Family fun QR code treasure hunt reveals underwater environments through art and poetry

Throughout July, FIRE Lab‘s art-science creations, Underwater Realm, are being exhibited in Swansea’s Square Peg Coffee House and mark the starting point of a QR code treasure hunt around the city.

Underwater Haiku QR Code Quest is a fun way to connect with the planet’s underwater environments while staying dry on land and is a great activity for all ages.

The Quest is a series of QR codes, which, once scanned, play a short YouTube video of a haiku reading and provide a clue that will help participants move on to the next locations – including Sketty, Uplands, and Swansea City Centre.

The first person to complete the quest each day, making it back to Square Peg Coffee House, wins a free coffee and all participants leave with an Underwater Haiku Collaborative Collection booklet – filled with haiku by poets from around the world.

Martha Llewellyn from Square Peg Coffee House said: “We’re delighted to host the Underwater Haiku QR Code Quest, as it encompasses several things that are important to us; creativity, caring about the environment and promoting the passions of the community.

“I love the idea of changing your perspective and, if you’ll pardon the pun, diving into another way of talking about our local natural habitats.

“Using creative outlets like poetry to discuss issues like pollution and overfishing is a great way to help generate awareness and understanding.”

Stephanie Januchowski-Hartley, PhD, Sêr Cymru Fellow and a member of Swansea University’s FIRE Lab, said: “How can we engage with our underwater environments if we are mostly on land? We ask this question with our research at the Freshwater Interdisciplinary Research and Engagement (FIRE) Lab.

“The Underwater Haiku QR Code Quest is one creative method we are using to help answer this question, and we hope that the people of Swansea will join in!”