spaces as part of a major regeneration effort following the ending of the ferry service to Belfast in 2011.
In November 2023 we commissioned artist Maya Rose Edwards as artist-in-residence for the waterfront – Maya’s brief was to use their creative practice to reach out to diverse communities in the town and seek their thoughts and ideas about the kind of waterfront they’d like to see for the town. This initial phase of the project was very successful – ending in a public festival day called Raising the Sails. We were delighted that DG Council have integrated a creative placemaking approach into the continuation of the One Waterfront project and we were able to bring Maya back to the town for a second stage of work. This is their first blog on returning to Stranraer.
Watch the Raising the Sails film by CT Productions HERE.
In the initial Harbour project we engaged with nearly 900 local individuals and 27 community groups to get people’s thoughts about the kind of waterfront they would like to see for the town. I am now homing in on one aspect of the proposals – a new area of ‘reclaimed’ land between the slipway and the East Pier which will be formed using the material dredged from Loch Ryan to make the harbour area deep enough for larger boats to use the marina.
Site specific research/concept realisation
My hope is that Harbourland will be a new piece of Scottish coastline built from the ground up using community ideas and creative inspirations taken from the locality. I have commenced the initial research process thinking about the nature of the land itself – the dredged Loch Ryan sediment. Sediment is an essential component of natural cycles and ecosystems it it acts as a constantly changing barrier between the ocean and coastal communities. I’ve been considering ways in which that ‘barrier’ can instead increase our access to the coast and our connection to the water itself. Turning the tide towards a future where the communities in Stranraer are more connected to their coastal culture and its ecosystems.
I’ve also been thinking about oysters. The Loch Ryan oyster beds are a rare and unique feature of this coastline, and something of great pride for the communities of Stranraer. Oysters themselves are natural dredgers, with each individual oyster filtering over 50 gallons of water per day. Once an oyster attaches to a bed, it grows and forms around the surface it attaches to. It’s like starting a rubber band ball, the oyster needs an initial surface to attach to, but once they start growing, they can transform an artificial reef into a natural one. The question I am asking myself is – how can we act like the oyster to build an infrastructure that benefits both the toon and the coastal biodiversity? What are the types of ‘surfaces’ that communities in Stranraer can attach to and make their own? How can harbours and sea walls become landmarks of heritage value for communities of the future?
With this site-specific research underway, I’ve began to combine the visual languages of the geologic coastal sediment and the organic processes of the oyster bed to develop sketches of landforms, tributaries and coastlines for the Harbourland proposal.
Co-design and collaboration
With initial sketches starting to take shape, I then began to meet with local folk, organisations and marine researchers who were key partners within Phase 1 of the Harbour project for their input. We have all sat down around a large acetate map and plotted might be needed within this new piece of Stranraer. Some of the feedback included practical requirements for community events, lighting, recycling and growing facilities, etc, all of which have been drawn up and incorporated within the wider design.
As a part of the co-design process, I am putting together a programme of creative engagement activities and events to further inform the proposal for Harbourland and provoke the imaginations of those who have not yet been reached by the project. The commencement of this programme is now underway, with the first interactive installation due to take place at this year’s Oyster Festival.
Harbourland polling station
Oyster shells were historically used as the first ever ‘ballot cards’ during the early days of democracy in Ancient Greece. Communities would cast their shells to announce/denounce happenings within their towns and villages. At this year’s Oyster Festival, the talented guys at the Rhins Mens Shed and I have created the ‘Harbourland polling station’ to bring this tradition back to modern-day Stranraer.
During the Festival, the shells of millions of oysters consumed over the weekend are collected for re-distribution back into the Loch. These shells then form the basis for new growth and the continuation of the native beds. This year before their redistribution, the empty shells will be collected to form a part of an interactive public consultation for ‘Harbourland.’ This 3-metre polling station will hold large clear box sections, within which people will cast their shells in vote for specific features they’d like to see on the land – much like your little blue tokens at Tesco! This data will be recorded to further inform the design proposal and initiate important conversations about what matters to people most. From interactive play structures to a sheltered place to sit and bide a while – this will be the first and most public opportunity to engage in the co-design process.
Siltcrete trials
I will also be undertaking several material trials. I have been working with the form of the Oyster shell as a sculptural reference point, exaggerating its topographical layers to create tiered island structures. These forms also reference harbour staircases, where ecological growth can be tracked through tidal fluctuations.
I have been experimenting with use of the Loch Ryan seabed aggregate (a mixture of Grey Wacke, shale and Red Sandstone) for use within sustainable building materials, leading me to create ‘Siltcrete’. I have been researching the many ways in which architects, sculptors and engineers have been developing organic material composites towards a sustainable future. Due to the rich mineral content of the dredged seabed, the incorporation of this material into the foundations of Harbourland should greatly improve the biodiversity we’re hoping to achieve.
From hand carved sculptures cast in silicone to form a mould, I have been creating ‘Siltcrete Harbours’ from a mixture of cement, local beach sand and coastal aggregate. I have formed a relationship with marine biologists at the Solway Firth Partnership who have offered to formulate a report at the end of the installation period to track the ecological growth in the harbour, on the siltcrete and within this topographical form. This should form a key piece of research within the wider proposal for Harbourland.
Until next time
Over the next few months as we move into Autumn, residents of Stranraer should expect more opportunities to engage in the Harbourland proposal programme, beginning with a sandcastle competition on Agnew Park beach on Saturday 28th September. All participants will receive a free ‘Stranraer Oyster Bucket’ inspired by the topographical sculptural trials. Over the course of the afternoon, we will fill the coastline with a community oyster bed of inspired organic structures! Prizes will be available, see poster below for further details.
If you want to find out more about the Harbourland proposal programme or the context of the project, please contact Maya on [email protected]
