INTRODUCTION
People living in coastal communities have knowledge about their coastline and the natural world. They understand the risks involved in living close to the sea, including those associated with climate change and sea level rise. They also have capacities to adapt to instability and affect social change. And yet residents of coastal towns and villages can also struggle to have their voices heard in local and national planning processes. They are sometimes represented by media, researchers and decisionmakers in ways that do not reflect local priorities and interests.
This exhibition responds to these challenges by looking at the connections between the people of Borth – a coastal village located in the county of Ceredigion, West Wales – and the sea. Borth is located on the seaward side of a peatland bog and is protected from the Irish Sea by a shingle bank and low seawall. Many of its houses are positioned below high tide level, some villagers describing themselves as living with ‘one foot in the sea’. The hills and moorland that flank Borth provide a dramatic backdrop to this lowland setting.
Most of the exhibits have been provided by Borth residents and demonstrate the deep-rooted connections between them, their village and the coastline. Some of the exhibited photographs and objects are everyday or ordinary, whereas others are more dramatic. Together, they tell a story of lives lived ‘on the edge’: of a place between land and sea that creates challenges for local residents is also a source of joy and inspiration.
Video credit: Adam’s Drone