Tall Ships Short Story Art Trail Offers Unique Opportunity for Artists
The BookBench Trail, organised by Clan Cancer Support, invites artists to create nautically themed benches for the 2025 Tall Ships event.
Aberdeen hosting the 2025 Tall Ships Races will be more than a maritime celebration. Thanks to a partnership between Clan Cancer Support and the festival’s organisers, the city will host The Tall Ships Short Story, an art trail featuring creative BookBench sculptures that will transform key locations around Aberdeen. This is a great opportunity for local and national artists to get involved in a large-scale public art project.
Calling All Artists for the BookBench Trail
Artists will soon be invited to submit designs for the BookBench Trail and The Tall Ships Short Story. This is a chance to showcase their work during one of Europe’s largest free family events, with the Tall Ships expected to bring over 400,000 visitors to the city between 19th and 22nd July 2025. The selected BookBench sculptures will be installed around the city centre and in coastal locations, offering artists an unparalleled platform to display their creativity to a wide and diverse audience.
We’ll be asking artists to submit nautically themed designs for this special project and with our region’s strong connection to the sea, we’re sure these BookBenches will be much cherished sculptures in our trail next summer.
Fiona Fernie, Clan Cancer Support
The BookBench sculptures, designed to seat two people, offer an interactive canvas that thousands will see. With shortlisting taking place in the new year, artists have a unique opportunity to contribute to Aberdeen’s cultural landscape.
Art and Charity in Partnership
The Tall Ships Short Story will run alongside Clan’s public BookBench Trail, part of the charity’s efforts to raise awareness and funds. After the trail, one specially designed sculpture will be auctioned, with proceeds going to Clan Cancer Support. This initiative highlights how art can play a role in supporting the community while creating engaging public experiences.
The BookBench sculptures will remain in place for the duration of the BookBench Trail in the summer of 2025. Afterwards, the remaining sculptures will be reinstalled, along with new benches, for the Festival of the Sea in 2026, continuing their impact on the local cultural scene.
For more details on submitting a design or learning more about The BookBench Trail, visit Clan Cancer Support's Bookbench Trail page.
