Curious Encounters With Creatures: Real, Imagined Fossilised, and Handmade
AAGM’s galleries and museums dive into myths, marine life, art and local stories this August
Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums are diving deep this August. Inspired by the exhibition Monsters of the Deep, the month’s programme explores sea myths, unusual science and the creatures that once haunted old sailors’ tales. It’s a summer built around curiosity, craft and the odd zombie worm.
The family offer is strong, with art, science and music all in the mix. You can make your own sea monster with artist Elaine Grant, explore exotic shells with the Macduff Aquarium or try filtering microplastics from sand. Baby Boogie returns with DJ Nina leading a disco for young children, while Guthrie’s Goslings offers beach-themed storytelling and sensory play.
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Science, stories and sea creatures
A full-day Dungeons & Dragons session takes inspiration from the exhibition and welcomes everyone from beginners to veteran players. It’s light on rules and heavy on imagination. For those curious about the facts behind the fiction, palaeontologist Darren Naish leads a talk on the links between sea monster myths and fossil discoveries.
Lunchtime Talks at the gallery and museum continue throughout the month. Highlights include deep-sea photography and introductions to some of the stranger creatures of the abyss, such as vampire sharks, yeti crabs and the barbie-pig.
There’s also a hands-on scrimshaw-inspired printmaking workshop at the Maritime Museum. The session reinterprets the traditional marine art form using monoprinting and embossing. For something more relaxed, Clash of the Titans screens free at Cowdray Hall later in the month.
Tales of the Tall Ships offers a local take on the recent fleet visit, combining painting, photography and ship models. Ship Shapes looks at how vessel design has changed over time. Both are on display at the Maritime Museum.
Works on Paper: Women Artists is worth spending time with. It’s a varied and quietly bold collection that brings together photography, drawing, collage and print, all centred on the medium rather than the message.
Community, craft and care
This month’s Tea Green Summer Market brings local makers to the Art Gallery, with a mix of ceramics, textiles and jewellery. It’s a good excuse to support independent artists or find something thoughtful.
Musical Memories returns for two relaxed singing sessions aimed at people living with dementia and their families. Artroom also continues each Friday, offering a space to experiment with materials and connect through creative activity.
A visual description talk on 28 August offers a detailed walkthrough of Vicky Higginson’s Coping Mechanism: to numb grief. Designed for blind and visually impaired visitors but open to anyone, it’s a slower way into a complex, sculptural work.
August’s programme drifts between fact and folklore, with deep-sea science, craft, and stories that feel both ancient and oddly modern. Exhibitions, talks and workshops each take a different route into our relationship with the sea—whether through science, storytelling, history or hands-on making, but they all come back to curiosity and connection.
For information about all this month’s AAGM events, check out their events page. They have all the details you need to make the most out of the AAGM programme.
