Life by the sea looks idyllic. But for Cornwall’s coastal communities, the ocean brings both opportunity and unrelenting pressure. Generations have faced storms, economic upheavals, and the shifting tides of change. What’s often romanticised as “coastal living” is, in truth, a constant negotiation with resilience—where a single event may trigger a sequence that shapes the community for years to come.

Resilience is a research-led immersive experience that invites visitors into a circle of suspended glowing glass buoys created by Kaleider. At first, they emit only a faint buzz—but as you move closer, the voices rise. Fishermen, families, and coastal workers share stories of hardship and hope, layered with shanties and sounds of the sea. Around the space, objects and personal memories form a living archive, while nine large-format portraits by photographer Steve Tanner anchor the experience. Visitors are encouraged to respond by adding their own reflections to a net that grows with every interaction—visibly demonstrating the ripple effect of collective voices and experiences.

We created the exhibition branding, spatial design, and promotional campaign with the ripple effect as a guiding motif, shaping Resilience’s identity as hopeful, interactive, and accessible. Working with the University of Exeter’s Resilience of Coastal Communities (ROCC) research project, Kaleider, and the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, we transformed an academic study into an immersive visitor experience—bridging research, storytelling, and design to show how every individual action resonates across the community.

Following its debut in Cornwall, Resilience will move to The Oval this autumn—bringing the lived voices, sounds, and memories of the coast to a new audience, ensuring that these powerful reflections extend far beyond the shoreline.