Perthshire flooding victims are being urged to share their stories for Perth Museum’s next major exhibition.
Waters Rising will replace the Unicorn display which has been in place since the museum opened in March.
It will explore how flooding and climate breakdown are affecting Perth and Kinross and the rest of the world.
And organisers are appealing to local residents to send photographs and memories of flooding in their areas.
Perthshire has been battered by a series of destructive floods in recent years.
It is almost a year since Perth’s North Inch was flooded last October, causing millions of pounds worth of damage to Bell’s Sports Centre and nearby homes.
Communities like Aberfeldy and Invergowrie were also left underwater.
The scenes were a chilling echo of the so-called Great Tay Flood of January 1993, which prompted the construction of Perth’s flood defences at a cost of £25 million, in 2001.
Helen Smout, Chief Executive Officer at Culture Perth and Kinross, said: “We hope this exhibition will reflect the strength and resilience of the people of Perth and Kinross in the face of the wetter, warmer weather patterns we now experience.
“The exhibition has been designed to inspire visitors from far and wide to take action in the climate crisis that impacts us all.”
Personal memories will be central to Perth Museum flooding exhibition
The exhibition will open on November 8 2024.
Tickets are on sale now through Perthshire Box Office.
They are being offered on a ‘pay as you choose’ model, which is intended to make the exhibition more accessible.
Tickets for the Unicorn display are still on sale at £10.
Perth Museum is inviting the public to submit photographs of flooding in their local area now.
These will be used to form part of a central display displaying the community’s lived experiences.
Photos can be emailed to collections@culturepk.org.uk. Images must be less than 25Mb.
Museum chiefs are also inviting the public to share memories, handwritten onto blank postcards.
These are available from Perth Museum, Perth Art Gallery and Culture Perth and Kinross libraries.
The aim is to create a new physical archive of flood memories, past and present.
Exhibition will highlight ‘pressing need’
The exhibition will also trace stories and objects connected to flooding from modern-day Scotland to biblical accounts and myths from Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and North America.
Highlights will include an Egyptian sarcophagus with Nile flood damage and a rare illuminated bible from the 13th century.
It will also reflect on the impact of COP26 and other climate protests with a selection of objects on loan from the National Museum Scotland.
Councillor Richard Watters, convener of Perth and Kinross Council’s climate change and sustainability committee, said: “The ‘Waters Rising’ exhibition will a powerful reminder of the urgent need to address the climate emergency.
“By highlighting the impact of flooding and extreme weather events on our local community and connecting it to global stories, this exhibition will not only educate but is a call to all of us to take meaningful steps towards a sustainable future.”
Conversation