How creatives from Falmouth are using art to advocate for positive change
15 May 2026
Duncan Cameron, Head of Art at Falmouth University, has been working with students to create a giant toilet as part of his ongoing collaborative creative campaign on water pollution. The huge sculpture will make its debut and be on display at the Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) Paddle Out event on Gyllyngvase Beach this Saturday 16 May, as part of an artistic display encouraging water companies to end sewage pollution.
Last year’s ‘Basket Shark’ sculpture, a project built by Duncan and many Falmouth and Exeter staff, students and members of the public, will also be paraded towards the beach on the day, raising awareness of the harm of polluted oceans on vulnerable species.
Speaking about the project, Duncan shared with us: “It’s all about making people’s voices heard while creatively protesting on pollution in a way that is exciting and fun – it’s about creative agency and a hope for change. This project is a protest about everything that makes sharks vulnerable but is delivered in a way that focuses on handmaking, storytelling, creativity, art and symbolism.”
Saturday’s event will also see BA(Hons) Photography alumna, Bella Bunce, assisting with the organisation of the event, joining chants in the water and delivering the pre paddle out rally speech. “I want to talk about how we as citizens have so much power to create change, and how we need to come together to fight for protection of the ocean,” Bella told us. “I’ll touch on how surfers, ocean lovers and the media that revolves around the ocean need to be dedicating their energy into protecting the ocean. If we can enjoy it, we can stand up for it, too.”
Following Bella’s rally, she will be available to talk to at a stall, encouraging people to share their ideas on how to create change and write letters to their local MPs to make their voices heard.
Bella currently works as the first female editor for Wavelength Surf Magazine, a leading surf magazine that has been in print since 1981. Speaking on her role, Bella shared with us: “My passion for wave riding, mixed with photography and a calling to always put the world to rights meant I became known in our industry for surf storytelling that cut deeper. I became an editor not only because they were actively looking for women, but because I kept showing up, learning about the culture and making my voice heard, even if people didn’t want to listen.”
What’s next
Following Saturday’s SAS Paddle Out, Duncan will be bringing the second instalment of the @beachbeasties collaborative creative campaign, a 20-foot wicker mechanical cuttlefish made from wicker, to Falmouth’s Festival of the Ocean on Sunday 7 June. Called ‘Cuttlesticks’, the project is still in development and is the latest performance sculpture in Duncan’s campaign for cleaner seas.
External links
Learn about the ‘Rise of the Cephalopods’ projects and wider beach beasties work
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