Monsters of the Deep

Abstract

Sea monsters are mostly associated with pre-scientific views of the world or with fiction. Despite this, various writers—select scientists among them—have interpreted sea monsters as real, often arguing for a connection between them and animals known as fossils. Efforts to bring sea monsters into mainstream science have mostly failed, but despite this they remain embedded in culture and imagination. In a recent show at Aberdeen Art Gallery, Monsters of the Deep explored the history of sea monsters and how scientific discoveries and popular culture have combined to keep the subject very much alive.