Members of the public, volunteers, and mathematicians came together at Whitley Bay on 6 and 7 June to create a remarkable large-scale artwork in the sand, inspired by one of the most exciting recent discoveries in geometry. The Beach Spectres event invited participants to help build an aperiodic tiling on the beach using large stampers shaped like the Spectre monotile.
The Spectre aperiodic monotile was an unexpected mathematical discovery in 2023. It is the first known shape that can tile a flat surface only in a non-repeating way: no matter how far the tiling extends, the pattern never repeats. The Beach Spectres project brought this new mathematical idea to life on Whitley Bay beach by using large “cookie cutter” tools to stamp the shape into the sand while the tide was out.
Despite the partly difficult weather, the event attracted excellent public participation across both days. Participants created well over 2,000 tiles in the sand over the course of the weekend.
The event was a partnership between Newcastle University, Durham University, and Talking Maths in Public (the UK network for math communicators), made possible by a MEGA grant: a bursary scheme for mathematical public engagement activities, with funding organised by stand-up Mathematician Matt Parker.
For the Department of Mathematical Sciences, the event offered a powerful example of how mathematical research can spark public curiosity when people are given the chance to experience it directly. The Spectre tile was only discovered recently, yet Beach Spectres showed how quickly a new idea can be shared in a way that is visual, participatory, and memorable. By combining research, creativity, and collaboration, the event turned an abstract mathematical concept into something people could build together with their own hands.
/filters:quality(70)/prod01/prodbucket01/media/durham-university/departments-/mathematical-sciences/Maths-2-3-2-4029X1177.jpg)