South Ayrshire Council has hosted an international symposium at the Maclaurin Galleries in Ayr welcoming the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) and the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC).
The conference explored connections between creativity, place, physical and emotional wellbeing and marked the culmination of a four-year research project led by Dr Cathy Treadaway from the School of Art and Design, UWIC, with the Scottish artist Alison F Bell, a doctoral researcher at UWS.
The symposium brought together an audience of researchers, academics and arts practitioners from around the world, to present research in their fields, creating discussion and further understanding about the significance of 'place' in the creative process and its potential to enhance the quality of human experience.
The event was organised by Dr Treadaway, Alison Bell and South Ayrshire Council, as part of the 'Shorelines' exhibition at the Maclaurin Galleries.
The exhibition contains collaborative visual arts outputs from the research project, made in response to five coastal locations in England, Scotland, Wales and Australia, along with work made independently by both artists in response to shoreline locations.
Keynote speakers at the symposium included eminent psychiatrist Dr Iain McGilchrist, author of 'The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World' and international environmental artist Chris Drury.
Councillor Hywel Davies, Portfolio Holder for Lifelong Learning said: "I'm delighted Ayr has been chosen as the location for this important conference and I am particularly pleased it fused academic practice with a significant cultural attraction. The Maclaurin Galleries was the perfect setting for it.
"We take great pride in providing a high quality education to pupils of all ages and at all levels in their education. This symposium puts South Ayrshire firmly on the map in terms of bringing together the most current thinking in creativity education and learning, coupled with models of Best Practice in how to deliver it."
Graham Jeffery of the University of the West of Scotland's School of Creative & Cultural Industries said: "We are delighted to have co-presented this important academic symposium, and the pre-event lecture was well attended and very informative.
"Both saw leading researchers and practitioners from across the globe coming together to discuss how creative spaces and places can have a positive effect on social wellbeing.
"These are complex issues at the intersection of cultural practice, social policy, human geography, health and psychology and require transdisciplinary thinking. At UWS we're committed to building this agenda through our Creative Futures Research Centre."