One Ocean 2026: What the Wild Sea Can Be with Helen Scales (20)

20th June 2026

Turner Contemporary

Marine biologist and author Helen Scales opens the programme with an inspiring keynote on the wonder, complexity, and fragility of ocean ecosystems at Turner Contemporary in Margate

12pm–12.45pm

Drawing on her research and storytelling, she will highlight why the ocean matters now more than ever.

About the Speaker
Dr Helen Scales is a marine biologist, writer and broadcaster. She writes about the ocean’s living wonders for readers of all ages. Her books have been adapted for stage and screen, and translated into 17 languages. They include the Guardian bestseller Spirals in Time and What the Wild Sea Can Be which was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction and the Wainwright Prize for Conservation Writing and longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. Her children’s books include the global bestseller What a Shell Can Tell and Scientists in the Wild, Antarctica which was shortlisted for the Children’s Travel Book of the Year and The Week Junior Children’s STEM Book of the Year. She writes regularly for the Guardian and National Geographic and teaches at Cambridge University. Helen divides her time between Cambridge, England, and the wild Atlantic coast of France.

You'll find the full programme here. All events are free, but booking is advised.

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