Shoogly Holm
Shoogly Holm in 2026
Artist Jenny Pope has been busy in her Edinburgh studio planning, researching and collecting materials for the next phase of the project, which is the floating sculpture. This has involved lots of sketchbook diagrams, maquettes (small models) and looking at samples of material.
Jenny has decided to construct the floating part with a core of a large mussel buoy that she found on Isle of Lewis a few years ago. This is being wrapped in fibreglass rods and industrial hose pipe, and finally covered in painted sail cloth. She is paying attention to the construction, aware of the storms and strength of the waves and we will see how this experimental artwork fares in the coming months.
There have been Seasearch surveys over the winter, when the weather has allowed. Karen Boswarva has been able to document the effect of the rough storms and see that whilst the sediment, and some seaweeds have gone, there is a wealth of other marine life that is now using Shoogly Holm mooring. There have also been some plankton dips and analysis of the findings by marine science students at Heriot-Watt.
Jenny and the Museum are delighted that the Orkney Harbour Authority Environmental Levy is funding the marine science part of Shoogly Holm this year, allowing for local marine scientists and professional divers to contribute their skills and take part in Orkney International Science Festival.
Floating Sculpture Launch: Sun 12 April 2026
Jenny will be coming for a few days in mid April to launch the floating sculpture, which is planned to take place on Sunday 12th April in the afternoon. Mark Shiner with an Orkney Nav school boat will launch the sculpture into the harbour tying it to the Shoogly Holm mooring. There will be a public event by the museum to mark the occasion with more info to follow.
Stromness Shopping Week Creative Workshops: July 2026
Jenny will then come back in July to coincide with Stromness Shopping week. She will run some marine themed creative workshops alongside the museum team. There will also be some creative workshops along with some plankton learning opportunities specifically for the Blide Trust members. There will be the Snorkell Safari that the museum organises, and this year there will be the opportunity for the snorkellers to visit Shoogly Holm and help identify the marine life there as part of the activities.
Raising Shoogly Holm at Orkney Science Festival: Sept 2026
September will mark the final part of Shoogly Holm project, with the mooring and the floating part coming out of the water in a public event as part of the Orkney International Science Festival 2026. There will be talks and workshops in both Kirkwall and Stromness with opportunities to get up close to the marine life that has been colonising the mooring and have marine scientists explain what has been happening. The Blide Trust will also have bespoke workshops and input to link wellbeing and citizen science
Shoogly Holm call for snorkellers: November 2025
If you are a snorkeller or diver and are interested to get involved in monitoring the Shoogly Holm mooring and sculpture please contact Katy Firth at k.firth@stromnessmuseum.org.uk
Jenny Pope has updated information about the project on her own website.
Shoogly Holm Mooring Launch: September 2025
Jenny Pope visited Orkney again in September 2025 to finish constructing the concrete and clay mooring for Shoogly Holm. Jenny began by fixing over 130 small clay sculpted pieces to concrete bases within the EMEC-donated steel frame. The clay forms were created in July by members of the community, including participants at Blide Trust workshops. Together they form an ‘underwater bug hotel’ providing many different shapes and textures for marine life to attach to and settle on.
With a ceremonial send off on Saturday 20 September, the Shoogly Holm mooring was towed from the beach to a position just off shore of the museum by James Burgon of the UHI Nav School and Malcolm Thomson of Sula Diving. They were assisted by Baptiste Mathie-Claverie from EMEC. There were poetry readings by Ali Skene and Anne Bevan and a few words to toast the mooring by Gareth Davies, Jenny Pope and Katy Firth.
Divers Angeles Fernandez Pena and Karen Borswarva visited the mooring underwater to get ‘Day Zero’ footage and photos. Everyone involved is excited to see what colonises the sculpture in the coming months. Karen Boswarva of Seasearch Orkney & Shetland is organising a series of monthly monitoring events and divers and snorkellers can contact Karen to get involved. Jenny also carried out creative and wellbeing workshops and along with Katy, a Shoreline Ramble, for members of the Blide Trust. One of Jenny’s art workshops involved creating new imagined life forms which might colonise the mooring.
Jenny is working in her studio over the winter to make the floating part, using some sailmaking techniques learnt with Mark Shiner at The UHI Nav school. She will then be returning in Spring 2026 to install the floating element of Shoogly Holm. Watch this space for opportunities to get involved.
Shoogly Holm is a floating sculpture created by artist Jenny Pope, designed to be a habitat for marine life and a source of citizen science data for Stromness Museum and the Orkney International Science Festival. The project is a collaboration between Jenny Pope, Stromness Museum, Orkney Blide Trust, and the Orkney International Science Festival.
The Shoogly Holm project beginnigs:
Artistic Creation
Jenny Pope is creating a floating sculpture that will be placed in the waters near Stromness.
Habitat Creation
The sculpture is designed to attract and support marine life, providing a haven for various species.
Citizen Science
The project aims to gather data about the marine life that colonizes the sculpture, contributing to the museum's and the festival's scientific research.
Public Engagement
There will be opportunities for the public to learn about the project, participate in related workshops, and contribute to the data collection.
The project has received funding from Creative Scotland.
