RACC Waste Futures Lab

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RACC Waste Futures Lab How can art and creativity help us imagine regenerative, well-adapted, and resilient coasts and communities in the context of climate change?

Waste Futures Labs is part of the Resilience of Anthropocene Coasts and Communities (RACC) research project.

Artwork created by Jan as part of the project. Artwork was shown at a pop-up exhibition as part of the weekend.Coas...
03/08/2026

Artwork created by Jan as part of the project.

Artwork was shown at a pop-up exhibition as part of the weekend.

Coastal Residues is a creative project by artist Scott Hunter exploring how the legacy of coal mining continues to shape the coastline around Kirkcaldy.

Waste Futures Labs is part of the Resilience of Anthropocene Coasts and Communities (RACC) research project. RACC is jointly funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Coastal ResiduesSoil chromatography, first developed by botanist Mikhail Tsvet, turns earth into imagery — colours, ring...
29/07/2026

Coastal Residues

Soil chromatography, first developed by botanist Mikhail Tsvet, turns earth into imagery — colours, rings, and textures that reveal a soil’s chemical, physical, and biological life. Farmers use these patterns to read vitality at a glance.

Each soil ‘pictograph’ shifts depending on its quality: three zones show mineral, carbon, and humus content. When the zones barely interact, the soil is struggling; when they braid together, complexity signals healthier ground.

Coastal Residues is a creative project by artist Scott Hunter exploring how the legacy of coal mining continues to shape the coastline around Kirkcaldy.

Although mining, linoleum and textile manufacturing has stopped, materials from former collieries and industries are still present in the landscape. Along the coast, erosion is revealing these hidden traces, showing how industrial waste continues to move through soils, sediments and the sea.

Coastal Residues looks at how waste from our former industries is still active in the landscape today. By working with these materials directly, the project helps make these slow environmental processes visible and easier to understand. It connects scientific research with everyday experience of living by the coast.

Waste Futures Labs is part of the Resilience of Anthropocene Coasts and Communities (RACC) research project. RACC is jointly funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Coastal Residues - ConnectionsOver the course of the project participants began connecting:• geology• ecology• industria...
28/07/2026

Coastal Residues - Connections

Over the course of the project participants began connecting:
• geology
• ecology
• industrial histories
• memory
• care
• environmental change

Rather than simply recording the coast, many began interpreting relationships.

Coastal Residues is a creative project by artist Scott Hunter exploring how the legacy of coal mining continues to shape the coastline around Kirkcaldy.

Although mining, linoleum and textile manufacturing has stopped, materials from former collieries and industries are still present in the landscape. Along the coast, erosion is revealing these hidden traces, showing how industrial waste continues to move through soils, sediments and the sea.

Coastal Residues looks at how waste from our former industries is still active in the landscape today. By working with these materials directly, the project helps make these slow environmental processes visible and easier to understand. It connects scientific research with everyday experience of living by the coast.

Waste Futures Labs is part of the Resilience of Anthropocene Coasts and Communities (RACC) research project. RACC is jointly funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Coastal Residues - Life Among Industrial ResiduesOne recurring theme that participants noted was unexpected resilience.P...
28/07/2026

Coastal Residues - Life Among Industrial Residues

One recurring theme that participants noted was unexpected resilience.

Plants growing through rubble, sea walls and disturbed ground became recurring subjects.

Participants repeatedly noticed beauty emerging through damaged environments.

Sketchbook: Rosie

Coastal Residues is a creative project by artist Scott Hunter exploring how the legacy of coal mining continues to shape the coastline around Kirkcaldy.

Although mining, linoleum and textile manufacturing has stopped, materials from former collieries and industries are still present in the landscape. Along the coast, erosion is revealing these hidden traces, showing how industrial waste continues to move through soils, sediments and the sea.

Coastal Residues looks at how waste from our former industries is still active in the landscape today. By working with these materials directly, the project helps make these slow environmental processes visible and easier to understand. It connects scientific research with everyday experience of living by the coast.

Waste Futures Labs is part of the Resilience of Anthropocene Coasts and Communities (RACC) research project. RACC is jointly funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Coastal ResiduesCoastal Residues shifted scales between coastscapes and microscopic worlds.Participants were invited to ...
27/07/2026

Coastal Residues

Coastal Residues shifted scales between coastscapes and microscopic worlds.

Participants were invited to explore algae, plant structures, fragments and hidden ecologies.

The group carried materials from their coastal walks into the Community Space at Greener Kirkcaldy, bringing the shoreline indoors. With Scott’s guidance, they explored them through microscopy and cyanotype/phytogram processes — letting light trace the quiet stories held within each fragment of coast.

As they looked closer, new details surfaced. Patterns that felt hidden began to emerge; textures shifted, colours deepened. They asked themselves: what reveals itself when you slow down and really see? What becomes visible only at this scale?

Coastal Residues is a creative project by artist Scott Hunter exploring how the legacy of coal mining continues to shape the coastline around Kirkcaldy.

Although mining, linoleum and textile manufacturing has stopped, materials from former collieries and industries are still present in the landscape. Along the coast, erosion is revealing these hidden traces, showing how industrial waste continues to move through soils, sediments and the sea.

Coastal Residues looks at how waste from our former industries is still active in the landscape today. By working with these materials directly, the project helps make these slow environmental processes visible and easier to understand. It connects scientific research with everyday experience of living by the coast.

Waste Futures Labs is part of the Resilience of Anthropocene Coasts and Communities (RACC) research project. RACC is jointly funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Coastal ResiduesCoastal Residues shifted scales between coastscapes and microscopic worlds.Participants were invited to ...
27/07/2026

Coastal Residues

Coastal Residues shifted scales between coastscapes and microscopic worlds.

Participants were invited to explore algae, plant structures, fragments and hidden ecologies.

The group carried materials from their coastal walks into the Community Space at Greener Kirkcaldy, bringing the shoreline indoors. With Scott’s guidance, they explored them through microscopy and cyanotype/phytogram processes — letting light trace the quiet stories held within each fragment of coast.

As they looked closer, new details surfaced. Patterns that felt hidden began to emerge; textures shifted, colours deepened. They asked themselves: what reveals itself when you slow down and really see? What becomes visible only at this scale?

Coastal Residues is a creative project by artist Scott Hunter exploring how the legacy of coal mining continues to shape the coastline around Kirkcaldy.

Although mining, linoleum and textile manufacturing has stopped, materials from former collieries and industries are still present in the landscape. Along the coast, erosion is revealing these hidden traces, showing how industrial waste continues to move through soils, sediments and the sea.

Coastal Residues looks at how waste from our former industries is still active in the landscape today. By working with these materials directly, the project helps make these slow environmental processes visible and easier to understand. It connects scientific research with everyday experience of living by the coast.

Waste Futures Labs is part of the Resilience of Anthropocene Coasts and Communities (RACC) research project. RACC is jointly funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Coastal Residues Participants were invited to:• notice textures• listen deeply• sketch• collect impressions• observe cha...
26/07/2026

Coastal Residues

Participants were invited to:
• notice textures
• listen deeply
• sketch
• collect impressions
• observe change

The coast became a site for noticing rather than simply passing through.

Participants documented:
• textures
• movement
• material fragments
• sounds
• gestures of erosion

Many responses moved beyond documentation and became personal, poetic and speculative.

Coastal Residues is a creative project by artist Scott Hunter exploring how the legacy of coal mining continues to shape the coastline around Kirkcaldy.

Although mining, linoleum and textile manufacturing has stopped, materials from former collieries and industries are still present in the landscape. Along the coast, erosion is revealing these hidden traces, showing how industrial waste continues to move through soils, sediments and the sea.

Coastal Residues looks at how waste from our former industries is still active in the landscape today. By working with these materials directly, the project helps make these slow environmental processes visible and easier to understand. It connects scientific research with everyday experience of living by the coast.

Sketchbook: Tricia

Waste Futures Labs is part of the Resilience of Anthropocene Coasts and Communities (RACC) research project. RACC is jointly funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Coastal Residues Participants were invited to:• notice textures• listen deeply• sketch• collect impressions• observe cha...
25/07/2026

Coastal Residues

Participants were invited to:
• notice textures
• listen deeply
• sketch
• collect impressions
• observe change

The coast became a site for noticing rather than simply passing through.

Participants documented:
• textures
• movement
• material fragments
• sounds
• gestures of erosion

Many responses moved beyond documentation and became personal, poetic and speculative.

Coastal Residues is a creative project by artist Scott Hunter exploring how the legacy of coal mining continues to shape the coastline around Kirkcaldy.

Although mining, linoleum and textile manufacturing has stopped, materials from former collieries and industries are still present in the landscape. Along the coast, erosion is revealing these hidden traces, showing how industrial waste continues to move through soils, sediments and the sea.

Coastal Residues looks at how waste from our former industries is still active in the landscape today. By working with these materials directly, the project helps make these slow environmental processes visible and easier to understand. It connects scientific research with everyday experience of living by the coast.

Sketchbook: Rosie

Waste Futures Labs is part of the Resilience of Anthropocene Coasts and Communities (RACC) research project. RACC is jointly funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

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War Memorial Gardens, Abbotshall Road
Kirkcaldy
KY1 1YG

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