Gifts from the Land: Seaweed Cyanotypes with Christina Riley

Join us for an inspiring afternoon of creating seaweed cyanotypes with photographer Christina Riley, the founder of The Nature Library and author of the upcoming book Looking Down at the Stars.

In this hands-on workshop, you'll learn how to create your own seaweed cyanotypes using a photographic printing process first invented in 1842 by John Herschel. This technique gained prominence through Anna Atkins’ 1843 publication Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, a groundbreaking work in botanical documentation.

As part of our Treasures of the Deep program (January–March 2026), this workshop invites you to engage with seaweed as a material and a lens through which to explore how we archive and interpret the natural world.

The session will begin with a mindful walk through the garden, allowing time to observe the textures, colours, and forms that inspire a deeper sensory connection to our surroundings. In the Boiler House, Christina will guide you through the cyanotype process, sharing its historical context and practical application. There will be ample time to experiment and create in a relaxed and welcoming environment.

No prior experience is required, and all materials will be provided. A light lunch will also be included.

This workshop is recommended for participants aged 16 and older. Please meet at the Visitor Centre upon arrival

About Looking Down at the Stars

Discover the wonder of marine life seen up close in these joyous and sparkling essays.

In 2022, Christina Riley became an ‘underwater artist in residence’ at the Argyll Coast Hope Spot – a place of incredible natural beauty in Scotland also crucial for the health of the world’s oceans. She spent days submerged alongside marine life, before resurfacing to reflect, recreate and recount what she had seen – and the feelings of love, hope and responsibility her experience had evoked in her.

The resulting essays, collected in this stunning volume, swim through the kaleidoscope of marine life she found there, from starfish to seagrass to the water itself. What shines through all of them is a sense of wonder that is also a call to action. Looking Down at the Stars asks: how can we harness our feelings of awe at the natural world in order to take better care of it?

Christina Riley’s lyrical prose is the perfect guide to this unfamiliar underwater world, brimming with surprises, sunlight and sea stars.

Gifts from the Land is a series of workshops led by Scotland-based artists and craftspeople sharing with you their carefully developed knowledge on working with natural materials – inviting you to grow your creative practice and connect more deeply with the land around you.

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Host or Publisher St Andrews Botanic Garden