Join In A Worldwide Beach Project, Preserve Memories at Gulf Beaches

The present oil leak situation in the US brings to the fore the need to preserve and treasure beaches around the world. When our husband returned from duty in Viet Nam he was transferred to Eglin Air Force Base, Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. We were lucky enough to find an apartment on Okaloosa Island less than a block from one of the Gulf of Mexico's white sand beaches, one of those now endangered by the oil leak.

London's Victoria and Albert Museum has created a beach project website that you might want to join in; we've copied the explanation and instructions from the site. Devised by weaver Sue Lawty in association with the V&A.

What is the World Beach Project?

The World Beach Project is a global art project open to anybody, anywhere, of any age. Building on the experience many of us have of making patterns on beaches and shorelines, this project combines the simplicity of making patterns with stones with the complexities of shape, size, colour.

It is really easy to join in — see the instructions below, or go straight to the map and see what others have been been doing . You can also see Sue Lawty explain how to get involved in the project by watching the World Beach Video .

Why is it all about stones?

Sue's idea for this project has always been based around patterns made with stones. That means no seashells, seaweed, driftwood or other flotsam and jetsam commonly found on beaches.

How it works:

The project happens in two stages, in two locations: first, at a beach where you choose the stones and make your pattern, recording the work-in-progress with some photographs along the way. Then later, at a computer, you can upload the photographs to this website to complete the project.

Stage One: At the beach

1. Find an area where you can make your pattern without being threatened by the incoming tide. This could be some clear sand or shingle.

2. Start looking around for stones to make your pattern with. This may seem a little difficult at first, but after some careful looking, certain kinds of stones will start to catch your eye, and you will begin to notice lots of different shapes, sizes and colours. Collect as many as you need to get started on a pattern but don't include other things you might find on the beach like seaweed or driftwood, we are looking for patterns made only with stones.

3. You might want to sort your stones before you start laying out the pattern. You could group them by colour, tone (shade of a colour), by size or by shape. Even when the stones look very similar, if you study them closely you will see many differences. Soon you will naturally be working out your own special way of ordering them in a way that simply makes sense to you.

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Join In A Worldwide Beach Project, Preserve Memories at Gulf Beaches

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