Waters Rising

08 November 2024 – 16 March 2025

Waters Rising traces stories and objects connected to flooding from Scotland and abroad, from biblical accounts to Ancient Egypt to North America, and more recent events closer to home. Exploring the growing threat of the global climate emergency whilst examining the impact of flooding and extreme weather events on communities, businesses, and infrastructure in Perth and Kinross, the exhibition also includes photos, memories, and stories from local people.

Hero image artwork In the Land of Giants by Norval Morrisseau

Price & Tickets

Tickets for Waters Rising are available using a Pay What You Choose model to make the exhibition more accessible to all. By increasing the amount you pay for a ticket, your money is directly reinvested back into Perth Museum, which enables us to create more experiences and activities for our community and to care for more than 500,000 objects of local, national and international significance.

Members of Culture Perth and Kinross Supporters Scheme go free.

Tickets are available to book now online via Perthshire Box Office.

Dates & Times

Waters Rising runs from 08 November 2024 – 16 March 2025

The museum is open seven days a week, from 10 am to 5 pm, with extended hours until 7 pm on Thursdays until October 31^st. From 1^st November until 31^st March, Perth Museum will be open Monday – Saturday 10am – 5pm, Sunday 11am – 4pm. Admission to the Museum permanent galleries and the Stone of Destiny exhibit are free.

Putting the local experience in a global context, Waters Rising features an Egyptian sarcophagus with Nile flood damage, a rare illuminated bible from the thirteenth century, ceremonial brass bowls commemorating the Hindu flood myth of Vasudeva and Krishna, eighteenth and nineteenth-century etchings and mezzotints of Noah’s Great Flood, and more contemporary works from renowned Indigenous Canadian artist Norval Morrisseau, and Scottish artists Will Maclean and Alan Kilpatrick. Visitors will be inspired to take action through stories and objects from the climate movement in Scotland today.

In the Land of Giants by Norval Morrisseau

Flooded Aberfeldy by Sam Hayles

Perthshire Flooding by Alex Cowper, December 1946.

South Inch, August 2020 - Credit Wol Gilbraith

Personal items such as letters and photos are often listed as the most missed items following floods.

As part of the exhibition, Perth Museum invited the public to submit photographs of flooding in their local area. The photos have created a central display displaying the community’s lived experiences. Alongside this, Perth Museum are also inviting the public to share memories, handwritten onto postcards created by the museum. These blank postcards are available to write and submit at designated points in Perth Museum, Perth Art Gallery and Culture Perth and Kinross Libraries. This community sourced collection will act as a new physical archive of flood memories, both past and present.

Book Tickets

Tickets for Waters Rising are available to book in advance now through Perthshire Box Office, using a Pay What You Choose model to make the exhibition more accessible. Visitors will also be able to purchase tickets at the Museum on the day of their visit, but advance booking is recommended to avoid disappointment. Contributors to the exhibition and members of the Culture Perth and Kinross Supporters Scheme receive free entry.

Book Tickets

Resources

Below are a list of resources and links supplied to us by partners to help combat flooding. This list is not exhaustive and we would suggest getting in touch with the Scottish Flood Forum, or checking out what groups are available in your local area.

Scottish Flood Forum Flood Protection Guide (opens a PDF)

Scottish Flood Forum Ready for Flooding (opens a PDF)

Scottish Flood Forum Your Household Resilience Plan (opens a PDF)