A look at the UK’s summer cultural offerings summer happenings

From a brand new art foundation to an annual installation to exciting coastal happenings, there’s plenty of architecture and design inspiration around the UK.

Up and down the country, there are places to gain creative inspiration this summer and beyond.

Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller's new permanent outdoor artwork Roman Mosaic c. 2025 has opened at a Wild Eye seawatching station in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. The 8.4m x 6m mosaic, created with Yorkshire sculptor Coralie Turpin, spans the floor of a renovated Marine Drive shelter equipped with free telescopes and wildlife information. Designed to appear as a newly excavated ancient work with intentional gaps, the mosaic celebrates Yorkshire Coast marine life while highlighting conservation needs. It features local wildlife including dolphins, seals, Thor the Walrus, and rare Arctic birds, alongside Roman-inspired elements like wind gods and fishing boats, drawing from ancient mosaics at Lod and Pompeii.

The Goodwood Art Foundation is a brand new contemporary art destination which opened in Sussex in May. The not-for-profit foundation focuses on art, environment and education, presenting internationally acclaimed artists within the Goodwood Estate's natural landscape. The inaugural exhibition features another Turner Prize winner Rachel Whiteread, the first woman to do so, showcasing her sculpture and rarely seen photography. The opening season also includes a major outdoor installation by Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica - the first work from his 'Magic Square' series shown outside Brazil - and new work by 2022 Turner Prize winner Veronica Ryan. Award-winning landscape architect Dan Pearson is developing the Schwarzman Gardens with twenty-four seasonal moments and a Western Amphitheatre for education.

Back in London Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum, founder of Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA), has designed the 2025 Serpentine Pavilion. Known for work deeply rooted in climate, culture, and community, MTA focuses on architecture that addresses environmental and social challenges, including climate resilience and housing for marginalised communities. Tabassum’s Pavilion design explores themes of impermanence and memory, drawing inspiration from South Asian Shamiyana tents. The sculptural structure features four translucent wooden capsules filtering natural light, with one movable element transforming the space.

And finally, down in the south west of the country, in Cornwall, the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth has launched SURF!, a major exhibition exploring a century of Cornish surfing culture running until January 2027. Curated by surf academic Dr. Sam Bleakley, the exhibition showcases 100 surfboards spanning from 1920s wooden bellyboards to modern adaptive designs, including pieces used by world champions and a record-setting 37-foot board for 15 surfers. The immersive experience features a recreated 1960s Bilbo Surf Shop, original VW campervan and surf photography. Highlighting surfing's cultural impact, the exhibition displays artboards by renowned artists including Damian Hirst, alongside work exploring the sport's evolution from banned activity to £150 million annual contributor to Cornwall's economy.

So no matter where you find yourself in the UK, there’s something culturally interesting happening near you.