A new series of outdoor artworks, Old Friends, is being installed this week along Scarborough’s Cinder Track, bringing together art, science, and community engagement. The project, part of the Wild Eye initiative, is a collaboration between Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the art-science-climate organisation Invisible Dust. It aims to highlight the deep connections between humans and the natural world. Created by renowned UK artist Emma Smith, the installations encourage passersby to pause, reflect, and immerse themselves in nature.
Artworks inspired by science and community
The Old Friends series consists of six unique installations that blend sensory, ecological, and communal experiences. These pieces have been developed in collaboration with conservationists, scientists, and local communities to ensure they not only enrich the landscape but also support biodiversity.
Installed along the Cinder Track – a former railway turned popular walking and cycling route – the artworks serve as good dwell spaces for both people and wildlife. They include a sensory garden supporting pollinators, nature-inspired seating areas for foraging and rewilding, and a bio-adaptive stone sitting circle for children, connecting to local geology. Other features include resting spaces for that incorporate seed balls for rewilding, nesting areas that celebrate the life cycle of trees, and whispering holes in a viaduct that allow visitors to experience the sounds of Scalby Beck and connect with nature in an intimate and traditional way.
The concept of ‘old friends’
The name Old Friends is inspired by the scientific term describing microbes that help regulate human immune systems. Research indicates that close contact with nature enhances human health by increasing beneficial bacteria in our bodies. Moreover, studies suggest that the more physically connected people are to nature, the more inclined they are to protect it for future generations.
Artist Emma Smith explains, “Old Friends creates possibilities for greater proximity with nature, which has been shown to support human willingness to fight for nature. Through the work I am interested in making space to connect with and reflect on the symbiotic relationships of life.”
Hands-on community involvement
The Old Friends project was shaped by extensive community involvement. Workshops along the Cinder Track invited participants to engage with local wildlife through a bio blitz, sustainable foraging sessions, and natural pigment creation. Community members also contributed to designing habitats using local materials, ensuring the sculptures reflect the needs of the environment.
Some of the most engaging activities were the Dorodango workshops, where students from Northstead Primary School and local residents crafted polished earthen spheres embedded with seeds. These spheres will be incorporated into one of the stone sculptures, gradually eroding over time to disperse seeds along the track.
Key organisations, including Gallows Close Community Centre, Coast and Vale Community Action, SPARKS, and Friends of Dean Road and Manor Road Cemetery, played vital roles in supporting the initiative. Local wildlife experts also provided insights into the region’s biodiversity, while schools and community groups took part in planting and turf-building events.
Celebrating art and nature along the Yorkshire Coast
As part of the launch, the artist collaborated with children from Barrowcliff Primary School to create a public poster trail featuring botanical drawings of a Cinder Track Seed Mix. These illustrations highlight native plants found along the track, and the seed mix itself will be distributed to local communities through the Grow Scarborough seed bank at Scarborough Library.
In addition to the artworks, a free cycle hire scheme will be introduced later in the spring at Gallows Close Community Centre. This initiative will provide bikes and disability bikes, allowing more people to explore the Cinder Track and experience the installations firsthand.
A vision for a wilder future
Martin Slater, deputy chief executive at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, expressed the importance of projects like Old Friends: “At Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, we strive to empower Yorkshire’s communities to act for a wilder future. Through projects like Wild Eye, we aim to inspire change and celebrate the vital interconnection between people and the natural world.
“Old Friends perfectly embodies the ethos of Wild Eye, showcasing how art and nature can work together to benefit both communities and wildlife. This series creates multiple opportunities for wildlife to thrive while providing visitors the opportunity to slow down and explore the incredible diversity found along the Cinder Track.”
Jeanine Griffin, associate curator at Invisible Dust, highlighted the significance of Smith’s work, stating, “Emma Smith’s new works for the Cinder Track, developed with the local community and crafted by hand from local stone rich with ancient sea fossils, capture a sense of our relationship with the natural world over time. Her sculptures along this important green corridor offer places of pause and interaction between species, increasing kinship with nature”.
Looking ahead: expanding the Wild Eye project
Connecting with existing sculptural and augmented reality artworks in Scarborough and Whitby, the Wild Eye project will be completed later this month with a Roman-style floor mosaic artwork by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller. This final piece will be part of a new sea-watching station, further enhancing the project’s commitment to celebrating and protecting the Yorkshire Coast’s unique biodiversity.
Wild Eye is funded by the Towns Fund, allocated by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government through North Yorkshire Council. The initiative is designed to support economic regeneration in Scarborough by promoting year-round tourism through nature, art, and culture.
With its combination of art, science, and community participation, Old Friends stands as a testament to the power of collaboration in fostering a deeper connection between people and nature. As the installations invite visitors to pause, reflect, and engage, they offer a hopeful vision for a more sustainable future where art and conservation go hand in hand. Members of the public will be able to access, view, and interact with the six artworks from Friday 7 March.
