An exciting seagrass sculpture has been installed on The Deep’s grounds, funded by Wilder Humber. A pioneering partnership between Ørsted and Yorkshire & Lincolnshire Wildlife Trusts, Wilder Humber has an ambitious 5-year plan: to return 40 hectares of lost biodiversity to the Humber estuary through sand dune, saltmarsh, seagrass, and native oyster restoration. The Deep supports Wilder Humber through exhibition, education and interpretation of this important conservation action.
Emma Stothard, the artist behind the seagrass sculpture, was born in Hull but grew up in Kilnsea, a tiny village situated at the northern end of Spurn Point. Emma’s work is often influenced by the wildlife she encountered in the countryside and around the Holderness coastline where she grew up. This particular sculpture represents a native seagrass species, Zostera noltii.
The beautiful woven sculpture, which also doubles up as a plastic bottle recycling station, is situated beside the popular Millenium footbridge which connects The Deep to Humber Street and other city centre links. It is hoped that many passers-by are inspired to learn more about seagrass and local conservation action, as well as encouraged to use the recycling station for their plastic bottles.
It is estimated that up to 12 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the oceans each year, which has a significant impact on our marine ecosystems. Help us work to change this shocking statistic and protect the environment by choosing to reduce the use of single-use plastic and recycle where possible.