An artist drew a huge beach doodle of the iconic 'The Scream' painting spanning more than 300ft across the seafront to highlight the plight of our 'dying planet'. Fred Brown went to Scarborough Beach armed with a broom and a garden rake, painstakingly carving his own take on Edvard Munch's famous artwork into the sand.
In just three hours, the self-professed 'artivist' etched the instantly-recognisable figure clutching his horror-stricken face to raise awareness of the 'impact humans have on the planet'. Starting at midday and finishing up at 3pm, the 51-year-old then admired his handiwork from a higher vantage point before the tide washed it away a few hours later.
Fred, from York, said: "The Scream is among the most iconic and instantly-recognisable images around. It seemed fitting for the message I wanted to impart - that we're destroying our planet and that it's horrifying if you actually stop to think about it.
"We're heading for extinction like we just don't care. It really does seem inexorable - but what can we do? As individuals we often feel powerless to change anything, but one thing that we have some control over is what we spend our money on.
"While it won't fix everything, scientists believe that if we all switched to a plant-based diet it would have huge benefits, so that's often a focus in my pieces. I do it as a form of activism - 'artivism' you could call it. I'm a poor communicator, but my art gives me a big voice. I'm also not very artistic, so I liken it to a big colouring book for adults."
Vegan Fred has also created sand drawings about suicide prevention and endangered sea life, and says he often races against the tide to complete his artworks. The personal shopper said: "I tend to lose track of time once I get going, which isn't the best when I'm racing an incoming tide. Also it's game over should it start to rain, as beach doodles dissolve very quickly.
"I quite enjoy my time on the beach, seeing the finished work from the bridge above is quite the buzz. On the beach I'm mostly met with curiosity. Some people will try to figure out what I've drawn or written, whereas others will just come up to me and ask.
"I've found people on Scarborough beach to be quite friendly. Whether they agree with my messages or not, they'll wish me well. Some people don't even realise what I'm doing, especially while I'm tracing the outlines.
"My pieces are so large that people can walk across them without even realising. It's an unexpected place for people to see them. It's a large self-cleaning canvas that I can use over and over, and the tide action gives symbolic depth to some pieces.
"I've covered a few things, like climate change, animal testing and agriculture. Sadly Scarborough has a very high suicide rate, so I copied a Samaritans advert onto the beach back in April. My pictures won't change much but hopefully they raise awareness, trigger discussion, and help plant the seeds of change."
