The new seawatching station on Scarborough’s Marine Drive is home to Roman Mosaic c. 2025, a permanent marine mosaic by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller. This major commission marks the completion of the Wild Eye coastal art and nature trail, linking five other artist commissions across Scarborough and Whitby.

The seawatching station transforms an existing shelter into a unique wildlife observation point. Renovated and repurposed partnership with North Yorkshire Council, the station features free seawatching telescopes and wildlife information panels. Offering locals and visitors the unique opportunity to spot marine wildlife, including porpoises and dolphins, which are frequently seen in the area. With over 400 sightings in the past year, this location is one of the best locations on the English coast for dolphin and porpoise watching.

Spanning 8.4m x 6m of the station floor, Jeremy Deller’s commission Roman Mosaic c. 2025 was created in collaboration with Yorkshire-based sculptor and mosaic artist Coralie Turpin, and developed in consultation with local scientists, conservationists, archaeologists, and community groups. The artwork celebrates the extraordinary marine life of the Yorkshire Coast while emphasising the importance of protecting it for future generations. Inspired by Scarborough’s rich Roman history and its exceptional marine biodiversity, the design is intentionally fragmentary, resembling the appearance of an ancient work recently unearthed. Gaps in the mosaic encourage viewers to use their imagination to complete the scene.

The mosaic showcases vibrant depictions of marine creatures found in the local area, both above and below the waves. Among them is Scarborough’s legendary visitor, Thor the Walrus, alongside local wildlife such as dolphins, minke whales, porpoises, seals, birds, crabs, lobsters, octopuses, squid, and fish. The artwork also features a rare little auk from the Arctic -  an unexpected visitor the artist was fortunate to spot during a research trip.

Rachael Bice, Chief Executive Officer at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said:
“Working with renowned artist Jeremy Deller, the proposed seawatching station and activities aim to foster a greater sense of affinity between people and the environment. Providing inspiring ways for people to experience and have a deeper connection with nature is a surefire way to build better protection and care – this beautiful seawatching station will be a wonderful way for people to enjoy a coastal view and look out for Yorkshire’s marine wildlife.”

Artist Jeremy Deller said:
“Art is a way of staying in love with the world. It is also a form of magic or a cover version of reality. Here in Scarborough, we are creating new ancient work about the sea and the creatures within it which also hints at the possibility of the past being still present, just beneath our feet.”

Jeanine Griffin, Lead Curator, Wild Eye, said:
“We are delighted to complete the Wild Eye coastal art and nature trail with this powerful and thought-inspiring new work from Jeremy Deller. Viewing Roman mosaics can give us an unnerving sense of deep time, with evidence of lives like ours and wildlife we recognise existing millennia ago. If we project forward a similar timespan, we see a very uncertain future for the natural world of which we are part. This new work conceived by Jeremy Deller, designed and created with Coralie Turpin, contains a central conundrum - it is a piece of contemporary archaeology - made to look like an authentic relic from the past, that invites us to think about the future.”

Community Engagement and Events

In partnership with Wild Eye, free workshops with mosaic artist Coralie Turpin were held in May. Friarage School students had the opportunity to create sea-themed Roman mosaics, resulting in sea life mosaics that were gifted to their school.

Further free mosaic workshops for families took place as part of Wild Eye’s Seawatching Day in August 2024, held at the location of the seawatching station on Marine Drive. This event coincided with National Marine Week and featured volunteers from the Sea Watch Foundation and Citizen Fins, who provided visitors with binoculars and expert guidance to help spot dolphins and porpoises along Scarborough’s coastline.

The charity organisation Wetwheels Foundation Yorkshire also facilitated marine wildlife viewing trips for young disabled people from a local school, using their accessible boat in partnership with Wild Eye.

The seawatching station and artwork complete the Wild Eye coastal art and nature trail,  connecting with five further sculptural, living and augmented reality works across Scarborough and Whitby, by artists Ryan Gander, Emma Smith, Paul Morrison, Juneau Projects and Shezad Dawood with Daisy Hildyard. The  Wild Eye trail celebrates the region’s incredible nature, wildlife and marine life while raising awareness of the need to protect it against pollution and climate change. 

Wild Eye is funded by the Towns Fund drawn from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government administered through North Yorkshire Council and supported by the Scarborough Town Board, specifically assigned to the development of a nature, art and culture offer in Scarborough. The funding aims to promote year-round tourism and assist with local economic regeneration.